HerlockSholmes

Hello Hikari, Good to hear everything’s ok with you. I’m still a regular contributor on the JTR message boards although after around 38 years I’m not quite as keen as I used to be. Believe it or not of the named suspects (and there have been over 150 over the years) the one that a favour slightly is Druitt but that doesn’t say much as I think that only 3 in total are worth any real consideration. I’ll try not to get too boring but… He was named in Macnaghten’s memorandum in 1894 but my question has always been: “why would he have plucked his name out of thin air if he hadn’t felt that he had reason for doing it?” An author called Dan Farson once said something like “it’s Druitt’s unlikeliness that makes him so intriguing,” and I agree. Why pick a random guy, from the upper classes when that class stuck together at that time, who had no history of violence or criminality? He did commit suicide just after the Kelly murder but at the time many people, including his old friend and police colleague Sir James Munro and others, felt that Alice Mackenzie (killed in 1889) was also a victim. Would he have named an innocent Druitt who was related by marriage to one of MacNaghten’s best friends? Also, in 1891, a Dorset (where Druitt came from) M.P. called Henry Farquaharsen was telling people that the ripper was the son of a surgeon who had killed himself just after the Kelly murder (Druitt was the son of a surgeon who killed himself just after the Kelly murder) Druitt had no alibi for any of the murders and he actually lived and worked in London. He had accommodation at the Blackheath School where he worked and was sacked in November (no one knows why) There’s a bit more that I could mention but I won’t cross the ‘boring’ line too far. I think that Druitt is too easily dismissed but I wouldn’t bet money on any suspect to be honest. All I can say for certain is that it wasn’t me😀

I think that “there’s no proof to the contrary” is nearest the mark Carol. Someone who was provably vertical at the time is then researched for ‘clues.’ A difficult childhood, perhaps a hint of criminal behaviour or controversy, a childhood illness or disability, maybe a grudge agains a particular woman, perhaps even a speculation that a female relative might have become a prostitute due to horrendous poverty and off we go. Two hundred pages of retelling the well documented story of the Whitechapel murders followed by thirty or forty pages of baseless speculation. I rarely buy books on the subject these days. There are some very good, well written and well researched true crime books out there though if you can avoid the dross.

Hello Carol, Your request shouldn’t take long as there is no evidence but sadly this can be par-for-the-course in the Whitechapel Murders case - especially in recent years. Certain writers resort to finding someone that was alive at the time and living reasonably close-by and then weaving a ‘case’ around them. If it can be shown, for example, that the suspects father had left while he was young or that the suspect had some kind of illness then ‘bingo!’ We’re now getting close to the position of wondering who hasn’t been suggested as a suspect by now (Dr. Barnado, Lewis Carroll, poet Francis Thompson, Oscar Wilde, Vincent Van Gogh and (horror of horrors) Conan Doyle!) The latest nonsense is the suggestion that it was a police officer called Endacott. He had absolutely no connection to the case but earlier had been involved in quite an infamous case after he’d arrested a young woman for soliciting on completely spurious grounds. The woman was provably not soliciting and there was justified outrage at her treatment. The guy claims that this was some kind of ‘trigger’ (yawn) for Endscott to murder prostitutes. Anyway, on to Holmes. Mudgett claims to have inherited diaries which ‘experts’ have shown to have been written by HH Holmes (although I’m unsure if he’s ever actually produced them?) In them Holmes claimed to have been in London at the time of the murders (this can’t be backed up with evidence despite Mudgett’s efforts) with another man who was some kind of assistant. Holmes instructed him to commit the murders as some kind of distraction to his own murders (in London?) and to discredit the police. Mudgett also claimed to be terminally I’ll due to a tumour which later magically disappeared. While he still had the tumour he was getting seizures which produced hallucinations where he heard his grandfathers voice. The theory is completely baseless Carol. It can’t be shown that Holmes was even in London and, whilst all murders are horrible, the ripper murders were of a very different type. Holmes was a maniac but not the Whitechapel maniac.

Hello Hikari and all, There have been a few books written about HH Holmes as you’d expect but the best is Adam Selzer’s HH Holmes: The True Story of the White City Devil. It’s brilliantly researched and very readable. I occasionally talk to a guy who really knows a lot about the case and he recommended this one to me. They might have it in your library with a bit of luck. His descendant Jeff Mudgett believes that Holmes was also Jack the Ripper but he’s a poor suspect in a subject riddled with poor suspects. I question whether Mudgett actually believes it himself but it’s an opportunity to make few $$$ of course. Hope everyone is well?

Irene Adler wasn’t portrayed in the Rathbone movies but she did get the mention in Dressed To Kill (quoted above by Carol)

Wishing a happy Christmas and new year to all. Have fun and stay safe (especially those in The States affected by the terrible weather.)👍🥃🍺🍹🍸

They tracked down his descendants but the science is inconclusive. The guy who bought the shawl is the same guy who recently claimed to have found the skull of Keith Bennett (victim of Brady and Hindley) on Saddleworth Moor. It wasn’t.

Sorry Hikari, I missed this post. Yes, Kosminski is a valid suspect but, like all suspects, doubts abound. There was an alleged ID parade which Sir Robert Anderson mentions in his book but it’s mentioned nowhere else so we can’t confirm it. He said that the witness wouldn’t identify him because he was a fellow Jew, but again, there’s just no evidence for this. Anderson’s subordinate was Donald Swanson, and in his copy of Anderson’s book (discovered in the 80’s) he’d pencilled in the margin “Kosminski was the suspect.” Its intriguing but there’s just not enough to convict. Like all suspects, 99% of whom are absolute nonsense. People who were simply alive at the time. We’ve had Sickert (as you’ve mentioned) Sir William Gull, Lewis Carroll, Vincent Van Gogh, Dr. Barnado, Frank Miles, Francis Thompson (poet) and even Arthur Conan Doyle!!! Eventually they’ll simply run out of men. In my opinion the only 3 that are worthy of much attention are Kosminski, Montague John Druitt and William Henry Bury. Followed by perhaps 5 or 6 lesser ones, then close to 200 ‘no chances.’

Hi Carol, Yes the shawl evidence is not considered very strong. We also have to consider the back story. It was claimed that it was taken by PC Amos Simpson who the family claim (I believe) discovered the body of Catherine Eddowes. The first issue is that Simpson was a Metropolitan Police Offices and the body was discovered in the City of London which had, and still has, it’s own police force. They claimed that he was on ‘special duty’ which isn’t impossible but there’s no evidence for it. And even though the police didn’t use modern day methods it’s hardly likely that he’d have been able to have taken crime scene evidence. Finally, and most importantly, Simpson definitely didn’t discover the body. It was discovered by a PC Watkins who then sent a nearby night watch man for assistance and we know which officers arrived until the doctors got there. No mention of Simpson in the entire case. The suspect, Kosminski, is a ‘possible,’ but the shawl is a bit of a red herring.

Hi Hikari, The eye infection sounds nasty so I hope your ok now? I hope you’re enjoying revisiting House because I have to say that I got a little (only a little) obsessed by it. I was watching 2 episodes every night until I finished it. It’s a great series and I’ve often wondered if there could be any doors open for any more of them although I don’t think they’d be the same without his Watson/Wilson. The Mentalist is another one that I’ve never seen so I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. (The ‘eye’ pun was unintentional.)😀

Hi Carol, I’m a month late. Yeah it’s over a mile. I’ve walked it and it feels like more. But I’m lazy🙂

If you type ‘Speedy’s Cafe flat’ you might be able to find the Daily Mail article which has more photos of upstairs. All this messing around and Carol will probably tell me “oh, someone posted the photo’s of the flat ages ago.”😄

Ok, I’ll try again. I found a picture of one of the upstairs room and clicked the ‘visit’ below which took me back to the original page….so here goes… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9368549/Flat-Sherlock-Speedys-Sandwich-Bar-available-let-1-365-month.html Nope, that doesn’t work. I’ll try the individual picture.. https://www.google.com/search?q=speedy's+cafe+flat&rlz=1C9BKJA_enGB704GB704&hl=en-GB&prmd=misvn&sxsrf=ALiCzsbX33IzsAe1sVwZNdC-9xY8keXG9w:1667381538165&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjb8qWimI_7AhWHLMAKHYlVB6IQ_AUoAnoECAIQAg&biw=1024&bih=1247&dpr=2#imgrc=imiFyFQsfwUliM That works.👍

Hi all, this includes a few pics of the flat upstairs. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9368549/Flat-Sherlock-Speedys-Sandwich-Bar-available-let-1-365-month.html As Beasleybean says “definitely not cheap.” That’s $1568 per month. £16k a year is less than many people earn in many parts of the UK. ps. That’s weird. The link is saying ‘site can’t be reached.’ I just googled it again and clicked again to find the same message. Yet 5 minutes ago it showed the whole article with photos.

A Victorian gentleman….in the kitchen….the very thought Carol.😄