You’ve seen the ‘Ghostface’ from ‘Scream’, witnessed
‘Sweeney Todd’, feared ‘Mr Harvey’ from ‘The Lovely Bones’, but do you know
‘Jack the Ripper’? Oh, he was only the most infamous Victorian serial killer in
London’s East End in 1888. The serial killer whose case still continues to
horrify...
His story began in August 1888, with the backdrop of the
Whitechapel area of London. Victim number one: Mary Ann Nichols. To say the
least, the murder seemed like a bloody mess- but surgeons claimed that the
blood drawn from her wounds was ‘about enough to fill two large wine
glasses...’ At the time, from a Victorian viewpoint- ‘Jack the Ripper’ never
existed. How could someone be murdered by something which doesn’t exist? Thus
the murder case at the current time was highly intriguing and left police
officers in confusion of an actual lead to the case. But then came victim
number two only a week after: Annie Chapman. Surprise surprise, Ms Chapman also
suffered similar abdominal and throat wounds to Mary Ann Nichols. The
connection between the two cases further fascinated police officers, and
although many arrests were made- most were futile. Little did they know that
‘The Ripper’ was ready to strike again, but this time he was ready to strike
two birds with one stone. It was on a cold, dark winter’s night in which the
unsuspecting Elizabeth Stride was walking through the streets of the East End. Apparently,
the night was so dark that nothing could be seen without lighting a match. To
be honest, I think you can guess what happens from here. ‘The Ripper’ slayed
Stride ruthlessly in a similar fashion with his other prey. However, this time
the victim had no mutilations beyond her injured throat. If you thought that
was it, well you’re wrong, as ‘Jack’ pounced again. His fourth victim,
Catherine Eddowes, was only within walking distance of Stride’s massacre less
than an hour later that very night. As for Eddowes, I think you know the rest.
These two murders sent London into frenzy, and the rumours of ‘The Ripper’
became a reality. By now, the police extracted a trend from ‘The Ripper
Killings, as they were known. The murders mainly occurred frequently at night,
following exactly the same method of murder. Most importantly, all his victims
were female prostitutes- suggesting his murders were premeditated. Police
officers were frantically working on the case, yet there were no solid leads to
the identity of this supposed, ‘Jack the Ripper’. His fifth and final victim
was Mary Jane Kelly. Kelly’s murder is obscure and goes undocumented due to
lack of evidence. Eddowes and Kelly’s murders were thought to be the most
brutal out of Jack’s five victims. In case you’re wondering, the name, ‘Jack
the Ripper’, originated in a letter- written by someone claiming to be the
murderer. Although, the letter was thought to be a means of heightening and
arousing more interest around the story. The killer is also known by other
names such as ‘The Whitechapel Murderer’ as well as ‘Leather Apron’. Believe it
or not, the analysis of the Ripper cases also derived the term ‘ripperology’,
used to describe the study of the murders. The aftermath of the murders
positioned ‘Jack the Ripper’ as the stuff of horrors for children, and he
became the embodiment of ‘The Bogey Man’. Although Jack’s physical identity has
remained covered for several years, recent reports have revealed a portrait of
Jack the Ripper’s face. If what you have just read has fascinated you, be brave
and click on the link below to view Jack’s face. Trust me, you won’t be freaked
out- in fact you’ll be surprised how similar he looks to ‘Mr Harvey’ from ‘The
Lovely Bones’ (minus the glasses!)
So click on the link below!
By MD
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