Jack the Ripper

London's most notorious murderer must surely be Jack the Ripper. Although they took place in 1888 and 1889, all these years later these particular murders have touched the public psyche in a way that other gory serial murders have not. Maybe it's the location, the slums of Whitechapel just to the east of the City of London, or the fact that Jack the Ripper was never caught. It might be the many books and movies about the killings have fuel the international public interest especially with the atmospheric settings: foggy nights, terrible slums and women out on the streets alone. Then there is the endless speculation on his identity including the theory that he was a deranged royal prince or an equally insane artist.

The books, newspaper and magazine articles, movies and television programmes have contributed to the legend of Jack the Ripper. Many theories have been promoted and evidence bent or omitted to support them to the extent that it is hard to know exactly what happened.

The names in red are the ones that the Sir Melville Macnaghten, Assistant Chief Constable, believed could be attributed to the Ripper.

The Murders

Continued on Page 2

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