Jack the Ripper was one of the most notoriously brutal serial killers to strike in history. Although his number of victims wasn't very high, the level of violence displayed with each case is absolutely chilling.
And of course, the fact that the killer's true identity remains a mystery well over a 100 years later only adds more intrigue to the whole story.
Even today, new clues and evidence are being uncovered as researchers attempt to finally unmask the true culprit once and for all. And though most of us are familiar with the basic information about the atrocities, there are some truly baffling facts that have slipped through the cracks over the years.
Take a look to learn more about all of the theories and myths surrounding Jack the Ripper throughout history and learn more about what really happened all those years ago.
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[H/T: Casebook: Jack the Ripper]
1. He Gave Himself The "Ripper" Name
Nearly a month after the first victim, Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, was discovered, the Central News Agency of London received what's known as the "Dear Boss" letter from someone claiming to be the killer.
It's signed, "Your's truly, Jack the Ripper — Don't mind me giving the trade name."
At first authorities believed the letter to be a hoax, but when the next victim was missing part of her ear as the letter promised, they changed their tune.
2. The Crimes All Happened Within A Mile Of Each Other
All of the victims were discovered in the Whitechapel neighborhood on the East End of London.
The area was known for being poverty stricken and overcrowded. Many women began prostituting themselves to make ends meet.
According to the Metropolitan Police at the time, there were an estimated 1,200 prostitutes and 62 brothels in the neighborhood.
3. There's Still A Debate About The Number Of Victims
Police attributed 11 murders to Jack the Ripper at the time.
However, since many of the details don't add up for all of those cases, it's unlikely Ripper was responsible for some of them. Instead, there's what's known as the "canonical five" victims that researchers can confirm were committed by him. There is also a very strong case for another victim before Polly Nichols.
4. There Were Actually 3 Deaths The Night Of The "Double Event"
On September 29, 1888, police officers discovered the bodies of two women within an hour of each other.
First, they found Elizabeth Stride just after 1:00 AM, then stumbled upon Catherine Eddowes just before 2:00 AM three-quarters of a mile away.
That very same night and in the same neighborhood, a man named John Brown also killed his wife. Some considered him a suspect for all three murders, but it was most likely a coincidence.
5. He Was Caught In The Act Once
The "double event" likely occurred after Jack was caught in the act by a man named Israel Schwartz while he attacked Elizabeth.
According to Israel, the man he saw attacking a woman that night yelled an anti-Semitic slur at him before, apparently, moving on to Catherine.
This meant that Elizabeth's wounds didn't exactly line up with the other signature afflictions found on his other victims.
6. Several People Say They Saw Him Right Before Or After His Crimes
Despite the mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper's identity for over a hundred years, he was seen by several passersby just before or after he committed his crimes.
On the same night Israel caught the killer in the act, a man named Joseph Lawende saw him with Catherine just before her death. He described the man as being "of shabby appearance, about 30 years of age and 5ft. 9in. in height, of fair complexion, having a small fair moustache, and wearing a red neckerchief and a cap with a peak."
That description was confirmed by other witnesses to his crimes as well.
7. He Probably Wasn't Left Handed
While performing the post-mortem inspection of Polly, Dr. Rees Ralph Llewellyn came to the conclusion that the killer was left-handed.
This was probably more likely a case of left-handed prejudice prevalent during the era. The doctor even recanted his assessment later after more victims piled up with evidence pointing to the killer being right-handed instead.
8. He Likely Had A Day Job
All of the murders occurred on the weekends or bank holidays. They were also done at night or in the early hours of the morning before people went about their daily lives.
Polly was found at 3:40 AM by residents leaving their homes to go to work. This has led researchers to believe the killer had a day job of his own.
9. Police Received Hundreds Of Letters Claiming To Be The Killer
Some were just well meaning people trying to give tips and advice about finding him, but even more copied the same style of the original "Dear Boss" letter to take credit for the atrocities.
Along with that first letter, two others were of particular note. The second was a postcard known as "Saucy Jacky" which arrived on October 1, 1888. In it, he apologized for not sending the ears of his latest victim to the police as he previously promised them.
The third letter arrived on October 16, 1888, and was addressed as being "From Hell," shown above. It also included half a human kidney — the other half of which the author claimed to have fried up and eaten.
10. Some Believe He Was Actually A Woman
According to the History Channel, a witness claimed to see the final victim, Mary Kelly, hours after she was murdered.
Investigators at the time speculated that a female midwife could have been responsible for all of the murders and simply put on one of Mary's dresses before leaving the poor woman's apartment.
11. Lewis Carroll Was Accused Of Being The Killer
A man named Richard Wallace made the accusation in his 1996 book Jack the Ripper, Light-Hearted Friend where he claimed to have found clues hidden in Lewis' work by rearranging passages into poorly constructed anagrams confessing to the murders.
Obviously, that can be done with pretty much any work — including Richard's own words, if he had been alive during the time. Other bizarre suspects included Prince Albert Victor and Joseph Merrick, also known as "the Elephant Man."
12. It Could Have Been Multiple Killers
A private investigator named Randy Williams told The Lineup that after extensive research, he believed there to be more than one culprit for the spree of murders.
According to him, three men named Louis Deimschutz, Isaac Kozebrodski, and Samuel Friedman worked together to orchestrate the killings.
13. He Might Have Been A Notorious American
H.H. Holmes is infamously known as one of the United States' first ever serial killers — and he really went above and beyond with his vicious acts by building a "Murder Castle" to torture his victims in Chicago around the same time of the Ripper murders.
Today, his great-great-grandson, Jeff Mudgett, believes he was also responsible for the deaths of those five women. While investigating his theory with the History Channel for a series called American Ripper, he and ex-CIA analyst Amaryllis Fox uncovered a chunk of time in H.H.'s history that coincides with the Ripper cases in London.
If Jeff's theory is confirmed, it will mean two of the most deadly serial killers were in fact the same man.
Were you surprised by any of these facts about Jack the Ripper?
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