Over the years, dozens of suspects have been suggested as potential Ripper candidates. In some cases, reasonable theories have backed the accusations. In other cases, only the most circumstantial evidence backs the suspicion. Below are some of the most commonly named suspects, and a brief summation of why each individual is tied to the case. The original police suspect files have vanished, but fragments can be pieced together by studying the notes of researchers who originally examined them. The contemporary suspects are noted with an asterisk.
*Dr. Neill T. Cream: Cream was born in Scotland in 1850, but his family moved to Canada four years later. He registered as a medical student in Montreal in November of 1872, and graduated with honors in March of 1876. A great deal of his practise after graduation appears to have been centered on providing illegal abortions and he nearly killed his girlfriend and eventual wife accidentally in this fashion. By 1880 he had twice been brought up on charges of murder, each time escaping conviction. His luck ran out in 1881 when he was convicted in the poisoning death of a patient, and sentenced to life imprisonment in Illinois. He was released in 1891. Cream departed for London shortly after his release, and was convicted on two murder charges soon after his arrival. He was hanged in 1892, and was reported to have said "I am Jack..." just as the gallows trapdoor swung open beneath him.
Due to his imprisonment at the time of the Whitechapel murders, his involvement seems unlikely. However, some advocates have advanced the theory that he had a double, with whom he worked in concert. Others have suggested that he was released from prison at an earlier date, and paid off corrupt officals in the Illinios penal system to claim that he was incarcerated there at the time. Both theories seem to be a stretch.
Joseph Barnett: Barnett was Mary Kelly's live-in suitor and was employed as a fish porter until a few weeks before her murder. He lost his employment and was unable to continue to support her financially. This lead Kelly to return to prostitution to support herself, which some have speculated angered Barnett. The couple apparently had a serious quarrel on October 30 over Kelly sharing her quarters with another prostitute. The two reconciled a short time later, but continued to live apart. Kelly was murdered on November 9.
Police questioned Barnett with regard to Kelly's murder for 4 hours, but were satisfied as to his innocence. Some have theorized that he committed all the murders in an attempt to scare Kelly away from a life of prostitution. It was noted that a Barnett often drank ginger beer, and a bottle was found in Kelly's room. The "Dear Boss" letter contains a reference to the blood of one of the early victims being kept in a ginger beer bottle.
Barnett matches the FBI profile for a sexual serial killer in some interesting ways: about the right age, employed in a violent career that involves use of a knife, and he had a physical handicap--he is believed to have suffered from echolalia. Barnett also somewhat matches some eyewitness descriptions: 30, medium build, fair complexion, moustache, blue eyes and about 5'7". His involvement was first suggested in a 1970's book.
*Fredrich Bailey Deeming: He probably wasn't Jack the Ripper, but he certainly was a monster in his own right. He apparently had a close and reliant relationship with his mother and lost his sanity shortly after her death. Reportedly, he heard her voice instructing him even after her death. He spent most of his early years in Australia, before moving to South Africa and eventually to London in 1888. He murdered his first wife and 4 children, burying them under the kitchen floorboards before fleeing back to Australia in 1891. There he met another woman and married, only to murder her and dispose of her body in a similar fashion. He was convicted of murder in 1892 and apparently bragged to inmates in prison that he committed some of the Whitechapel murders. He was hanged later that year, but never confessed officially to the crimes and his attorney categorically denied his involvement. Apart from living in London at the time of the Whitechapel murders, there is no evidence to connect him to any of the murders.
*Montague John Druitt: Listed as a suspect by Sir Melville Leslie Macnaughten, the body of M.J. Druitt was found floating in the Thames on December 31, 1888. He was the victim of a suicide and a note was found in his coat expressing fears that he was losing his sanity. Druitt was trained as a medical practioneer and was pursuing a career as a barrister and teacher. He was well known in London sports and social circles.
Druitt was dismissed from his teaching post in late November for reasons never disclosed. Some researchers offer that he was suspected of homosexual advances toward young male students. Macnaughten claimed that his own family suspected him of the Ripper murders, but his only living relative was a brother, who never intimated any suspicions. At the time of the discovery of his body, he had apparently been in the river for about 3 weeks. There were no known Ripper crimes after his death, but nothing else links him to the crimes. He was not known to have a violent nature.
*Severin Klosowski aka George Chapman The suspect most favored by Inspector Abberline, Klosowski was a notorious womanizer who was eventually charged with the poisoning deaths of 3 women. He was convicted and hanged on one count, although went to the gallows professing his innocence.
He was trained as a surgeon in Poland and emmigrated to England in 1887, where he became an assistant hairdresser (Note: In those days, the professions of medicine and hair care were not mutually esclusive). Later he opened his own barbershop. The murder of Martha Tabrum was committed just yards from his shop. He left for New Jersey with his wife sometime around 1891, and she fled back to London after he threatened her with a knife in 1903. Klosowski returned to London shortly thereafter and committed the poisoning murders. The significant question is whether a vicious knife murder would change his M.O. in this fashion. Few mondern profilers consider it likely.
*Aaron Kosminski: Was a Polish Jew who was institutionalized shortly after the Whitechapel murders. According to Sir Robert Anderson, Kosminski was identified by an eyewitness who later retracted his statement, as he did not want to convict a fellow Jew. Kosminski died in the asylum in 1891. Clearly, Anderson believed strongly in his guilt, but much of his writing hints of anti-semitism and professional apologism. Reading between the lines, it seems Anderson is saying, "We knew Kosminski was guilty, but we lacked sufficient evidence to convict him in court. So we arranged to have him institutionalized, and got our man." Little is known about Kosminski apart from Anderson's apparent belief in his guilt.
James Maybrick: Never previously mentioned as a Ripper suspect, Maybrick came to light in the early 1990's as the result of the publication of a diary in which he confesses his guilt. The authenticity of the diaries has neither been established or discredited by testing. Some tests have hinted at the use of ink that did not exist in the late 19th century and linguists have noted the use of anachronisms, as well as an appearance that the diaries were written in a short period of time. Maybrick's wife was convicted of poisoning him to death, but her conviction was later overturned. Apart from the controversial diaries, there is nothing to link Maybrick to the crimes.
*Michael Ostrog The notorious "Russian doctor," Ostrog was a career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet and at least a dozen aliases. In 1863, he was imprisoned for 10 months on charges of theft. In 1864 he was convicted of theft charges in July, and sentenced to 3 months. He was nailed with another 10 month sentence after a similar conviction in December. Then in 1866, he was acquitted of a fraud charge, but arrested on a theft charge in August. He was sentenced to 7 years. After his release, he was again convicted on a theft charge in 1874 and sentenced to 10 years. He was released in 1883.
He actually managed to stay out of prison for awhile, but was again in trouble in 1887 when he was arrested for theft and got 6 months hard labor. Ostrog was released again in March of 1888 and in October, the Police Gazette listed him as a "dangerous man." He was arrested and imprisoned for two years in Paris in November of 1888. By 1891, he was sent to an insane asylum, but released as cured a few years later.Between 1894 and 1900, he was convicted on minor offenses 3 times and disappeared after his release from prison in 1904.
Macnaughten listed him as one of his 3 prime suspects but despite his lengthy criminal record and probable residence in Whitechapel during the crimes, there is nothing to tie him to the murders. He was a thief and conman, who, according to Macnaughten, carried surgical knives but there are no specific instances of violent behavior.
*Robert Donston Stephenson aka Dr. Roslyn D'O Stephenson He first came to the attention of the police as the result of correspondance regarding the murders. He spoke of a certain doctor he met while institutionalized who betrayed extraordinary knowledge of the crimes. The doctor turned out to be Stephenson himself. Stephenson was a practioneer of magic who frequently horrified audiences by reenacting the Ripper crimes onstage. He claimed to use candles made of fat from women's bodies.
Among the most colorful of the suspects, there is no tangible evidence to tie him to any of the murders. Further, he led a long and productive life after the crimes ended, was never arrested for anything criminal, and showed no violent tendencies.
*Dr. Francis Tumblety: He was one of the leading suspects at the time of the murders and received a great deal of attention from the London police. Born in Canada, he became a self-educated practioneer of homeopathic medicine and had a spotty relationship with officialdom in America during his young adult life. He was known to have a severe dislike of women, possessed a collection of female uteruses at one time, and was loud and boisterous by nature.
In 1865 he was mistakenly arrested as a participant in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln and began bouncing between the U.S. and England several times thereafter. He attracted a great deal of attention in London as the result of his loud behavior in pubs. He was arrested on a minor charge on November 7, which has led some researchers to dismiss his involvement in the Kelly killing. However, my research has indicated that it was a misdeamenor charge (gross indecency), for which he could not have been held more than 24 hours.
Shortly after the Kelly killing, Tumblety fled to France and then to America to avoid a court date in England. While there he was kept under close observation by detectives from both London and New York City. But on December 6 he managed to give the detectives the slip and fled New York City. He resurfaced in Rochester, New York in 1893, where he was living with his sister. He died on May 28, 1903 in a St. Louis, Missouri hospital having amassed a considerable personal fortune. Amongst the possessions found in his estate were two cheap brass rings that match the description of those taken from the body of Annie Chapman. Tumblety is buried in Rochester, New York.
*Joseph Isenschmid: Arrested after the murder of Annie Chapman, he was detained for a considerable period, but I've been unable to determine what became of him or why the police files contain no mention of him after the Chapman slaying. He was an unemployed butcher, and described as a lunatic. Based on spotty evidence I have been able to accumulate, he was probably incarcerated during of the later murders.
*John Piser The infamous "Leather Apron" who was accused of menacing prostitutes in Whitechapel. Police interviewed him, but dismissed him as legitimate suspect.
Be Sure To Visit:
Click on the banner above
Page Links
Introduction
The Murder of Mary Ann Nichols
The Murder of Annie Chapman
The Murder of Elizabeth Stride
The Murder of Catherine Eddowes
Doubts About The Double Event
The Murder of Mary Jane Kelly
Evidence
A Royal Conspiracy?
Other Murders
Conclusion
Kex's Amazing World
