Section E: investigative policing in Whitechapel in the context of the Ripper murders

When was Mary Ann Nichols murdered?

Mary Ann Nichols was found murdered in Buck’s Row on 31 August 1888.

When was Annie Chapman murdered?

Annie Chapman was found murdered in Spitalfields on 8 September 1888.

What was the ‘Double Event’?

The murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on the same night (30 September 1888).

When was Mary Jane Kelly murdered?

Mary Jane Kelly was found murdered in Spitalfields on 9 November 1888.

Who led the CID investigation into the Ripper murders?

Inspector Frank Abberline and his CID team were assigned to assist H Division in investigating the murders (1888).

How did hoax letters affect the investigation?

Police received over 300 letters and postcards claiming to be from the killer, which wasted time and complicated the investigation (1888).

What was the ‘Dear Boss’ letter?

A letter supposedly from the killer that was published in newspapers to try to identify the writer (1888).

How did newspapers make the investigation harder?

The press criticised police methods and published rumours and unreliable interviews with locals (1888).

Why was so much false information spread about the murders?

Rising literacy and cheap newspapers increased circulation of papers with low journalistic standards like ‘penny dreadfuls’ (1880s).

Why was cooperation between police forces needed?

The investigation required cooperation between the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and Scotland Yard but did not always happen making it harder to catch the killer

What was the Goulston Street clue?

Police found an antisemitic message on a wall near evidence from Catherine Eddowes’s murder, which Commissioner Warren ordered to be removed possibly to stop involvement of City of London Police

How were post-mortems used in the investigation?

Doctors examined victims and suggested the killer might be left-handed and experienced with dissection (1888).

How did police follow up medical evidence?

They investigated slaughterhouses and hospitals to find suspects with anatomical knowledge (1888).

Who was ‘Leather Apron’?

A suspect identified from a Manchester Guardian newspaper report about a local man suspected of the murders (1888).

How did police use evidence found on victims?

For example, a fragment of an envelope with the Royal Sussex Regiment seal found near Annie Chapman’s body was investigated (1888).

What types of witnesses did police interview?

Police questioned witnesses such as Elizabeth Long, who claimed to see Annie Chapman speaking with a man before her death (1888).

What new investigative actions did police take as criticism increased?

Police carried out house-to-house searches and distributed 80,000 handbills asking for information (1888).

What policing improvements followed the Ripper investigation?

• The Bertillon System of criminal identification was introduced to British policing in 1894 → mug shots taken + records stored centrally

• Houses of Working class Act 1890 replacing slums with mass low- cost housing

• Public Health Amendment Act 1890 gove local councils power to improve toilet rubbish collection and other sanitary services