S3 – 4_ Synthetical Turn - The Ripper Tourism and the Shadow of Jekyll and Hyde

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The Public Fascination with the Hanbury Street Murder

• Crowd Dynamics at Hanbury Street:
  • On an autumn Sunday in London, large crowds gathered on Hanbury Street rather than traditional leisure spots like Regent's Park.
  • This occurred one day after a woman's body was discovered in the yard of Number $29$.
  • Neighbors at Number $29$ Hanbury Street charged admission to members of the public to peek out their windows at the murder site.
  • Hundreds of people paid for the opportunity to see a dark patch on the ground, believed to be the bloodstain from the crime.
• Ripper Tourism Origins:
  • Illustrations and sketches from the time depicted well-dressed, "dapper" crowds parading by the site where an impoverished woman had her throat cut.
  • Historians describe the neighborhood as the epicenter of "elite fantasies about sexual and social disorder."
  • Tourists often paid for these experiences to achieve a sense of satisfaction in their own relative safety and prosperity compared to the "misery and squalor" of the East End.

Literary and Cultural Context: Jekyll and Hyde

• The Influence of Robert Louis Stevenson:
  • Stevenson published The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in $1886$, $2$ years before the Whitechapel murders.
  • Stevenson's depiction of London as a "dismal, foggy, and muddy place" influenced public perception of the city's poor neighborhoods as "districts of some city in a nightmare."
  • The story was inspired by the Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon reports in the Pall Mall Gazette, which discussed sex trafficking and referred to monsters devouring girls for $5$ pounds and a pence.
• Richard Mansfield's Stage Production:
  • Opened at the Lyceum Theater on August $4$, $1888$.
  • Mansfield gained a reputation in New York for a terrifying performance where he mutated into Mr. Hyde, an "odious monster."
  • The murder scene at the end of Act $1$ was heralded as the most horrible thing on the modern stage.
  • The proximity of this play to real-life murders blurred the lines between fiction and reality for the London public.

The Reality of the East End and the London Sex Trade

• Geographic Distribution of Vice:
  • Despite the East End's reputation, it was not the busiest red-light district in London.
  • Granby Street: Located south of the River Thames near Waterloo Station; it was so notorious it was renamed in the $1860s$ to distance itself from vice.
  • Theaters: Managers were required to ban sex workers from lobbies and balconies in $1847$.
  • Haymarket: Contained the "Argyle Rooms" (closed in $1878$), frequented by aristocrats.
  • Other Locales: Thriving sex work existed in St. John's Wood, Pimlico, Holloway, Camberwell, Walham Green, and Haggerston.
  • Pornography: Centered on Holywell Street in the Strand.
• Statistics on Prostitution:
  • The Metropolitan Police estimated $8,000$ prostitutes in London.
  • Evangelists and ministers estimated the number was as high as $80,000$.

The Social Dehumanization of the Working Class

• The "Sexualized Narrative" of Labor:
  • Dr. Louise Raw notes that middle-class observers often sexualized and judged working-class women.
  • A mining commissioner once described women and children working in coal mines (naked to the waist due to heat) as "revolting," "obscene," and worse than a brothel.
  • These judgmental attitudes served to stigmatize and blame the poor for their own conditions.
• The Bryant and May Match Factory:
  • Employed over $5,000$ women who were subject to harsh social standards and dehumanization by those who did not have to work for a living.

The Life and Tragedy of Annie Chapman

• Background and Family:
  • Her father was a soldier in the Second Regiment of the Lifeguards and later a valet.
  • She married John Chapman, a coachman who worked for a nobleman in West London and later in Windsor Forest.
  • The couple had $3$ children and lived a respectable working-class life.
• Demise through Alcoholism:
  • Annie struggled with a "craving" for drink. Despite a year-long stay at a home for the "intemperate" and signing a sobriety pledge, she relapsed.
  • Her husband, John, died in $1886$ at the age of $45$. After his death, her life spiraled further into poverty.
• Life in Whitechapel:
  • She lived in lodging houses in Spitalfields and Whitechapel, including $35$ Dorset Street.
  • She was known by some as a friendly, steady, and helpful woman, and had partners like Jack Sivi and Edward.
  • Shortly before her death, she was bruised in a fight after defending a drunk companion from a thief.

Forensic Evidence and the Inquest of Annie Chapman

• Post-Mortem Findings:
  • Dr. Phillips testified that the injuries were not caused by a bayonet or leather-trade knife.
  • He suggested the weapon was a "medical man's" instrument used for post-mortems or a slaughterman's knife, ground down.
  • The killer displayed "anatomical knowledge."
• The Organ Theft Theory:
  • Portions of the body, specifically the uterus, were missing.
  • Coroner Wynne Baxter received information from a pathology museum curator regarding an American doctor from Philadelphia.
  • This doctor had reportedly offered $£20$ for a uterus preserved in glycerin to be used for a book he was writing.
  • This raised questions about whether the murderer was killing women for the purpose of selling organs.

Policing the Crisis: Structures and Conflicts

• Command Friction:
  • Sir Charles Warren (Police Commissioner) transitioned the force to a military system, which was criticized for hindering detective work.
  • Warren clashed with James Monroe, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
  • Monroe resigned after Warren rejected his recommendation of Melville McNaughton for the post of Assistant Chief Constable.
  • Warren mocked McNaughton because he had been beaten in India, viewing him as weak for failing to impose imperial control.
• Vacancies during the Murders:
  • Monroe's replacement took office on September $1$, $1888$, but went on medical leave for a throat infection in Switzerland almost immediately.
  • Warren himself was on a "working holiday" in Northwest France during the investigation.

Centralizing the Investigation: Abberline and Swanson

• Frederick Abberline:
  • A former clocksmith and a veteran inspector with $14$ years of experience in Whitechapel.
  • He patrolled the streets personally until $4$ or $5$ in the morning, sometimes giving homeless women $4p$ or $6p$ for shelter to get them off the streets.
• Donald Swanson:
  • Appointed by Warren as the "eyes and ears" of the commissioner at the central office.
  • Described by McNaughton as having a "synthetical turn of mind."
  • Swanson was given the responsibility to oversee every detail, telegram, and report related to the case across H Division (Whitechapel) and J Division (Bethnal Green).

Identifying the Perpetrator: The "Leather Apron" Myth

• John Pizer:
  • A slipper maker and Polish immigrant nicknamed "Leather Apron" because of his work attire.
  • He was arrested on Monday, September $10$ at his home on Mulberry Street.
  • Although he had a record for indecent assault (August $4$, $1888$), he had alibis for the nights of the murders.
  • The Star newspaper had whipped up anti-Semitic sentiment, leading to a lynch-mob atmosphere; the Jewish community helped hide Pizer until his arrest protected him from the crowd.

The Birth of "Jack the Ripper"

• The "Dear Boss" Letter:
  • Received by the Central News Agency on September $27$, and forwarded to Scotland Yard on September $29$.
  • Written in red ink (the author claimed they initially intended to use blood from a ginger beer bottle, but it thickened).
  • The letter mocked the police for following the "Leather Apron" lead and promised more "work" with a "nice and sharp" knife.
  • The letter was signed: "Yours truly, Jack the Ripper," coining the infamous moniker.

Questions & Discussion

• Expert Contributors:
  • Dr. Louise Raw: Discussed the judgmental and sexualized narratives imposed on working-class women.
  • Dr. Drew Gray: Provided insight into Charles Warren's military background and his clashes with the CID.
  • Paul Begg: Provided historical details on John Pizer and the context of Jewish immigration in the East End.
  • Adam Wood: Detailed the administrative burden placed upon Donald Swanson and the centralization of the investigation.
• Public Reaction:
  • Samuel Montagu: The Jewish MP for Whitechapel who offered a $£100$ reward for the killer to alleviate the suspicion falling on the Jewish community.
  • Vigilance Committees: Formed by approximately $70$ Whitechapel business owners who felt the police were inadequate and that the murders were hurting local trade.