Investigating the Ripper Murders
Identifying Suspects
Bertillon’s System - measure suspects — 1896
Blood Hound
Line Ups - for recognising people
Taking notes from Witness's
Autopsy
Body heat could show how recently they had died
Whilst cutting up Elizabeth Stride was interrupted - still warm
Strangled before being cut up
Left handed killer - respectfully dressed
Careful Observation
Police Code - what to do at crime scene
don’t touch scene
keep people away
take notes of scene
Blood patterns of floor, so work out how was killed
However Polly Nichols’ scene was disturbed
Photography and Sketches
Sketch of dead bodies/crime scene
Sketch possible suspects in newspaper - normally stereotypically Jewish
Photos of Mary Jane K
Interviews and Follow Up Clues
Went to houses/businesses in area
Search lodging houses
Questioned more than 2000 people
80,000 handbill give out after double murder
80 arrests but no convictions
over new 50 constables added to Whitechapel
The Press
Punch - aimed at middle class - reflects public opinion
Tabloid - aimed at lower class - sensationalist
Broadsheet - aimed at upper class - informative/social commentary
Ripper letters
First time ‘Jack The Ripper’ was used
Too perfect
The Whitechapel Vigilance Committee
George Lusk
Hired private detectives
Published posters
Received hoax letters and Kidney addressed ‘form Hell’ (actually human)
Sensational Stories
More murders, the more sales
Described killer and details of murder
Conspired about a Jewish killer
Ripper letters
But looked like doing the police’s work
The Met police & City Police
Rival personalities clashed meant head of CID resigned before murders
Officers walked the beat in A Division
More people, more likely to catch Jack the Ripper
In charge of Whitechapel investigation in Scotland Yard - Donald Swanson
In charge of City’s detectives - James McWilliam
Goulston graffiti was washed off because anti-seminist (by Sir Charles Warren)
Use of photography