S3 – INTERVIEW 1_ Adam Wood - Donald Swanson and the Whitechapel Murders

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• Unobscured Interview Series: Adam Wood Introduction

  • Guest: Adam Wood, author of The Life and Times of a Victorian Detective and longtime editor of Ripperologist magazine.
  • Professional Background: Leads Mango Books, which publishes new work in true crime and police history.
  • Contributions: Wood has curated debates on the Whitechapel murders for over $20$ years and has written studies on figures like Donald Swanson and coroner Wynn Baxter.

The Research and Biography of Donald Swanson

• Origins of the Biography

  • Adam Wood began researching for an article in Ripperologist magazine regarding the "Swanson marginalia" (pencil annotations made by Swanson in retirement identifying Jack the Ripper).
  • He was introduced to the Swanson family, specifically Donald's great-grandson, Neville Swanson.
  • The family possessed a vast, previously unseen archive of papers, notebooks, and documents.
  • The research process took $7$ years. Wood organized materials chronologically and researched every specific case or incident to build a complete picture.

• Broader Historical Context

  • The biography serves as an evolution of the Metropolitan Police (The Met) during the late Victorian period.
  • Wood links the appointments of police commissioners to shifts in police activity during the Whitechapel murders, asserting that no event happened in isolation.

Victorian Whitechapel and Social Conditions

• Poverty and Crime

  • The East End was the epicenter of London's poverty, which bred high crime rates and desperation.
  • It was the primary landing site for immigrants, creating simmering social tensions.

• The Shift of the "Rookeries"

  • Historically, the "rookeries" (slums where criminal classes congregated) were in the West End in the St. Giles area.
  • During the development of Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, the St. Giles area was demolished.
  • More than $5,000$ poor residents were relocated to the East End.
  • This migration overwhelmed the aging infrastructure and sewage facilities of Spitalfields and Whitechapel, which were previously more prosperous.

• Public and Media Perception

  • The press largely ignored the East End's violence and domestic abuse until the Whitechapel murders of $1888$.
  • The Ripper murders acted as a "social cleanser" by forcing the public and press to acknowledge the area's squalor.

The Career of Donald Swanson

• Early Life and Education

  • Born in Thurso, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland (considered the Lowlands, not the Highlands).
  • Born into a brewing family; his father, John Swanson, was a brewer/distiller.
  • His father suffered an accident in a distillery where his arm was caught in machinery and had to be amputated.
  • Swanson was an exceptional student, winning annual examination prizes and becoming a "second master" at the Miller Institute at age $16$.

• Move to London and Recruitment

  • Moved to London in June $1867$ to support his sisters (whose husbands were firemen, one of whom had died).
  • His first job was a clerk for John Mickle in the city.
  • He joined the Metropolitan Police in March $1868$ after seeing a newspaper advertisement.

• Police Progression

  • Served in A Division (Westminster) for $2$ years.
  • Transferred to Y Division (Highgate) in North London.
  • Promoted to Sergeant in $1871$ and moved to Bow (K Division) in East London.
  • Transferred to Plaistow Station and finally to Scotland Yard in $1876$.

• The Turf Fraud Scandal ($1877$)

  • A major scam where a gang defrauded a French widow of $£10,000$ (equivalent to over $£500,000$ today).
  • Detectives were found to be taking bribes to tip off the gang.
  • Resulted in the disbandment of the Detective Department and the creation of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
  • Swanson had only joined the detectives $2$ weeks prior and was thus untainted by the scandal.

• Captain George Case

  • Swanson was involved in the surveillance and arrest of a notorious forger calling himself "Captain George."
  • During the arrest, the suspect attempted to swallow incriminating evidence (a piece of paper).
  • Swanson and detective Frederick Shaw wrestled with the suspect in a moving cab to retrieve the paper.

The Whitechapel Investigation ($1888$)

• Role of Sir Charles Warren

  • Commissioner with a military background (Gibraltar, Palestine, Africa, Egypt).
  • Focused on drill, fitness, and equipment (better boots/uniforms) to mold bobbies into a paramilitary force.
  • Had a contentious relationship with Home Secretary Henry Matthews.

• Swanson’s Appointment

  • Appointed by Warren on September $15$, $1888$, to take overall charge of the investigation at Scotland Yard.
  • Warren insisted that every report and telegram must be submitted to Swanson's room to avoid errors in communication.
  • Swanson's workload was extreme: He arrived at $8:30\text{ AM}$, read reports until $11:00\text{ PM}$ or $2:00\text{ AM}$, then traveled to Whitechapel to see officers, getting home at $3:00\text{ AM}$.

• October $19$ Report

  • Swanson detailed that nearly a thousand dockets existed by mid-October.
  • The investigation included questioning $2,000$ common lodging house residents and searching $80,000$ households using handbills.
  • $76$ butchers and slaughtermen were investigated, as well as all sailors on ships in the Thames.
  • Approximately $80$ people were detained for questioning.

• The "Dear Boss" Letter

  • Received by Central News Agency on September $29$.
  • Likely a hoax by journalists (possibly Tom Bulling or Harry Dam of The Star).
  • Established the name "Jack the Ripper."
  • Publishing the letter resulted in hundreds of copycat letters and wasted thousands of police hours.

Forensic and Medical Insights

• Lack of Forensics in $1888$

  • Police could not distinguish between human and animal blood.
  • Fingerprinting was not yet adopted (though discovered).
  • Dependence was placed on eyewitness identification and "red-handed" captures.

• Dr. Thomas Bond and the Profile

  • Bond was a divisional surgeon from A Division (Scotland Yard).
  • His report (November $10$) concluded that all five victims (Nichols, Chapman, Stride, Eddowes, Kelly) were killed by the same hand.
  • He asserted the killer had no anatomical knowledge, not even that of a butcher, and used a knife at least $6$ inches long.
  • His description of a "middle-aged man, respectably dressed, with eccentric tendencies" is considered the first criminal profile.

• Wynn Baxter (Coroner)

  • Conducted the inquests for several victims.
  • Known for being conscientious and no-nonsense rather than "flashy."
  • Conducted over $10,000$ inquests in his career, including Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man) and victims of First World War spies.

Later Career and the Swanson Marginalia

• The Jameson Raid ($1895$)

  • An international diplomatic incident involving Cecil Rhodes and an attempt to overthrow the South African Republic (Transvaal).
  • Swanson arrested Dr. Leander Jameson at Waterloo Pier and charged him under the Foreign Enlistment Act.
  • This case highlighted Swanson’s role in high-profile, delicate political matters.

• Discovery of the Marginalia

  • Found in Swanson's copy of Robert Anderson's book The Lighter Side of My Official Life.
  • Swanson wrote in pencil (purple and gray) that the suspect "Kosminski" had been identified at a "seaside home" by a witness who refused to testify.
  • Swanson noted that Kosminski was sent to Stepney Workhouse then Colney Hatch, where he died.

• Forensic Verification

  • In $2006$, Dr. Christopher Davies analyzed the handwriting against known Swanson ledgers.
  • Initially "strong evidence," later upgraded to "very strong evidence" after comparing with additional pencil-written letters from Swanson's final years.

Questions & Discussion

• Q: How violent was Whitechapel really?

  • Wood: While murder was rare, petty violence and domestic abuse were commonplace. The press ignored this until the Ripper. An anecdote involves Swanson's great-aunt knocking out a "toff" in a betting shop with one punch after he pinched her, illustrating the necessity for women to fight back in that environment.

• Q: Why was Swanson overlooked historically?

  • Wood: Swanson was a "central office" man who stayed in the background. Unlike Aberline and Reid, who reporters saw on the streets, Swanson's name rarely appeared in the press due to a blanket ban on Scotland Yard speaking to reporters. His role was only reevaluated after the discovery of the marginalia in the $1980s$.

• Q: Did Swanson personally believe Kosminski was the killer?

  • Wood: Swanson used the term "the suspect" in his notes, but he did not correct Anderson's claim that the killer's identity was an "ascertained fact." Given Swanson's habit of correcting other books, his silence suggests he agreed with the identification.