10 Strange Facts About Jack The Ripper. 

My great grandmother was born in whitechapel at the time and was substantially shorter than 5' tall. No doubt due to the terrible malnutrition and poverty that was prominent in poor areas of London at the time. It was interesting to read that Elizabeth Stride was known as 'Long Liz' because of her exceptional height for the Whitechapel area. She was only 5'2" - 5'5" tall. I think we tend to forget just how brutal life was then. Average life expectancy in the UK as a whole was 45, no doubt substantially less in Whitechapel.

I just realized that my paternal grandmother was alive in England at this time. She and my father immigrated to the USA in 1912. She was born in 1876. Don't seem so far in the past anymore.

For myself this era is just out of reach but you saw echoes of it at times. I knew WW1 vets as a child and their parents were old enough to remember these times. Was using a research library in the old east end in the early 90s, instead of sitting staring at a wall eating my lunch I walked around many of the Ripper sites, glad I did, no one wanted the old east end still then (infact no one wanted most of London then) so you still got the echos and atmosphere from those times in the ramshackle houses and falling down warehouses covered in old soot and traffic pollution. If I'd known how much of it would change I'd have taken a camera.

It's a cruel twist of ironic fate that Eddowes brushed off the notion that she'd become a victim of Jack only to meet her end at his hands mere hours later.

OTOH, the claim that the police were photographing the eyes might have been a ruse to spook the Ripper by assuming he believed such a thing to be possible

Holy cow, Eddowes was after the reward because she maybe knew who JTR was?! That is a jaw-dropper. Great video, thx

I just want to thank you for not putting those irritating ads in!

A Police Officer who dressed in drag to try ‘n snare Jack The Ripper...There’s a movie in there somewhere 😄

The retina retaining the image of the last person that the victim looked upon, is the most profound myth I have ever heard.

The change of name details make it interesting to suppose that Jack may even have been someone who was in the rooms when that woman ,Mary Kelly, was talking about telling what she saw. I find that very interesting.

This is so rewarding! Expanding the lives of all that lived (and sadly died) in 1888. Superbly narrated & edited, the learned comments issued by other viewers also add to my knowledge and doubtless many others - thank you & VBW x

I thought I knew everything about. the case, but clearly I didn't. This was very interesting and informative. Im glad I got to see it. Thanks for posting this

I don't think Miss Eddowes knew who Jack was. Had she known I'm sure she would never have put herself in a position to be alone with him.

I could listen to this guy all day.

Another fascinating video! Those old photos are so evocative, aren’t they? I’m just catching up on your videos having recently subscribed. Thank you! Sheila.

Catherine Eddowes ..if she was to be arrested in the other district ..which the two London districts had different ideals of drunks ...one, would keep drunks till early morning, Eddowes found her self in district that they let drunks go at 1 o clock in morning ..unfortunate fate!

I think, I'll be watching a lot more of your videos. They are so well made. Thanks a lot.

The walk from Leytonstone to Whitechapel was and is quite a trek.

LOVE THESE VIDEOS RICHARD, THANKS.

Loving these videos and your excellent narration, keep up the good work!

My great grandparent, use to tell story's of JACK THE RIPPER. R.I.P. 🌹.

I guess for these poor women they needed the 6 pence for rent. The one good thing to come out of this is the plight of the poor etc. Dennis Neilson was right though why do we care more about the dead then the living?

The Buck's Row name change struck a cord with me. The movie Changling focused on a gruesome pedophile murderer in Wineville, California in the 1920s. The end of the film reveals the town changed its name to Mira Loma to shield itself from association with the crimes. As we watched the film my sister and I were trying to figure out where that had occurred due to the name change throwing off our 'local's knowledge' of a landscape intentionally camouflaged. Wild.

A serial killer only stops when they die or get caught...or the serial killing is just a diversion to cover the real intended victim.

Fascinating! It shows the richness of facts behind historical events. Can we also take a moment to appreciate the late, great Dr. Barnardo, whose legacy is still helping those in need to this day...

Fair play to that Barnado guy. He did something.

Really enjoyed this. Good to hear these points raised, some of which I hadn't heard before. Thank you.

The strangest murder of the bunch was the "Kelly Case". This revolves around the singular testimony of Ms. Maxwell but includes several other aspects as well. Kelly had split up from her "mate" Joseph Barnett because he disapproved of her prostitution lifestyle, BUT he was still visiting her and giving her money. She was letting a female friend stay with her, whose name I forget, and they were sleeping together in the same double bed she had shared with Barnett, which also upset him. This friend had brought over a load of laundry to be washed several nights before the murder, which happened to be the last time Barnett had come to visit and they had an argument so he naively admitted at the inquest. When he was with her he also claimed at the inquest they would oddly spend their time together with him reading her ongoing newspaper accounts of the "Ripper" murders, in which he claimed she had a great interest. She had supposedly lost her apartment key and either had to use his when he was with her (he supposedly took it with him when he left her!) or use the landlord's master key. Supposedly she also broke a window pane to stick her arm through and unlatch the doorlock from the inside. BUT, the exterior photograph of the apartment shows no clearly discernable hole in any window pane, rather than areas of glass streaked clear of grimy dust to look through; and the door was NOT positioned close enough to reach through the corner window! A rare interior photograph made from the inner side of the bed next to the wall shows NO doorlatch on the door, which a KEY would NOT have worked for anyway since a doorlatch lock can only be unlocked by a person ALREADY WITHIN and has NO MEANS of exterior access!! So WHAT'S going on, because on the day the body was discovered police claimed they COULD NOT get in since even the landlord had NO key and they had to wait SEVERAL HOURS for an axe with which to break down the door!! Yet again, the photographs made that day show the door INTACT!! So the following questions arise: was the load of clothes found burned in the fireplace the laundry her friend had left several nights before and if so, WHY hadn't she taken it with her since she was only staying there occasionally? Was the murdered female found in the bed really Mary Kelly OR was it her friend? If so, then WHY did Barnett LIE and identify it as Kelly, claiming he could identify her "by the eyes"?! Why didn't the landlord have a master key to get in if necessary? Would Kelly REALLY have slept in an UNsecurable dwelling at night in such a dangerous neighborhood?!Did Joseph Barnett do it? If not, then WHY at the inquest did he bother to emphasize that of all men Kelly liked him "best", DESPITE their "FREQUENT" fights?? IF the corpse was Kelly, then of course WHY did Ms. Maxwell claim to have talked with her THAT morning, only an hour or so before the corpse was found? IF Mary Kelly was STILL ALIVE that morning, WHY didn't she return to her apartment to find the corpse? And IF she did, WHY didn't she report it to the landlord? If it was her dead friend, was she afraid that SHE HERSELF would be accused of the murder, OR was she afraid someone might be out to get her and mistook her friend for her so she wanted people to think she was dead and left town? Was she afraid Barnett did it after arguing with her friend and that maybe HE was the "Ripper"?? WHY was the attack so vicious? WAS the mutilation done by the murderer, OR by the "autopsy doctor" Dr. Philipps?? This is a VALID question, because the well - publicized photograph of the corpse from the outer side of the bed shows the left leg lying flat on the bed with the thigh intact and the right leg near the wall raised with the flesh of the inner side of the thigh flayed to the bone. BUT the less- publicized scene taken from next to the wall shows the right leg LOWERED out of view in the foreground, with the LEFT LEG RAISED and the inner side of THAT thigh flayed to the bone!! It can't be two different ways in both photographs made the same day, UNLESS, the mutilations were made THAT morning by THE "DOCTOR" and the other leg mutilation and repositioning were done after that scene was photographed (thus the EXCUSE of the pseudo-delay entry). The obvious question about that scenario is..... WHY?

Great video Richard 🙂 Just found your channel and I find it fascinating.

The crime scene photo of Mary Jane Kelly is gruesome enough, I'm kinda glad her eyes weren't shot in detail or that the picture never came to public. Her "eyes" or more like the part of the face where the eyes used to be look like two holes anyway...

Another splendid video!

This is amazingly interesting! Thanks for this video. You have a great voice for narrating.

This is great, thank you!!

Wow!!! Another brilliant post thank you 👍

This video just popped up on my recommendation list. Great video.

It is interesting that Catherine Eddowes knew Mary Jane Kelly because she used to live in one of the front rooms that you see at 16:57. Maybe that's why she told the police her name was Mary Anne Kelly.

Great video very informative..thanks ✌️

I stared as a kid a little too long at the famous photo of the bloody ruin of Mary Jane Kelly. Didn't do me no good

I see a lot of comments about the eyes retaining the picture of the murderer. This was a common belief, as far back, at least, as medieval times. Obviously with no reference to photography, but certainly a murder victim’s eyes would be checked for an image. Another very common belief was that if the murderer was to touch the body of their victim, the wounds would start to bleed.

Just hopped on board . . . enjoyed that. Very interesting, and well narrated. Thanks

Great video, Richard!

Brilliant little video. Atmospheric and very informative.

I have been interested in this era for years now and have countless books on The Whitechapel Murders, but some of these facts are brand new to me. Thanks so much for the effort you put into this.

Another great vid 👌🏻👏👍

Great video!!! I wonder: if it was a common use to photoshot the victim's eyes in order to find the least things they saw.... what's abaout the end of the face photoshot of Mary Kelly? Too much gruesome to see it?

Great presentation and made much better with great narration!

Great voice/presentation. If you were ever interested in narrating documentaries for other makers, let us know! - Dave.

The narrator says that Catherine Eddows may have put herself in danger..... I think its obvious that she did that without a doubt. She ended up getting cut all to hell.

Subscribed. I enjoyed that

So glad to have found your channel. I’ve been a “Ripperologist” for years and am enjoying your info very much.

Very enjoyable. Thank you.

Great video as always, Richard! I think it is really strange that Catherine Eddowes a) allegedly claimed that she knew the killer and b) chose the names "Jane Kelly" and "Mary Ann Kelly". Which strange fact puzzles you the most?

another fact is you have a very nice voice, good for this kind of thing, so much more pleasant than a shrill kid's or someone who shouldn't lend their voice at all....

Very peaceful and uplifting music for such a macabre tale!

your channels so cool Richard I love it. Im just a 53 yr. old american obsessed with The case since 2009. Thank u for this great channel

I really enjoy your many videos thank you for sharing 👍🌹

Great stuff

This is fantastic for me to crochet to, I think I'm going to subscribe. I find this whole case fascinating

I wonder how Catherine Eddows found out that information? Did she seem him in the act or did jack get drunk and randomly tell her? She clearly knew him enough to have a name. It is also not a coincidence that she was going to turn in the name of Jack the Ripper and then ended up dead the same day by that very same killer. The question is who knew about what she was trying to do? That would almost certainly be a short list of people and lead directly to the culprit.

Awsome facts! Particulary that of Mary Kelly being seen after her purported death.

You know something I find strange about the Ripper is the Gholston street writing is the fact that ,Despite the fact that the city of London police and the metro police were told to write down the message on the wall they both saw something different. That seems like a common theme.

No 1 is a HELL of a coincidence! Maybe too much of one......

Merci beaucoup, très intéressant

Years ago, I read Patricia Cornwell's book about Walter Sickert, and her claim was he was Jack the Ripper. She made a pretty good case, and I thought she was very thorough. I saw other things about this case, and some say that it wasn't Sickert and she was wrong. I just remember thinking she made a good case, although it would be unlikely to prove it was definitely Sickert.

if the police was so eager to try anything to catch the Ripper, how could they possibly not pursue Lechmere

Nobody ever mentions his dog....Jack the Russell!

I would imagine the Mary Kelly crime scene in Miller’s Court was the most shocking ever seen by those who saw it. It must have affected people for years. The mutilation seemed horrifyingly thoughtful and meticulous, not the actions of some crazed lunatic hacking away uncontrollably. Even the horrors inflicted on the other poor victims suggests to me someone who is in complete control of their actions and is familiar with anatomy. Could this fit Tumblety?

Thank you so much for this. It has given me many interesting thoughts and even more theories now! ... PS.... loving the book, i haven't put it down yet

Where is the source about the claim that Catherine said ‘she may know who the Ripper is’? Seamen from ‘kosminsky’ was found on a shawl that Catherine wore the night of her murder. This video is quiet good, the way points link up is just eerie

What a great man Dr. Bernado looks and sounds to be. A very decent human being, with a big heart. RIP all of those affected by these atrocities, and to you Dr. Bernardo, RIP 🙏 ❤

Charles Lechmere the ripper

It’s crazy to think that people of that time actually thought that someone’s retina could actually hold the image of that persons killer.. Absolutely crazy.

Now there's some true horror, the idea that Mary Kelly's ghost thought her murder was a hallucination bought on by the DT's... I prefer to think it was mistaken identity, or some stuff up in the time lines. RIP all these unlucky ladies.

Love the photo of the old cabs in the yard never seen this before.

My grandfather who lived near Whitechapel told me years ago that the murders were at the time 'nothing unusual' for the time and that the police Officers or Constables who investigated had absolutely no idea of the 'supposed' murderers even though these crimes occurred somewhat regularly (but not within the alleged time period) and residents were not surprised. As a twelve year old he had seen and had heard of such acts - young boys of the time were well aware of what was going on around them. There was no scare of the so called (white chapel murders) as these were commonplace in the area of the time. At the time he said there was no indication of who committed such acts, or of the other murders that occurred around the area around that time And said to me that all creeds were treated equally. Told to me in 1988 just before he died. I have no belief that he was telling the truth before he died. Is 'Jack" a fiction, I believe so.

Very interesting story Thankyou 👍❤️

Thank you...

Sad to think that some of the victims previously had a good education, family etc and ended up for various reasons with alcohol problems and prostitution.

Lady says she’s sick after drinking for days. Other lady, “Go down to the pub and get yourself half a pint.”

If Eddows knew the Ripper she seemed comfortable. How come she wasn't scared? Maybe because she wasn't afraid of a woman?

Well done

Fascinating information. Was caused Berner Street to be changed to Henrique’s Street ? Was this for the same reason Buck’s Row was changed to Durward Street?

One year later and I'm still watching this

Nice drawings and i like a good story well told.

I seem to remember that the insulting "Jack the Ripper" mini series with Michael Caine and Lewis Collins (Two Great actors, terrible series) had a scene in the aftermath of Mary Kelly's murder, Sir Charle Warren, played by Hugh Fraser exits the house and says to another officer as a photographer enters the house "They say the eyes of a dead person captures the last thing they see!" What I didn't know was that this was an actual theory at the time!! Edit, I had actually paused at the 2nd part of this video on the heading of "Photographing the victims eyes!" And wrote my comment. Oops! Sorry!!😬😬😬😬

Great video. What’s the name of your background song?

Did Kate Eddowes know who JTR was? She may have been aware of Edward McKenna. McKenna was a Whitechapel resident who also went hop picking. On his return he was picked up by Police for threatening behaviour with a knife. The simple minded McKenna may have been an easy suspect for locals, and for those hop picking in Kent.

Thank. you. for. enunciating.

The narrator sounds like Sir Anthony Hopkins

If Eddowes really knew who the killer was, and wasn't affraid of being killed, it can only point to one person.

Thanks

I am surprised the residents of Cromwell street did not want the name of that street changed after what happened there with the West's.

Great.

The murderer was, of course, the morgue attendant. Robert Mann. The photograph business is not proven and has been confused subsequently with the case of a shop burglary. The burglars closed the eyes of the murdered shop keepers as they believed the eyes held images of the last people they saw. As the burglars had closed the eyes, the police photographer took a snap of the eyes of the dead in the hope of getting fingerprints. Which they did. The same on the cash box/till.

Poor girls. What a horrible life. 😢 I feel for them. Life is hard.

I love these videos, I've been a Ripperologist for many years and plan to write my own book in the next few years

I still find it odd that Rowan Adkinson has never explained where he was between Black Adder mid evil and world war. I should write a book

No. 3 - Hang on....... why wasnt the Superintendent she said that to a suspect?! Seems like he was the only one who knew that she knew him, and maybe he knew he had to stop her?!

Interesting. When you said the policeman was called Jewes/Dues, it made me think of the writing on the wall 'The Jewes are the men who will not be blamed for nothing.' Has anyone ever thought about that? How was his name spelt? Could there be a connection? In addition, what came out of the victim's report to the other officer that she knew the identity of Jack the Ripper? Finally, it is really interesting that Eddowes gave an alias of a future victim (Kelly) to the pawnbroker and the police. It means that she obviously knew Mary Jane Kelly. But also, both Eddowes and Kelly were murdered. Could someone have used the name information to hunt for either woman? I'm not suggesting that the police were involved, but those things just caught my attention, especially since any hint seems useful at this point.

Did you know Dr Francis Tumbullty had lodgings on Hanbury Street?