Attack On Ada Wilson 28th March 1888 - Was It Jack The Ripper? 

I don't know if she was an early victim, but I do firmly believe that there were more than 5 victims. I think it is highly possible that this was an early attempt & I believe that there were most likely several other deaths perpetrated by JTR that were not attributed to him.

One thing we have to remember is that this kind of attack really was fairly common in Whitechapel back then. The area was known as "The Abyss" and it really was an incredibly violent place.

I feel that the perpetrator was the same infamous, "Jack the Ripper." He, subsequently, found it much easier to attack lone women in more isolated places and at very late night hours. 👁️👁️

Looking at some of the eye witness descriptions of men who were last seen with the 5 later victims it seems that this lady may have been an early target.

Yes! Another video from the best ‘Ripperologist!’ Looking forward to seeing your new channel also.

Yes indeed it's possible she could have been soliciting partime to make ends meet..I've always thought she was not telling the full details..but who knows.good video.

Great video as usual. It certainly seems to fit the Ripper's profile if you ask me. I know it was a long time ago and it's easy with hindsight but I'm surprised more attention wasn't paid to this attack during the Ripper investigation.

Only just found this video but been subscribed for sometime. I've always felt the "Canonical Five," isn't all Jack's work with many assaults & murders in East End London, or elsewhere often overlooked. Lives forgotten to time. Thank You for telling Ada Wilson's story ❤

A woman known to have 'gentleman' callers, found partially dressed, who made up a story about an attempted robbery to protect her reputation as a reputable working woman (dressmaker). That made no attempt to come forward when the Ripper murders were taking place...suspicious. He'd warned her and shown her the knife so the throat stab is also suspicious as it's not an overly easy move and would require forethought, the belly area being much the easier place for the initial stab, with a neck slash/stab to follow. He'd have had to be close to her, with her unsuspecting or there'd have been defence wounds. We'll never know, but I'd err on an early failed attack.

I went to Mile End Rd about two years ago. Just a thought of being a ten-minute walk from Whitechapel gave an uneasy feeling.

I don't think this was the Ripper. I think this was Ada's boyfriend, probably a man who had been violent before, who she was frightened of and therefore lied about being a stranger. If she was married (even though estranged) as the neighbour suggests, perhaps she was also ashamed about the boyfriend. Great video, really fleshes out the neighbourhood in which Jack was operating.

I really don’t know, this one has very little evidence either to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ It might have been, but it seems odd to me that he would attack Ada in her home when that was not typical of early so-called “canon” JTR victims. Ada might have lied about answering the door, but that may have been the extent of her lying. A historian recently suggested in a Podcast here on RU-vid that the killer might have used threats of robbery to get his victims to submit without screaming so he could then slash them anyways. Money was probably not the killer’s real motive.

Love these videos. Please keep up the good work ❤️

Great video and insight as ever into the world of the East End in 1888. I love how you use the resources of newspapers etc. and the cherry on the cake are the videos of the sites (it doesn’t even matter if they are long gone). It’s a real pleasure each time you post. Hmmmm, difficult one to decide for me if it was JTR in his early days. It’s a remote possibility but as you said it’s a bit out from his usual areas and the description and attack indoors in this way strikes me as not exactly “Ripperesque.” Annie Millwood or Emily Smith seem more likely. Just my two penny worth opinion. Keep them coming, I never get bored. Can’t wait to see your new channel!

I don’t think this was the Whitechapel murderer. I don’t get a sense of cunning or calculation like the other murders. What a sense of sheer desperation for money. I wonder what was going through her mind that made her think it was a good idea to open the door?

Fascinating stuff, brilliantly presented, as usual! :)

Impossible to know but interesting non the less. Thank you. I really enjoy your channel. 👍

Oooh,another amazing story,thank you xx

Brilliant video again Richard, narration excellent as usual.dosent feel right re jtr although this is another intriguing story to the mystery with all due respect to the poor victim .thank you Richard for another excellent presentation. Take care x

What I find interesting is that both Ada Wilson and Annie Milwood described a clasp knife being used by the perpetrator.

If Lechmere was living in Doveton St, it would have been just a 20 min walk, most of it along the Mile End Rd, to the crime scene.

I think this guy was only in it for the money.. unlike Jack.. so I don't think it was him.. Actually.. he sounds more like a modern day thief..

Joseph Lawende, who saw a man with Catherine Eddowes about three minutes before she was murdered, said he had a fair moustache and the appearance of a sailor. Although Ada Wilson's attacker was not dressed like a sailor, he too had a fair moustache. The fact that he had a sunburnt face in March is consistent with his having not long before been on board ships in a sunnier part of the world.

Fantastic. You should add the "Thanks" feature . I'm sure many of us would love to contribute to your brilliant channel.

IF Ada's story is to be believed, I don't think it was JTR, but a man desparate for money. Did Jack leave any victims alive???

Another good video thanks. I’ve always thought Ada Wilson’s explanation was odd.

Thank you for another slick and professional RU-vid video. Not sure if this lady was an early victim or not of the 'Ripper' . There were just so many assaults of women in the area during this era . Most murderers do not have a pre- set modus operandi as they start out , they develop it over time / murders . Then of course you have the copy cat killers but from this early date probably less likely . With the passage of time becomes much harder to come to hard conclusions .

Another rivetting, vivid account of one of the murders during that fateful year of 1888. I believe it was the same perpetrator, that he became scared to comment another attack soon after this one on Ada, as she survived; he honed his methods of murder, ready for the late summer onslaught the same year.

I don't know if you do requests , If so I've always been intrigued with Jacob Levy. Thanks

The description matches Lawende at Duke's Place and Mrs Cox at Miller's Court (sunburned being similar to 'blotchy face' and 'looked like a sailor'). The neck-stabbing is reminiscent of Martha Tabram too.

Really unsure with Ada ? Great narrative Richard 👏 thankyou 👍

Very interesting video indeed

Leather Apron’s handiwork; shaking down a lady of the night, indoors? Talks too much to be the Ripper…

Thank you.

I honestly can not tell whether poor Ada was an early victim, but if I remember rightly, one of the ' canonical five' was found with some coins just near her,along with other personal items. Ada's assailant bless her demanded money before his horrific attack upon her. Robbery did not seem to be a priority of their attacker unlike Ada's. Anyway, what terrible times for ladies to live in. 😢

A very interesting video

Thank you for this interesting video. Is known what became of Ada Wilson and Rose Bierman? They might have seen Jack the Ripper after all like Israel Schwartz did.

Certainly could be. Seems that serial killers start somewhat awkwardly then graduate and refine their M.O.s and signatures. But who knows?

Interesting theory. How tall was Charles Cross? He's my prime suspect. Regardless, another fantastic video 🍻

I think this could have been a Ripper assault because sometimes killers will attack under the guise of robbery so as make the intended victim feel at ease.

Early victim of Charles Lechmere . Who went on to be coined / known by the press as JTR .

🇬🇧 YOUR FANTASTIC ♥️, I FIRST SAW YOU IN MOST HAUNTED, AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD A FASCINATION ABOUT JACK THE RIPPER, 🔪🎩.

The description does sound familiar.

I really enjoy these stores . he tells the story so well ..

Your videos are great. What's your opinion about Charles Lechmere as a suspect?

No, our Ada used a very improbable story to explain why her neck was wounded. She and John had a violent fight. I hope Rose and her mother found a more reputable home and celebrated future Feast in peace,

Well done.

My opinion (after listening to the details) is that the perpetrator was not JTR, because the MO doesn't sound like JTR!

I really don't think she's a Victim of Jack the Ripper. She's certainly within the Age Range of the other victims and Jack was seen in almost every single Murder that we know he committed, but it's not likely he would've been so Brazen as to attempt an attack where witnesses were in the vicinity that early on. More likely he would've attacked a few women in private and gotten away with his early attacks so cleanly that by the time of his first Canonical Victim he probably believed himself to be invincible; hence his Brazen Nature.

For me she is more likely than not to have been an early attempt. There are pluses and minuses, but let's take the minuses first: Day of the week; 5 months later JtR is killing prostitutes at weekends and bank holidays. However, the time of night is fairly consistent, though at the earlier end, as was the case with Liz Stride, and also the time of the month - JtR killed in the first or last weeks of the month for reasons we don't understand but may have been an internal, subconscious cycle in his mind. The location is a problem - first attempts are usually closer to home, however, as I understand it, residents moved lodgings much more frequently at that time and it's really not that far away - maybe the attacker ended up getting treatment of some kind, or maybe he moved out of the immediate area as the search for Wilson's attacker intensified and in case he ran into her again - not a problem JtR had with his later victims! The visual look, including descriptions such as "fair" and "sunburnt face", along with age are almost dead bang with later eye witness descriptions of the Ripper. The clasp knife and the focus on the throat is another giveaway. The hat is quite different, although eyewitness reports of the Ripper have him wearing a more subtle soft, peaked cap, and it may be that a wide awake hat was just too noticeable - but both attackers did at least favour headgear. I am not clear how common that was for the time. Wilson was a "seamstress" which I understand was one of the euphemisms for "part-time" prostitute that women would deploy to hide what was really going on when they could not get other work - and Wilson was financially desperate around this time, and about to lose her lodgings. It is very usual for a serial killer to "warm up" and Wilson's attack was just the type of episode we should be seeing from a killer learning their craft. Unless there were two such wannabe killers working the same part of the East End, with the same general appearance, wielding a clasp knife, and seeking to slash the throats of prostitutes operating within 5 months of each other, one of whom gave up his hobby just as the other was starting out. I find that unpersuasive and over reliant on coincidence.

If Rose is saying that she saw Ada and the man arrive at the house in the evening, then heard screams around midnight, then that doesn't sound like a random knock on the door by a robber. So he was either someone she knew, or a client? I'm guessing the latter, because if it was a row with a boyfriend you'd expect a build up of arguing before any throat stabbing! And Rose would probably have mentioned that. I think.

Apparently there were a few dozen knife murderers in the East End during those years.

I don't believe it was Jack based solely on the time frame. With how quickly the five canon kills took place it's hard to believe he would have waited four months to try to kill again after the incident in this video. Of course, there were almost certainly other attacks between April and August that could have been Jack but the fact that hardly any of these cases are highlighted, with the exception of maybe one or two, leads me to believe that the Police didn't find any connections with the canonical five so we can probably rule out that Jack was involved in those cases. I don't buy the 'testing the waters' theory either. I don't know, something about it just doesn't sit right with me. Considering how efficient Jack was, and that he killed regularly, I don't see him being able to hold off killing for those four months while trying to hone his 'skills'. But who knows really? That's just my opinion on it and like many times before in my life, I could be wrong. Another great and informative video presented very well. Thanks.

I'm trying to guess the next video..Alice McKenzie perhaps?

Fascinating

It could be JTR, but the thing that makes me doubt is that the motive according to her testimony was an attempted robbery. This seems out of character for JTR or most serial killers for that matter.

Yes, definitely a possibility being no connection with Martha Tabrehm's murder was incorporated with Jack definitely .

I don't feel ada was a victim of the ripper,,seems to be a plain robbery ,gone wrong,great video

No - the 5 Canonical murders were weekend killings, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night !!

I think Ada Wilson very well could be an early JTR victim. There seems to be at least one other occasion where JTR was interrupted during one of his attacks. And I also believe Charles Le here/Cross is a likely suspect.

It’s possible this was a Ripper attack. American serial killer David Berkowitz committed his first murder relatively close to his own residence but committed his last attempted murder more than 16 miles away.

It is difficult to say for sure if she was an early JTR victim. It does sound like either she was covering something up about the incident or just got a few facts wrong. However, I do feel that there would most probably have been a number of incidents in the months (and possibly years), leading up to the Autumn of terror that the murderer would have been responsible for but would have been missed by the Police and future investigators. This would be the sort of thing I would be looking for along with violent rapes at knife point and peeping tom activity.

The whole story of the attempted robbery could have been made up by Ada Wilson to explain why the man was at her house, especially taking into account the testimony of the other woman living at the same address.

Brilliant video thank you Richard happy new year to you and your family. Ada's Wilson attack very similar Martha Tabram. And I believe she was the 1st proper JTR victim. So highly posable Ada was attended by JTR.

The height 5'5''-5'7'', just seems to keep cropping up in Ripper incidents, and eye witness descriptions. That might be relevant, or it might just reflect the average height of men at the time. Certainly today it would be very distinctive.

There must have been early clumsy attempts before the "five" . If you look at the later victims they where all horribly drunk so it must have been extra easy for him to subdue them before they even knew what was going on. Its like how a predator in the wild watches the herd for the easiest target and fixate only on them . He was learning to hunt.

What does a wide-awake hat look like, I never seen or heard of such a thing? I'm guessing the ones Chicago mobsters wore, or those worn by Abraham Lincoln but they called a top hat maybe they are called that wide-awake hat over across the pond, and here in the states they are top hats? I first was thinking the kind pirates wore but, this era didn't wear that style anymore as far as I know so I don't have one clue to how it looks can't google it when I google something it just won't load and I get that stupid screen with either a dinosaur or a square emoji shape with it saying something like it's offline, server to slow and buffers for a long long time so I gave up googling stuff.

Great video thanks for sharing. It’s possible but who can say. What I think we can say based on what we know of serial killers today that they often escalate in crime and often if they target prostitutes they are usually mixed with love and hate towards them. As in they love their services, but hate when they rush them. Some it’s just the fact they hate prostitutes. Some it’s they hate bad service. I think it’s most likely there are other victims that where not and will never be associated with Jack the Ripper. Blows my mind that he killed these women in a short period of time in the richest city in the world at that time with Scotland Yard helping and they couldn’t catch him he killed right under there noses. That’s remarkable.

Please pardon my ignorance, as I am a real novice in the Ripper case, but were blade attacks on women so common during this period that it could be unrelated? I seems odd to have this degree of violence and have unrelated cases in such numbers.

Yes I do.Everyone in any form of life ,good or bad , starts out somewhere 🤔 , It takes a childhood of endeavour for a young man to suddenly become an overnight success @ football ⚽️ ,Same with anything ! Jack suddenly didn't appear 😔 so skilled & so able to avoid detection, Just because ,here I am ,! I believe: 1: He wasn't a nutter ,soon locked up as the fumbling Police leaders would have us believe. 2 He was well acquainted with The East End.& 3 : He had made a tentative start proir to the so called canonical 5.Mummad Ali ,(Cassious Clay ), had a draw in his first ever amateur bout ! ? No one starts @ the top.Always a back story.

No, i dont think so...

It is possible that this is an early attempt made by JTR. I'm leaning more though that this is a totally different person that did this.

The papers hushed up the women who could describe the weapon... Arnold Sons Bistouri Medical locking Folding 1880

No, I don't think so.

Could have been anybody.

I don't know if this was a jtr murder or not. Every killer has to start somewhere. Like the best way of how to subdue the woman to kill her.

Yeah… nah… there are virtually no similarities to the other cases. Being stabbed in the throat after someone demanded money doesnt fit at all.

Did he ever take anything (besides body parts) from a victim, ever? I never heard that he did, If it is true what she said…idk Doesn’t seem like Jtr.

I don't think so. The motive was robbery here. I suppose it might be possible that he found he liked stabbing people.

I dont think it was JtR

No definitely not

I bet on my life that Charles Lechmere is Jack The ripper.

Yes, I do think he could have been Jack the rippet.

No, she wasn't an early victim. Jack wasn't out to rob anyone, he wanted to cut women up.

I bet it was him.

I don’t think Ada Wilson was a victim of Jack the ripper!!

Sounds like a early victim 🤔,people would suggest robbery😉

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