Dan Norder

Wolf Vanderlinden

Jeffrey Bloomfield

"Ripper Notes: Murder by Numbers" is a collection of essays about the famous unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper and related topics. Wolf Vanderlinden's questions the conventional wisdom about the time of death of Annie Chapman, the second of Jack's generally accepted victims, by a careful examination of the medical evidence and contradictions in witness testimony. Amanda Howard compares serial killers like Andrei Chikatilo, the BTK strangler, Albert Fish and the Green River Killer to see what they might tell us about the Ripper case. Also, Jeffrey Bloomfield gives the details on two forgotten cases of prostitutes murdered in London a few years before the more famous 1888 killings, Bernard Brown discusses the police officer who thought he almost caught the Whitechapel murderer, Des McKenna asks whether witnesses confused two different women as being Mary Kelly (generally considered the last Ripper victim) and Robert J. McLaughlin reports on a Punch & Judy-like theatre performance based upon the murders. There are also several short pieces looking at the latest news in Ripperology, the boom in books about the case, and similar topics. Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper case.

Murder by Numbers

Ripper Notes

Tom Wescott

"Ripper Notes: Jack the Slasher" is a collection of essays about the famous unidentified Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper and related topics. Wolf Vanderlinden starts things off with an overview of suspect Hyam Hyams, an insane East End Jew sometimes named as being the Whitechapel murderer. This includes a never-before seen photograph of Hyams in an asylum. Wolf then provides an in depth look at Henry G. Dowd, the New York maniac known as Jack the Slasher. When he was caught the newspapers tried to link him to the more famous killings in London. Next Bernard Brown, editor of the Metropolitan Police History magazine, theorizes about what a New York Ripper would find most familiar in Whitechapel. This is followed by Tom Wescott with a thorough examination of the neighborhood where victim Elizabeth Stride was killed, including a large number of period photographs and illustrations. He then uses information about other murder scenes to try to determine the exact methods the Ripper used to subdue and kill Stride. Next "ESM" provides the facts and never before crime scene illustrations and photos of the little known case of the Vienna Ripper, another killer and mutilator of prostitutes in the late 19th century, one whose methods and personal characteristics could be directly comparable to the London murders. This is followed by Wolf again, this time detailing the known facts of a Lascar sailor named in some news reports as having been the Ripper. Profusely illustrated with rare and never before seen illustrations, Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper case.

Jack the Slasher

"Ripper Notes: Written in Blood" is a collection of essays about the famous unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper and related topics. Julie Stangeland starts things off with a look at a rarely-seen photograph of the Whitechapel division of London's Metropolitan Police in which, the author argues, Inspector Frederick Abberline can be identified here for the first time. David A. Green then names John Barlas, a Victorian decadent poet and anarchist who was locked up in asylums for the rest of his life shortly after the Whitechapel murders, as the previously unknown lunatic Ripper suspect described in a contemporary newspaper account. Vance McLaughlin follows with a look at three early serial killers in the United States who wrote messages to police and their victims' families. John Bennett reports on his first-hand examination of a 'Dear Boss' letter signed Jack the Ripper and dated September 17, 1888, but that may be a modern hoax slipped into the National Archives to mislead researchers. Tom Wescott has two essays: the first compares the wounds on Polly Nichols, the first canonical Ripper victim, to other area murders, and the second examines the various individuals named "McCarthy" living on Dorset Street in London's East End to try to determine which was the landlord of victim Mary Jane Kelly. Don Souden then argues that John McCarthy was not just a grocer but also Kelly's pimp, and Stephen P. Ryder contributes some Victorian letters to the editor discussing the problems of pimps of prostitution. Dan Norder presents four period paintings to see if a conclusion can be made about which, if any, was featured in "The Fisherman's Widow" print found in Kelly's room at the time of herdeath. Wolf Vanderlinden reports from the 2006 Jack the Ripper conference in Baltimore, Maryland; Kelly Robinson reviews a production of Chris George and Erik Sitbon's "Jack - The Musical" in Charlotte, North Carolina; and various writers critique a number of recent Ripper books and DVD. Profusely illustrated with photos and engravings from the Victorian era, Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper case.

Written in Blood

Stewart P. Evans

"Ripper Notes: Suspects & Witnesses" is a collection of essays about the famous unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper and related topics, focusing on a number of people who have been accused of the crimes. Andrew J. Spallek starts things off with a comprehensive look at the reasons why Montague John Druitt was named as the top suspect by a high-ranking police official at the time, as well as new information that has been discovered since then. Stewart P. Evans, author of several of the most respected books on the case and a former police officer, takes an in-depth professional look at George Hutchinson, who is sometimes considered a suspect because of the puzzling aspects of the witness statement he gave of a man seen with Mary Jane Kelly, the last of the Ripper's known victims, shortly before her death. Leanne Perry follows with details on Kelly's former lover Joseph Barnett, also believed by some to have been her killer, and the job he lost as a fish porter at Old Billingsgate Market. Wolf Vanderlinden tackles another high profile suspect, Dr. Francis Tumblety, while trying to get to the truth about some of the stories of his life that have always been considered to be damning evidence against him but appear to be quite different from how they have been previously portrayed. Jeffrey Bloomfield comes next with the life and crimes of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, the man whose executioner claimed was trying to admit to being Jack the Ripper while being hanged for the poisoning deaths of prostitutes in London's East End. Don Souden critically examines all the major witness to see how reliable they were in offering clues to the murderer's identity. Des McKenna compares the two different versions of Tom Slemen's claims that Claude Reignier Conder should be considered to be Jack the Ripper. Tom Wescott then brings the main section to a close with a bang by revealing a largely forgotten contemporary suspect who has not been mentioned in print since the 19th century. There are also short pieces on various claims that the killer was locked up in an asylum and not prosecuted because of being insane, a look at the current state of Ripperology, and reviews of recent books. Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper case.

Suspects & Witnesses

"Ripper Notes: How the Newspapers Covered the Jack the Ripper Murders" is a collection of essays about press reports of the notorious Whitechapel serial killer as well as other related topics. "When the People Were in Terror" by Norman Hastings republishes for the first time a comprehensive series of early 20th century articles about the impact the Whitechapel murders had on society, from the police investigation of the crimes to the fear that gripped the public. "The Murder in Cartin's Court" by Don Souden looks at how the early newspaper reports seriously bungled the facts of the death of Mary Jane Kelly, the fifth (and last) of the canonical five Ripper victims. "The London Police: The View from the Irish Press" by Alan Sharp examines how journalists reacted to the police investigation, concentrating on reports printed in Ireland. Other contents include Stewart P. Evans with new information on the legends that psychic Robert Lees solved the case, Wolf Vanderlinden looking for the meaning behind several contemporary newspaper reports, and several other short pieces. Ripper Notes is a nonfiction anthology series covering all aspects of the Jack the Ripper case.

Dan Norder

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