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The murders carried out by Jack the Ripper in London’s East End in 1888 are undoubtedly some of the most notorious in the world. Even now, his identity remains unknown which is one of the reasons that his crimes still fascinate us and here are 10 facts about Jack that you might not be aware of.
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He was a resident of Whitechapel
All of the murders occurred in the area of Whitechapel which made both the police at the time and historians today believe that Jack was a resident of the area himself. They also believed that he was “painfully normal looking” and maintained a job during the week as all of his murders took place early on a morning or on the weekend.
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He was likely to have medical knowledge
Many historians and professionals at the time who inspected the corpses presumed Jack to have medical knowledge. The way that he mutilated the bodies suggests that he had anatomical knowledge that could only have been known by someone who had been trained.
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There were many suspects, including royalty
There were no eyewitnesses to any of the murders, and there was a huge public outcry for the police to point the finger. During the case, there were a huge amount of suspects even including Queen Victoria’s own grandson Prince Albert Edward Victor. However, the three people that remained under suspicion throughout were Aron Kosinski, a Polish immigrant, Montague John Druitt, a barrister and Michael Ostrog, a Russian doctor. All of these were maniacs and completely abhorred prostitutes.
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The ‘Double Event’ of September 30
Three weeks after the murder of Annie Chapman, the grizzly night of September 30 saw a double murder of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes that occurred with less than an hour between them.
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He was thought to be left handed
The direction and location of the knife wounds on the bodies suggest that the killer may have been left-handed.
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He took away the identity of his victims
Everything that was observed from the five murders that Jack committed suggests that he suffered from an incurable mental disorder. Although psychologists cannot make a definitive diagnosis, it is strongly assumed that he hated women and thought them worthless. This is why he distorted their faces and took away body parts such as their uterus, all an effort to destroy their identities.
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His pseudonym came from a letter
The name ‘Jack the Ripper’ originally appeared in a letter that was sent to the local newspapers of London. It is still highly debated whether or not the killer himself wrote this letter.
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The Canonical Five
During the time of the killings, many prostitutes had been killed in the Whitechapel area, but only five had the same peculiarities. These women came to be known as the Canonical Five, and all had their bodies ripped and organs neatly extracted.
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Mary Jane Kelly may be the key to the mystery
There are a number of theories that suggest that Jack was always targeting his final victim. Another victim, Catherine Eddowes, used the name “Mary Ann Kelly” the night she was killed suggesting that Jack mistook her for his intended victim.
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No one knows what happened to Jack
After the murder of his last victim, Mary Kelly, the murders came to an abrupt halt. To this day, no one knows if Jack was imprisoned, killed or deported and his motives still remain a mystery.
Fascinated? Want to know more? Book a Jack the Ripper Walking Tour today and learn even more about one of the world’s most famous killers.
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Source: pommietravels.com