Ripper Series: The Canonical Five

You may have heard about Jack the Ripper, the mysterious murderer of late 1800s London, England. The crimes of the Ripper have been discussed heavily over the last century, from authors studying his crimes to the supposed discovery of his identity only a few years ago. There are so many theories and so much information surrounding Jack the Ripper that it needs to be split into three parts, so welcome to part one of my Ripper series.

The Ripper Murders: A Brief Synopsis

Many true crime and history buffs know the story of Jack the Ripper, the pseudonymous murderer of at least five women near the Whitechapel district of London's East End between August and November 1888. A few dozen murders between 1888 and 1892 were theoretically credited to Jack the Ripper, but only five of those murders, committed in 1888, were linked to a single murderer by local police. Despite many attempts to identify and trap the murderer, the police never identified the murderer despite having dozens of suspects. Each victim had their throat cut and their bodies mutilated in a manner that indicated the murderer had some knowledge of human anatomy.

The 1888 victims of Jack the Ripper were:

• Mary Ann Nichols, found on August 31st

• Annie Chapman, found on September 8th

• Elizabeth Stride, found on September 30th

• Catherine Eddowes, found on September 30th

• Mary Jane Kelly, found on November 9th

On October 16th, 1888, George Lusk, chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London, received a parcel in the mail, postmarked the previous day. The sender's address was "From Hell." A letter attached to the parcel coldly informed Lusk that its writer had extracted a kidney from a female victim (later determined to belong to Catherine Eddowes), preserved it, ate half of it, and mailed the other half.

The Canonical Five

Mary "Polly" Ann Nichols

Mary is considered the first victim of Jack the Ripper. She was a married mother of six when her husband, William Nichols, left her to have an affair with a neighbor. Mary turned to alcohol, worsening her problems, and eventually found herself frequently visiting the East End and turning to prostitution to pay for a bed in a lodging house. She was last seen alive on August 31st, 1888, around 2:30 AM, and was found dead around 3:40 AM.

Annie Chapman

Annie lived a comfortable life with her husband, John, and their three children in Windsor when their oldest daughter, Emily Ruth, died of meningitis, and their son John Alfred was "a cripple" who was sent to a home to live. Eventually, Annie and John turned to alcohol, and they separated in 1884 or 1885. John continued to support his ex-wife until his death in 1886, and Annie started selling flowers and crochet work to get by but eventually turned to prostitution to make a living. Annie was last seen around 1:30 AM on September 8th and was found dead around 6 AM.

Elizabeth Stride

Swedish-born Elizabeth moved to London in 1866. She previously worked as a prostitute in Sweden, but in London, she married a man named John Stride and opened a coffee shop. The business failed, and John died in 1884, resulting in Elizabeth living in poverty and struggling with alcoholism. Elizabeth was last seen around 11:45 PM on September 29th and found dead around 1 AM on September 30th.

Catherine Eddowes

Catherine was recently released from jail around the time that Elizabeth Stride was murdered. She was taken into custody after a display of public drunkenness but was released between 1 and 1:30 AM when the officer determined she had sobered up enough to do so. Catherine was killed less than 10 minutes walking distance from the police station she was released from and was found dead around 1:45 AM.

Mary Jane Kelly

October passed without any murderous events, and the people of Whitechapel believed the reign of Ripper terror was over. However, on November 9th, Mary Jane Kelly was found dead in her room. Not much was known about her life; most of her recorded history is based on rumors from an off-and-on boyfriend, Joseph Barnett. It's believed that she's originally from Ireland, was about 25 years of age, and lived in London for about four years, working in a brothel and as a maid before she was murdered. She was last seen around 3 AM and found dead approximately an hour later.

The "canonical five" led difficult and traumatic lives, forcing them to resort to prostitution to survive. Clearly, there was some sense of hatred or disgust for women and/or prostitutes in general for one person to do such horrendous acts to them. Part two coming soon!