Jack The Ripper

Jack The Ripper

In August 1888, the first of a series of murders was committed by a

killer who became known as Jack the Ripper. To this day the identity

of the killer remains a mystery. Five women were brutally killed in

the East End of London, by a maniac who appeared to kill without

warning and with no remorse.

1)What can you learn from Source A?

Source A tells us that the two murders were aimed directly at the

poorest people in East End at the time, and usually because of the

poverty at that time, the women had to revert to prostitution so this

tells us that the murderer had a great dislike for poor people or

mainly prostitutes, but there was no clear motive for him to do it. It

also tells us that these two murders had been done with an extra

amount of effort, which later becomes his signature way of murdering,

so that this informs us that the killer may not have had a motive, but

he knew what he was doing, so he wasn't totally insane.

2)Does Source C support the evidence of Sources A and B?

Sources B and C strongly support each other, while source A differs a

little. Source B is the Coroner's report on the death of Polly

Nicholls. In this, it says "No unskilled person could have known where

to find the organs, or to have recognized them when they were found.

No mere slaughterer of animals could have carried out these

operations" and in Source C the report describes how Elizabeth Stride

was killed and it shows that is was done in a professional way, taking

care in all the way s that she was laid out to be found and the slice

across the throat "cutting the windpipe completely in two" They agree

with each other becau...

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...them on wild goose chase. The detective methods were also slowly

evolving, so no fingerprints, DNA tests or anything could be used as

they were all in the early stages of their development. There were

also differences in opinion. For example Mary Kelly- Dr. Bond though

her time of death was between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM, and Dr. Phillips

thought that is was between 5:00 AM and 6:00AM. This didn't help the

police with the evidence of the witnesses either. The primitive ways

of the police and the fact that the Metropolitan Police didn't get

along with the City of London police, they were un-cooperative so this

slowed down things even further.

When the first victim was killed, the commissioner of the Metropolitan

police was out of the country, so the officers were left to figure

things out for themselves whit no guidance.