Jack the Ripper

• What were the conditions in the East End of London like?

  They were poor and overcrowded making it ideal for crime
• If you were a family how big potentially was your house?And where was your house?

  1 room in the slums
• If you couldn't afford a house, where would you potentially stay?

  In a coffin bed or a twopenny hangover
• How much would you pay to use a coffin bed?

  4d (4p)
• How much would you pay to use a twopenny hangover?

  2d (2p)
• What was a twopenny hangover?

  A rope for you to lean on
• Who was the first victim?

  Mary Ann Nichols
• When was the first victim killed?

  31st August 1888
• Who was the second victim?

  Annie Chapman
• When was the second victim killed?

  7th September 1888
• Who was the third victim?

  Elizabeth Stride
• When was the third victim killed?

  30th September 1888
• Who was the fourth victim?

  Catherine Eddowes
• When was the fourth victim killed?

  30th September 1888
• What is significant about the third and fourth killing?

  They were killed on the same night
• Who was the fifth victim?

  Mary Jane Kelly
• When was the fifth victim killed?

  9th November 1888
• What job did all of the victims share?

  They were all prostitutes
• What were the names of the three letters supposedly from Jack the Ripper?

  Dear Boss, Saucy Jacky, From Hell
• What is 'Dear Boss' about?

  It was a letter sent to a newspaper company of which they thought it was a joke and held it back until it was too late. It "Jack" talking about his work and how proud he is of it and he hints at the next murders on 30th September. He writes about all of the rumors about who he is and it amuses him. Towards the end he mentions that he wanted to write it in blood but his jar of it went too thick to write with so he uses red ink. It is from this letter he got the nickname "Jack the Ripper".
• When was 'Dear Boss' written?

  25th September 1888
• When was 'Dear Boss' postmarked and received ?

  27th September 1888
• When was 'Dear Boss' forwarded to Scotland Yard?

  29th September 1888
• What does 'Dear Boss' imply about the author?

  It implies that the author was educated due to choice of language and handwriting (also no smudge marks so I am going to guess he was right handed)
• What was 'Saucy Jack' about?

  It was written about the events of 30th September 1888 (it presumably was written after the murders) and it had several references to the previous letter.
• When was 'Saucy Jack' postmarked?

  1st October 1888
• What does 'Saucy Jack' imply about the author?

  It implies that this letter may have been written by someone in rush, it uses similar language and handwriting to 'Dear Boss'.
• What is 'From Hell' about?

  "Jack" teases the police by sending them a kidney preserved in ethanol and says that if the police (Mr Lusk from the volunteer group 'Whitechapel Vigilante Committee') wait a little longer he will send the bloody knife. This was sent after the fourth murder of which was missing the kidneys.
• When was 'From Hell' postmarked?

  15th October 1888
• When was 'From Hell' received?

  16th October 1888
• What does 'From Hell' imply about the author?

  It is poorly written in terms of language and and handwriting which means that they were most likely uneducated. They were also left handed making it hard to kill the victims (all victims were killed left to right with a knife). There are some factors to point towards it being real like the fact a kidney was missing and now the police receive one that has be preserved in ethanol although by the time this was written, you can presume that the news about the death was already out.
• Where was Mary Ann Nichols murdered?

  Buck's Row
• Where was Annie Chapmen murdered?

  Rear Yard 29 Hanbury Street
• Where was Elizabeth Stride murdered?

  Yard Side of 40 Berner Street
• Where was Catherine Eddowes murdered?

  Mitre Square, Aldgate, City of London 
• Where was Mary Jane Kelly murdered?

  13 Miller’s Court
• List some police mistakes:

  • The police did not keep a record of fingerprints at the time
  • Vital evidence was often ignored by the police e.g. that the murderer was skilled in dissection. The police however, still continued to look for unskilled people
  • The police investigation was focused on lunatics as it was believed no-one off sound mind could committee such murders
  • The police had a lot of responsibility. As well as patrolling the street for criminals, their job involved watching out for fires, lighting street lamps, calling out the time to the public and other public services.
• List the physical problems of Whitechapel:

  • Only the main streets of London had lighting
  • Most of Whitechapel was made up of dark and narrow crooked lanes
  • Whitechapel already had a high crime rate.
• List the technological problem:

  • Forensic evidence did not exist
  • Not DNA or Blood Typing
• When were the police set up?

  1829