The killer without a face – Jack the Ripper
Happy Friday Horror Freaks! This months Murder Post is about one of the most famous serial killers in history: Jack the Ripper. Also known as the Leather Apron and Whitechapel Murderer.
Is very little what we know about this criminal. No name or face, date of birth or death, only the certain that he took 5 innocent lives in 1888. His victims were female prostitutes who worked on the East End of London. He would cut their throat and removed internal organs. This led to believe that the killer had at least anatomical knowledge. During September and October of the same year the rumor that the murders were connected appeared when Scotland Yard started to receive anonymous letters claiming to be the responsible.
One of the letters is the origin of the name Jack the Ripper but is believed that the letter was just a hoax from journalists that wanted to increase the interest on the case.
From 1888 to 1891 an investigation was made but the Police was unable to make a connection between all the murders from August to November 1888. The 5 victims are known as the canonical five. The murders were never solved and the crimes became part of the folklore. 132 years later the killer remains in the shadows.
The canonical five
- Mary Ann Nichols (August 26, 1884 – August 31 1888)
- Annie Chapman (September 25, 1840 – September 8, 1888)
- Elizabeth Stride (November 27, 1843 – September 30, 1888)
- Catherine Eddowes (April 14, 1842 – September 30, 1888)
- Mary Jane Kelly (c. 1863 – November 9, 1888)
From Hell letter
This was a letter sent in October 1888 to George Lusk, Whitechapel Vigilance Committee chairman, with the half of a human kidney. The author claimed to be the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper and also claimed to have eaten the other half of the kidney.
At least 1,000 letters were received by the press and the Police all claiming to be Whitechapel Murderer but the From Hell letter was one of the few to be considered authentic.