Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym that was given to a serial murderer of at least five female prostitutes. The name “Jack the Ripper” originates from a letter which was sent to the police by a person who claimed to be the murderer himself. He was also called the Whitechapel murderer and Leather Apron. Jack the Ripper was not the first serial killer, but he was probably the first to appear in a large metropolis at a time when a great part of the population had become literate and the press was a force for social change.
The murders
The serial murders are some of the most famous unsolved mysteries of English crime. They were committed in or near the Whitechapel district in the East End of London between August 7 and November 10 in 1888. Among the victims were at least five female prostitutes, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. Additionally, there are further murders which cannot conclusively be proven to have been committed by Jack the Ripper. It is reported that in all cases the victims’ throats were cut and the women’s bodies were professionally mutilated, so that the police had the assumption that Jack the Ripper might have had knowledge of human anatomy or even a medical background.
Police investigation
During the investigation, the police received letters, a postcard and a package with one half of a human kidney by someone calling himself Jack the Ripper. The police officers were under pressure as the case was hyped and explicitly reported in the local newspapers. As a result, people started to criticise them for being incapable of arresting the murderer. A great public uproar over the police’s failure was raised against the home secretary and the London police commissioner, who resigned soon afterwards. All in all, there have been more than 30 suspects, but the murders could not be proven against any of them. Although a lot of efforts were made to trace Jack the Ripper, the case has remained unsolved until today.
Sources
Gribbin, John. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Jack the Ripper. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010.