Yours Truly Jack The Ripper - The Dear Boss Letter.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2021
- A question that we often get asked on the Jack the Ripper tour is, where did the name Jack the Ripper come from? In this video we take a look at where the name came from and at how, once the name had caught the public imagination, the Whitechapel murders quickly gained an unparalleled level of notoriety.
The video begins by detailing how it was detailed in the newspapers in mid-October that the police were looking into the provenance of over 700 letters that purported to have been written by the unknown miscreant who was carrying out the murders in the East End of London.
One of the earliest of these letters was sent to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Charles Warren, on the 24th of September, 1888, and in it, the supposed perpetrator of Annie Chapman's murder claimed to be in "misery with nightmare."
The police were used to receiving letters such as this in high profile cases, and so they were quick to dismiss the communication as what it undoubtedly was - a hoax.
But, a few days later, on the 27th of September, 1888, a similar letter turned up at the Central News Agency at 5 New Bridge Street in the City of London. It was addressed to the "Boss", and Again, the author claimed to be the Whitechapel murderer. He boasted in gloating detail about the crimes he had committed and promised that in his next murder he would clip the victim's ears off and send them to the police officers, whilst also stating that he wanted to get to work right away if he got the chance.
The Central News passed the letter to the Metropolitan Police on the 29th of September, 1888, and, within 24 hours, the killer carried out two murders - those of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. The fact that the killer had, indeed, got to work right away, and had, in the case of Catherine Eddowes, cut through her right ear lobe, meant that the police had little choice than to take the Dear Boss missive seriously, and so, in early October, 1888, they made the letter public.
The name "Jack the Ripper" caught on immediately, and, suddenly, the police investigation into the Whitechapel murders became bogged down by a tidal wave of similar letters purporting to have come from "Jack the Ripper."
In the video we reveal who the police believed wrote the original Jack the Ripper letter, and take a look at some of the imitators who wrote other letters.
The moral of the story:
People have always been horrible
Thank you. We act like the terrible things that happen every day, is something new. It's not, people have always been awful. We are supposed to help each other in this life, but so many choose to harm. It's terrible, but not new
The Dear Boss letter was one of the main reasons I bought Jack the Ripper:The Casebook, only to find it was a treasure trove of old police reports, newspaper articles, and pictures. It is meticulously researched, and if I was on a desert island and could only have one book about Jack the Ripper, this would be the one. For anyone interested in this case, I cant recommend this book enough : )
Seems they were making troll comments even back in 1888.
The letter was a great way to sell newspapers! The writer had a stroke of genius. Who would think it would still be working 130 + years later!? If one of the letters is genuine, I think it’s the “from hell” letter. If you’re a student of graphology, the evidence points to someone who is unhinged. Thanks for another cool video Rich!
Yes, it was a great PR Stunt. I'm doing the From Hell letter next. Thanks for your kind words.
@@JackTheRipperTours You’re welcome. It’s an honor that you take the time to read and reply. I’m looking forward to the next one!
@@davesmith7432 so the dear boss letter isn’t from Jack himself?
@@glock_9ine956 Well, never say never. But it's more commonly agreed to be a fake in modern times. A journalist even admitted to it in the 1930s iirc. But you never know, he might have lied about that for any number of reasons, not least of which is a further claim to fame.
Have you seen any of the letters BTK sent to the police?
My new favourite TH-cam channel. Brilliantly researched and presented....you should be very proud of the content you provide.
Thank you Mark. That is very kind of you.
@@JackTheRipperTours No thank you, I love your work....I still chuckle at your appearance on Great British Ghosts with Michaela Strachan and how you made her repeatedly jump 😂
The best look on the dear boss letter and how he got his name I’ve ever seen 👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you Dave.
As strange as this may sound, I find listening to this channel incredibly relaxing.
I love this channel.
Thank you very much, Michael.
Perhaps the main reason that this person has become the popular villain that he has, is simply that we still are uncertain of their identity.
Apparently it's not only 'familiarity' that breeds contempt !
I heard once about 10 years ago (from people who know about these kind of things) that the name “Jack the Riper” was not unusual in English society in the 1880’s. The name “Jack” was a common appellation for people in different categories, like “Jack the This” or “Jack the That,” etc.
In 1931 Frederick Best claimed that the handwriting on the "Dear Boss" letter was his own. Furthermore a book published in 2009 by Andrew Cook "Jack the ripper: case closed." Graphology expert Elaine Quigley examined a sample of handwriting by Frederick Best. In her expert opinion the Frederick Best sample matched the handwriting on the"Dear Boss" letter.
Idk but the Dear Boss letter and the following postcard seem genuine to me, since they seem to describe details of the murders that I don't think the public knew about at the time.
The From Hell letter is written by a tormented mind, while the Dear Boss letter clearly has been prepared by a professional writer, look how meticulous the writing is; only a writer would ensure there would be absolutely no misconstruing their meanings...
True. The "Jack the Ripper" letters are also drawing upon melodrama and penny dreadful villains/popular culture depictions of murderers real and fictional. Although it's not beyond the realms of possibly that the murderer could not also construct such a creation. Since a letter like that is performative in nature and designed to shock and stir the pot. This could be a journalist or the murderer themselves if they're inclined to enjoy the attention and infamy, and lean into playing the "role". You don't really expect something with that intent to be a look into the private inner thoughts of someone. Of course,that is somewhat leaning into the criminal nastermind/genius psychopath that people like to see JtR as, in the same way they enjoy fictional villains like Hannibal Lecter or The Joker.
He was a strangler he would cut to send a message.
''Saucy jack''??? What a sick sense of humour.
some ppl are like that , for sure
I just realized how ironic it would be if the Dear Boss letter was written by a reporter, to have come up with the most iconic serial killer moniker and NEVER be able to claim the distinction for fear of revealing one's part in obstruction of justice... lmao looks good on them if that's the case...
Brilliant point, Edward.
@@JackTheRipperTours ty, and you're doing fantastic work here. I have come across countless facts in your videos I have seen nowhere else, including in books of "the Complete Jack the Ripper" style... Well done sir!
Suppose trolls have always been about, even before social media.
Yes there are trolls
Yeah, unfortunately, there are those who always thought to find stuff like this humourous.
We are infinite. We are eternal.
Even if not written by jackie they came from the darkest depths of his mind...
you mean someone like him ?
One potential path to investigate the authenticity of the Jack the Ripper letter would probably be to look at who benefits from the publication of this letter at a time when anything related to Jack the Ripper had a great chance to increase the sales of newspapers.
I was surprised you didn't mention the Star journalist Frederick Best who allegedly confessed to writing the Dear Boss letter and the Saucy Jack postcard in 1930
Richard, this is you best video yet ... absolutely fascinating, and far better than any documentary I’ve ever seen on JTR. It would be fantastic if you started another series on Charles Dickens. 😉
Thanks Todd. I'll look into the Charles Dickens series. That would be enjoyable to do.
@@JackTheRipperTours It would be enjoyable to watch too. Please do consider it, I love Dickens. If you haven't read it, I can recommend 'the uncommercial traveller', a collection of short accounts where he relates his experiences such as the night he spent with the Liverpool police. Also anecdotes from his childhood, his nocturnal walks around London and many other accounts. It's a very entertaining read, funny in places, and is a wealth of historical insights. Might provide a good basis for videos, hint, hint! Lol
Thanks Richard great post as usual 👍
I think Walter Sickert wrote a few of the letters. I don't think he was JTR, but I think he was involved somehow even if his only connection was writing fake letters. He seems the kind of twisted & conniving character to have wanted to get in on something like this.
I sometimes wonder if there was a group of guys (2-3 men) that worked together to be jack the ripper!! Each kill wasn't consistent on the cutting and the abuse of each body. Just a thought because so many letters offer something as if they were there!
How did he know Stride "squealed a little" because this supports Schwartz's account who witnessed Stride being attacked and heard her scream 3 times not very loudly but his account was only reported later
maybe it was just a good guess
sounds like jacko ....or someone who had a similar turn of mind
@@tjlee9901mustve been a very good guess,
Dbl event, ear mutilations.
Was this made public on the 30th & 1st before Sausy Jack postcard was received.
Excellent piece of work, very informative 👍
Many thanks!
For the life of me ,I can't understand why people discount the Dear Boss and the Saucy Jack letters. In my life experiences I use logic and common sense to find the answer to a question. I have found that the more complicated the question the more obvious the answer . If you look at the letters with a fresh mind and without listening to herd's conclusion's, I think the obvious answer is they were from the Ripper. People can argue that the letter looks like it was copied from dictation or it doesn't match the mind of a killer, that is just speculation. It's only a guess. But if you look at the proven facts the letter's are what they are. The letter writer had foreknowledge of the type of injuries ie the ears. Then the same letter writer sends a letter the next day with facts that only few people knew. I doubt Southerland had received information as to the wounds inflicted until the end of the day. I believe at the time of receiving the Dear Boss letter the police were droning in hoax letters So the mind set was to discount every letter, even after reading it. It seems most investigators and scholars won't rock the boat by questioning long standing conclusions due to fear of tainting their repetition.
There was a Star journalist by the name of Federick Best who confessed 'allegedly' writing the Dear Boss and Saucy Jack letters..
@@atecasavouMaybe he's the killer.reason for killing & mutilations was probably to create sensation & sell newspapers.
I've my own particular theory: Jack was obviously a policeman! He would have every reason to be patrolling the foggy streets of Whitechapel in the small hours, and thus would not attract public attention; he would be trusted, not feared by the community, and probably known to the ladies of the night. Being based locally inside the police force, he would have access to all the inside information he would need to avoid entrapment. He could destroy evidence at the scene, or in the coroner's office, and plant misleading evidence. And all the while above suspicion.
To my mind, it's a slam-dunk. These days we are unfortunately well aware of the existence of depraved coppers - in those days it would have been unthinkable. The PERFECT cover!
I would like to know what a handwriting analyst would say about Jack the Ripper's handwriting. On the surface, his handwriting seems very even and careful.
There has been handwriting analysis, Karen. I'll see if I can find any reports.
@@JackTheRipperTours I'm curious to know if any of the follow-up letters still exist in their original form, and if handwriting analysis has been able to link any of them to the Dear Boss letter?
@@fredbloggs8072 yes there were follow up letters with the same signature as the dear boss letter.they never get spoken about and they still exist.there was actually a letter before the dear boss letter,again with the matching jack the ripper signature that one was sent to police and never made it to the press but the next one' dear boss' went to central news agency so that it would be shown to the press/ public.
I, like many others have questions and comments about the contents of the letter. For now I think it's authentic. I just looked up, what is a ripper. It was an occupation-seller of fish as well as other occupations. Why would you call yourself a ripper. I don't think of cutting someone's abdomen a ripper. Couple things stand out to me: he writes down on whores, but writes will clip the lady's ears off. Almost as though women are like aliens or something so separate from the human race. And I get a feeling as though he's killing them as you would slaughter an animal. Also, when I get the chance I'll get to work right away. What was stopping his chances. Then again the letter could simply be to terrify and harass people and watch the reaction. Who knows? I do agree it was someone you'd least suspect.
I don't think there was anything stopping his chances.
He probably meant if he has time & something comes his way with no intereference.
He was scavenging the areas & any random prostitute would've sufficed if the right circumstances permit.
Did the author of the postcard describe the ‘double event’ before this was public knowledge? If so, that would add credence to it being genuinely penned by the hand of the killer, otherwise it’s astonishingly prescient or coincidental. Just trying to get my head around the timeline….
Agreed..the postcard describe some aspect of the eddowes murder before information had been released to the public.the police considered them genuine as they put posters up around London asking if anyone recognized the handwriting.
I don’t think Stride was a Ripper victim.
I'm kind of torn on this. I agree that at first glance, it seems like the killer wrote both the Dear Boss letter and the postcard, because he did know things that weren't public knowledge. On the other hand, the press knew things before the public did, which leaves open the possibility that it could have been a hoax by somebody in the news agency. The timeline is: 1. Police Knowledge 2. Press Knowledge 3. Public Knowledge and the trick is figuring out if the postcard was written before we hit #2 on the timeline.
Postcard was received on the day the Dear Boss letter was published 1st October.. Definitely the same author but given the time frame between the dbl event & postcard was 1 day.
Enough time to gather information regarding the 2 murders
But he did mention clipping the ears on the Dear Boss & even said he wants to get to work straight away & keeping the letter back
3 days later the dbl event occurs
How did he know it was all related & there'll be future killings.
Serial murders wasn't even a thing back then & Zodiac & BTK also taunted the police with letters.
This was fun & games to him & Jack the Ripper was a huge risk taker & probably got off on the adrenaline rush off in close proximity of the police & witnesses, making thel look foolish & incompetent & getting away with it.
All work & no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Why is it not very creepy at all that there are six hundred and sixty six upvotes for this video?
Like so much to see in the intro Mitre Square as it was some time ago, with its cobblestones.
Yes, I miss the old Mitre Square, Tornado.
The narration on this channel is consistently tone perfect. Absolutely fascinating content..please keep posting Richard.
Nicely done
Great video as always but I would REALLY appreciate it if you did a full deep dive into Charles Allen Lechmere. I do not personally believe he was Jack because I have always been of the opinion that no singular Jack existed.
So while I do not believe it is a singular killer or that Lechmere had much, if anything, to do with the other crimes, he NO DOUBT murdered Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols.
Humanity sucks.
18:27 that’s pretty spooky the ‘Ripper’s arrival in Bradford’ the very place the Yorkshire Ripper was from.
Dang there was a lot of rippers running around..
Jack was smart. Staying ahead of the police. We will never know.
Indeed.
He'd be called J-RIP if he lived today.
He stayed ahead of the police because He was One.
@@sheilagravely5621 good theory
@@sheilagravely5621 nah, thats one of the weaker theories out there.
I sometimes wonder if there was more than one jack the ripper! Maybe a group of guys (2-3) to kill and never get caught!
H.H. Holmes was an American serial killer who was in London during the Ripper killings. The word ‘Boss’ was a term widely used in America. As soon as Holmes left London the killings stopped. He went to NY where a Ripper style murder occurred.
He wasn't Jack though. He killed men, women who weren't prostitutes, and children. He isn't going to change his MO.
So as DNA isn't supposed to lie, was Aaron Kosminski an accomplice, being framed by Holmes, whom I think I have heard of, giving him the found shawl, which his DNA was on?
@@timbayliss4153 no dna evidence exists
All lies, Holmes wasn’t the serial killer he’s made out to be and he certainly wasn’t Jack the Ripper. The legend of Holmes grows bigger as time passes. It was said he killed 200, but he only confessed to 27 murders, and of the 27 victims he confessed to killing several were still alive and well at the time of his confession. Records exist in the Cook county legal archives that place Holmes in Chicago at the time of the Ripper murders. The rumor that Holmes was the Ripper is fairly recent, but there is no evidence he was ever in London at any point in his life.
Only just subscribed always wonder who JTR was. Well put videos more focus on the poor victims than the brutal killer of these poor unfortunate women. R.I.P. mary Ann Annie Catherine Elizabeth and Mary Jane
this was the only thing the public knew was wrote by him
I agree the best one so far.
Was the ear thing typical of the killings and known to journalists? The papers needed to keep the story alive more than needed to be honourable.
What else is new?
My 6th sense tells me letters were genuine...
What, all 700 of them? That would have given him no time to go out killing! 🤣
i thought so too .
this is extremely interesting because ive never heard of those women responsible for those letters. Very interesting.
What about the mr lusk letter didnt have a part of a kidney with and was signed catch me when you can mr lusk
We have a separate video on that, Jeremy.
@@JackTheRipperTours I'm sorry I'm just a royal conspiracy nut the final solution was actually the firs doc I've ever seen on jack the ripper I remember when it came out early 70s I think but it does make some sense tho of course I dont think we will ever know the whole truth I've also seen a video back in the 80s of a guy that even claimed to be the either was anne crook great grandson or grandson an illegitimate heir to the throne supposedly
Has anyone ever thought that the writing was very neat ? Is it like a page from a sherlock Homes book? So if was to write a book on the case of Jack the Ripper ? I would like to youse : Mary Kelly, the one that got away as the title ? From start to finish, let's start with the coroner 1. Question llwelyn was the last king of Wales ,but before he was a king, his title would have been the prince of ? 2. Question: Who held that title during the jtr time scale? 3. Is this person known to have had an affair with a showgirl named Lilley Langtree? 4. Question: What was her daughters name ? 5. Question: What was Mary Kelly's working name? 6.Question whitch country did Mary Kelly say she's been to before, returning to White Chapel? 7. Question: What British Island did Lilley Langtree come from, and has it got connections to France? 8. Question: The one that possibly got away ,French speaking Canada 🇨🇦 maybe, what is the name of the innkeepers daughter in the 1944 film THE SCARLET CLAW staring Basil Rathbone as Mr Homes a mythical private detective, who in later films (not sure about the films but definitely in a recent series) he's described as a functioning sociopath, please fact-check? 9 . Question: So in that film, it shows how a dead body can be used to stage a crime scene the bodies were so disfigured they could only be identified by their clothing, so how was Mary Kelly's body identified and did anyone see her alive after, she had supposedly been murdered? 10. Question: If my thoughts are right, then the Mary Kelly crime scene had to have been staged maybe we could have asked Homes or even the author, what was the authors name, here is a clue, the second name has 5 digits, and take the first 3 letters off the present governments party? My thoughts no facts, please fact-check everything?
Which letter could you do next....?
Hmmm I wonder!
My favorite documentary on jack the ripper was the final solution
Good old Stephen Knight.
@@JackTheRipperToursyeah it did make some sense
@@jeremyjeconner5422 It is a farse. The man who gave Knight the info confessed that he was lying and it was ALL a fake.
I always come back to this letter and think that this is so chilling that it must come from, such a dark place in some mad man's twisted evil mind, That it must be authentic. The other letters are just laughable
I lean towards thinking that because there were so many letters, one is almost forced to dismiss them all as not having being written by "Jack". That being said, it was surely in the police's interests to do just that in order to minimise the risk of being made to look like fools chasing their own tails, in much the same way as John Humble had caused West Yorkshire police to do almost a century later.
Good
Thanks
I'm just now going to get to see this AFTER I saw and left a comnent at your questionnaire 😁
If Jack could come back today and have a good cell phone and computer would he (or she) get a kick that folks are still going bunkers trying to still find the ID of who killed those poor women?
Did he (or she) just kill women or both men and women but just the news of the day was so focused on the women?🤔
It's not a she I know that for sure
Please do a video on Patricia Cornwalls book
Is it good?
why waste his time on her made up stories she was trying to pass off as fact. making out that Sickert has some kind of surgery on his genitalia when he was a child that left him impotent. yet ignores the fact the hospital that she claims the surgery was done at never did that kind of surgery ever. she also ignores the fact Sickert was far from impotent as his first wife divorced him for amongst other reasons adultery and there is evidence to suggest he had an illegitimate sone with one of his mistresses. she also never addresses the fact that there is some evidence to say that he was residing in France at the time of the murders.
some similarities between this and the axe man in new orleans..he was probably a fan boy
Greay video, but I'm still a bit confused. Why is the letter a fake? It seems to have been sent with knowledge of the prior murders and strangely portentious elements of the upcoming murders. Is it not possible that 'Dear Boss' and 'Saucy Jacky' postcard are genuine and all others false? The timelines seem to support that idea...
There are only 3 or 4 'ripper' letters that have ever been considered real
1. The Dear Boss Letter
2. The Saucy Jack Postcard
3. The From Hell Letter
4. The Openshaw Letter
Out of these, the only one that could be real is the From Hell letter
Didn't one of the letters.come with part of a human kidney. Indicating its real
Yes, Neill that was the Lusk letter, which is covered in another video.
But why stop at number 5 maybe the police had potential suspect at the final murder and Jack decided to quit to avoid any suspicion.
There were at least 2 murders before the canonical 5 that many now believe were the work of JTR.
@@runlarryrun77 Where can i find this information.
@@runlarryrun77 Not to mention another four to six after those canonical five.
Also... People really need to stop claiming a killer would not just stop suddenly or change their M.O. There is evidence of killers doing both
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Had no idea the girl who wrote this was from Bradford. I bet I knew the shop where she would have worked . As a child most of the victorian city was still there. Just hope this malicious hoaxer wasn't an ancestor.!
Have some shady tendencies there, Boo?
9:25
Well, if it isn't Sussy Jack
Saucy Jack
I find it hard to believe that someone can cut out a uterus or any other slippery organ in a pitch black dark in the middle of the night under short time constraints!..Even a skill surgeon in a operating room would find it a task.
The dear boss and second letter are obviously the letters Jack the ripper wrote, he knew too much which makes it obvious the journalist was Jack the ripper
who really knows ?
It's always Baffled me that it's excepted that the papers were behind the letters but Not the murders £$£$ .
@@jamescorlett5272 yeah..what if the murderers of the 'double event' were the journalists who made sure that what was written in the letter of there being a double event, came true...
One hell of mi
Dear boss that trillion dollars was bloody I'm coming back to London to collect all trillion dollars
If the spot on the postcard was really blood, I wonder if it can be dna tested. I assume it is in a museum somewhere?!
Original is lost
Hmmm interesting
Thank you.
@@JackTheRipperTours “yours truly”
Jack the ripper trolling the shit out of the metropolitan police and the my media.
Omg people wanting notoriety
Seeing this boss letter written by hand did they not copy it andpla ein every paper on high Street, ot once,every day fr week ,who knows sombody may of recognised writer,,cases have been resolved doing such,,,but again definitely hoax by scumbag,,,add possessors of evil in them,,I rest,jcvw
The letter isn’t genuine. He killed every one of the victims while they slept. “Gave her no time to squeal.” Doesn’t make sense. He killed women while they slept.
You trying to be sarcastic.
I do not believe a journalist would make up the name Jack.
Maybe The Ripper but why Jack? Usually names given don’t include a first name.
I believe he gave himself that name.
I think the person who wrote the letter was a journalist and I believe the person or persons committing the actual murders were journalist/s or somehow involved with the press. Let’s look at who profited off these crimes! I’m looking at how disgusting and shady our current day propagandists are who masquerade as journalists. Why should I think these deceivers were any different back then?
‘Jack’ might have been associated with Springheeled Jack, a legendary Victorian era bogeyman who was supposedly fond of assaulting women and leaping away into the night evading police, or possibly the old nursery rhyme
“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the candle stick.”
JAmes maybriCK - JACK, it goes lol. in saying that, in mot saying it deffo was him, as there's other suspects who seem to fit the bill pretty well, George Chapman for example, but what really gets me with Maybrick, (putting the diary aside), is the police sketch that was done at the time going off a description from an eyewitness who saw one of the victims (cant remember who it was now) talking to a guy not long before her body was found. That sketch is dead ringer (no pun intended) for his photo.
alternatively, it might not be relating to Maybrick at all, it could relating to springheeled Jack as well. The ripper seemed to like to play games and taunt the police. Who knows? this literally is the greatest who dunnit in history lol
I think Jack was a DEMOCRAT. 😅
Maybe evil hoax letter writer's concerning serious crimes should be charged with aiding and abetting abetting before and after fact,also gross perversion of truth and justice,,no,8t should be made serious criminal offence especially when lives lost concerned,,I rest, jcvw
Letters were fake
Jack the ripper was Charles Allen Lechmere guaranteed. I know for a fact
Charles Allen Lechmere no doubt murdered Polly Nichols but there was no one individual Jack the Ripper. Just like the Boston Strangled 80 years later, people committing crimes by mirroring a killer already on the loose. People in Boston, just like in Whitechapel, were being given the finest details about the murders in the newspapers
you don't know it for a fact he makes for a good suspect for the first murder as he is found with the body minutes after the murder would have been committed but any evidence of him being the murderer is completely circumstantial
Did he tell you that.
He is definitely a person interest in the 1st murder that's all to it.
The rest is just speculation & made up stories to make it feel more plausible.