Who was Jack the Ripper?

Who was Jack the Ripper?

The world has had, has, and will have more than enough serial killers. We may never hear about many of them, but some names might be quite familiar to us. Then there are legends like Ted Bundy, Zodiac, or Jeffrey Dahmer.

These people have entered history with their brutality, but they are still relatively unknown, especially to those who are not interested in this subject matter.

However, everyone knows Jack the Ripper. A large part of his legend is fueled by the fact that he was never caught. There were more than enough suspects.

Killer of Prostitutes

Jack the Ripper operated in the London district of Whitechapel in 1888, where murders were a daily occurrence and surprised no one. However, the Ripper's murders were so brutal that they even drew the attention of Scotland Yard's highest offices.

Jack worked primarily at night, when he could easily hide in the darkness. It wasn't complicated, as the street lighting at the time was not very effective.

Jack mutilated his victims' faces, cut off their breasts, and removed their internal organs. It's no wonder that all of London was soaked in fear. No one knew when and who Jack would attack next.

Then his rampage suddenly stopped. Rumors circulated that Jack had moved or even died. Either way, the police never managed to find the man who, in 1888, massacred prostitutes in the most horrific way possible.

London's law enforcement had a few suspects, but they were never able to prove anything. Among all the possible candidates, there are three serious contenders who could have been Jack the Ripper.

Montague John Druitt

One of the main candidates for being Jack the Ripper was Montague John Druitt. He partly made a living as a lawyer and partly as a teacher, but he also had basic knowledge of human anatomy. He was the son of a surgeon.

The police never found any direct evidence against Druitt, only a few clues. However, these were not completely insignificant. Druitt was mentally disturbed and was found dead in the Thames shortly after Jack stopped killing.

Francis Tumblety

Francis Tumblety was also among the narrower circle of suspects, but not enough evidence was found against him either. Tumblety was from the USA and was a doctor and medicine manufacturer. During the period of the murders, he was in London.

Suspicion fell on him when he was arrested for sexual harassment. Because he paid bail and then fled back to his homeland, he could no longer be investigated. He was, however, knowledgeable about the human body and provably hated prostitutes. An ideal combination of traits for Jack the Ripper.

Aaron Kosminski

Aaron Kosminski was a tailor originally from Poland. According to police investigator Melville Macnathagnem, Kosminski displayed all the signs of a killer and had a very bad temper. He was also mentally unstable.

However, just like in the previous two cases, the police found no direct or indirect evidence here either, other than a few not-so-credible testimonies.

Legend from the Stories

Jack the Ripper was a legend in his lifetime and remains a legend today. Much of this, of course, is due to the fact that he was never caught. It is quite possible that one of the suspects named in this article was actually the killer.

On the other hand, Jack the Ripper could have been someone else entirely. We will most likely never find out.

What we do know is that his great adversary was the legendary Sherlock Holmes... at least in the stories.