In Cat & Cat, one of Chris Telamon's initial blogs addresses theories and conjecture surrounding the crimes and identity of the now legendary Jack the Ripper. Why this case still fascinates us one-hundred-and-twenty-odd years later is in itself a curiosity. Most Ripperologists can only agree on five confirmed victims for Saucy Jack, the so-called "Canonical Five": Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. If you add Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram to the tally, the list only grows to seven. Compared to other notorious killers of his era - Billy the Kid (19-21 victims), Joseph Vacher (11-27 victims), H.H. Holmes (27 confessed), Maria Swanenburg (90+ suspected) - Jack certainly didn't rack up that many kills. So why has the career of Jack The Ripper defined serial killing since 1888?
Much like today, Jack's notoriety can mostly be attributed to the media of his day. London newspapers competed ferociously for the public's disposable income, and reporters followed the age-old journalistic axiom, "if it bleeds it leads." Recently, British writer and former detective Trevor Marriott published a book positing the theory that Jack the Ripper was actually the media-hype creation of bottom-feeding reporter, Thomas Bulling, and never really existed at all. ( http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Ripper-21st-Century-Investigation-ebook/dp/B0056IV1EU ). I'm not saying Marriott nailed it, but like every new Ripper "solution" his research makes for a fascinating read.
So we go back to my original question. Why Saucy Jack? What about his life and career still inspires theory after theory, book after book 125 years later? Is it merely that the Ripper murders remain unsolved? I can only answer these questions for myself. Personally, I'm addicted to unsolved mysteries, and I read every new Ripper study for the same reason I devour new books investigating missing persons, UFOs, Bigfoot, conspiracy theories, religious & military history or particle physics. I simply want to know what happened. I meet a lot of people with similar attitudes in my daily life. As humans, I think we're hardwired to seek answers. For some of us, these answers relate to our jobs or home life. Others, however, such as myself would rather delve into mysteries outside ourselves. Call it escapist if you must.
As for "Who Was Jack The Ripper," I'm confident we'll never know. Certainty about Saucy Jack's identity seems as unattainable to me as certainty regarding the deity or life on other planets or the existence of ghosts. I love this about Jack, and it's why I keep reading everything I can on the case. I'm one of those people who hopes the journey never ends.
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