Posted on 11/03/2011 9:45:21 PM PDT by ReformationFan
It’s one of the most notorious unsolved mysteries in history: who was Jack the Ripper, the Victorian serial killer who surgically disemboweled five prostitutes in the fall of 1888?
According to claims that are currently getting a great deal of media attention in Britain, he may be none other than prominent surgeon Sir John Williams – who, in addition to serving as Queen Victoria’s surgeon in London, was also a well-known abortionist.
In a new book, Sir John’s great-great-great-great nephew, Tony Williams, presents evidence for Sir John’s guilt, including his discovery of a six-inch surgical knife among his ancestor’s possessions that he believes was the murder weapon.
The knife was found along with three glass slides that, according to tests performed on them, contain smears of a uterus.
“The person who carried out the killings had significant medical knowledge and Sir John was an accomplished surgeon,” said Williams, pointing out that he “routinely performed abortions on women.”
There is also evidence that Sir John – who was known as “Uncle Jack” by his relatives - was acquainted with at least one of the prostitutes: he may have performed an abortion on one of them, Mary Ann Nicholls, three years prior to the murders.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...
If the women died from complications from an abortion, an autopsy might discover the cause and point police to looking for an abortionist doctor -- unless the body was so mutilated that no such autopsy finding could be done.
I'm not saying I believe the story, but it seems as plausible as many explanations I've heard.
“Still not sure how Cornwell has the gall to dodge the fact that Sickert appears to have been in France during the murders.”
That and the fact that if the Ripper wrote all those letters to the police as alleged by Cornwall he wouldn’t have enough time to be out a-rippin’!
(there were over 600 letters know today, from all sorts of postal places; London, France, Sweden, Germany, USA...)
“...my ancestors lived in that area during the time of his reign of terror”
any stories passed down in your family?
Same here. The Kosminski suspect was even in the workhouse during the same year as one of my ancestors from the area. Her husband, my great X? grandfather ran a lodging house in the East end.
Note: this topic is from 11/03/2011. Thanks ReformationFan. A re-ping. Stumbled over this while looking for something else, reacquainting myself with the vast GGG archives, and had forgotten about this fascinating article. Saw another piece about how Scotland Yard fights to keep the Ripper files secret to protect the identities -- get this -- of the informants, who were active 130 years ago.
Saw another piece about how Scotland Yard fights to keep the Ripper files secret to protect the identities — get this — of the informants, who were active 130 years ago.
Government logic amazes me sometimes.
Veddy intedesting...
One of the many Jack the Ripper movies/tv series touched on a doctor possibly being involved in the murders. I wish I could remember which one it was. I clearly recall the police searching the doctor’s work rooms, and finding a preserved uterus among the collection. The doctor’s “morgue” I believe, was part of the hospital he worked at. I don’t recall the doctor’s name, or if the true name was mentioned in the film/program. I tried searching some of the more recent Ripper programs, but couldn’t come up with anything specific. For some reason, the 1988 Ripper mini-series with Michael Caine first came to my mind, but I couldn’t find a character named Sir John Williams portrayed in the series.
LE agencies don’t like to release files of the investigations they bungle.
Just to be dramatic (as a drama queen is), an alleged expert from the Yard testified from behind a curtain so he couldn’t be IDed by anyone present; said descendants of those put away (for the Ripper crimes? none were!) could hold a grudge and hunt down descendants of informants. That’s obviously stupid.
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