Jack The Ripper ( III )

Horror, Media and Culture:

The Ripper killings were neither obscure nor ignored at that time. There was gossip and fear in the streets, questions at high levels of government, offers of rewards and resignations when nobody was caught. Political reformers used the Ripper in arguments and policemen struggled with the limited techniques of the time. Indeed, the Ripper case remained high profile enough for many of the police involved to write private accounts years later. However it was the media who made "Jack the Ripper". By 1888 literacy was common amongst the crowded citizens of London and newspapers reacted to the Whitechapel Murderer, whom they initially christened "Leather Apron", with the frenzy we expect from modern tabloids, stirring opinions, fact and theory -along with the probably hoaxed Ripper letters - together to create a legend which seeped into popular culture. From the very start, Jack doubled as a figure from the horror genre, a bogeyman to scare your kids.

Will the Mystery be Solved?


It's extremely unlikely anyone will be able to use the existing evidence to prove, beyond all the reasonable doubt,    who Jack the Ripper was and, while the people are still uncovering material, the discovery of something unarguable has to be regarded as a long-shot. Fortunately, the mystery is so fascinating because you can do your own reading, draw your own conclusions and, with some critical thinking, generally have as much chance of being right as everyone else!


Note: All articles source about Jack the Ripper is: Robert Wilde