This newspaper feature illustrates some of the last known events in the lives of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, as well as the investigation into their murders; it also illustrates the police investigation into another murder that took place around Whitehall.
An illustration from 'The Illustrated Police News' that satirizes the investigation efforts of the police (harassing the homeless in the East End of London) with the investigations of an East End militia, the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee (trailing a suspect assumed to be Jack the Ripper).
A newspaper article clipping from "The Eastern Evening News" reporting the murder of the first, official Jack the Ripper victim, Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols.
A political cartoon in the British satirical magazine "Punch" that depicts a blindfolded policeman cluelessly surrounded by criminals in London's East End. A caption reads "Blind Mans' Buff. (As played by the Police.) 'Turn round three times, and catch whom you may!'" The cartoon also includes a poem reading "Lurking crime
Haunts from of old these dens of darksome slime.
There, where well-armed authority fears to tread,
Murder and outrage rear audacious head,
Unscanned, untracked."
This article clipping from "The (London) Times", a conservative newspaper, reports on the "double murder" of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes in a much more serious tone than satirical newspapers of the time. It details evidence found at the scenes of both crimes, as well as some speculation into the killer's intent and the lives of the victims. The police are credited for narrowly missing the murderer the night before, yet are also accused of failing to follow vital clues in the case that would allow them to catch the Ripper.
This article clipping from "The Observer", a liberal London newspaper, reports the murder of the second of the five canonical Ripper victims, Annie Chapman. It shares many details of the crime scene, the timeline of the murder and subsequent investigation, and interviews with some who knew Chapman.
The front page of a weekly London magazine, "Puck", showcasing a cartoon of a man struggling to identify the culprit of the 1888 Whitechapel murders attributed to Jack the Ripper.
The front page of one of the earliest British tabloids, reporting on the lack of evidence available in the Jack the Ripper case after a few weeks of investigation.
The front page of one of the earliest British tabloids, "The Illustrated Police News", reporting on the killing of Mary Kelly and possible suspects in the case.
An article clipping from "The Essex County Standard", a conservative Tory newspaper, which hints that the resignation of London Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) Chief Commissioner Warren in November 1888 could have been related to the unsolved case of Whitechapel murders attributed to Jack the Ripper.
This clipping from "The (London) Times", a conservative newspaper, reports on developments in the investigation of Catherine Eddowes' murder. It mentions specifically new evidence collected by the London Metropolitan Police from witnesses and the coroner's report that will be presented at inquest.
The front page of one of the earliest British tabloids, "The Illustrated Police News", reporting on Scotland Yard's lack of progress in solving the Whitechapel murders case.
An illustration from the satirical magazine "Punch" that connects the crime of London's slums to neglect and makes vague references to the Jack the Ripper murders in the East End's Whitechapel district. It also has a caption reading, "There floats a phantom on the slum’s foul air
Shaping, to eyes which have the gift of seeing,
Into the spectre of that loathly lair.
Face it – for vain is fleeing.
Red-handed, ruthless, furtive, un-erect,
'Tis murderous crime, the nemesis of neglect."
This article clipping from "The Pall Mall Gazette", a radical British newspaper, describes the life, murder, and investigation of Mary Jane Kelly (the "last victim" of the Ripper's "canonical five"). The article both reports the horrific details of her crime scene and attempts to illustrate the harsh quality of life experienced by Kelly and others around her in the Whitechapel district of London. It ends with some consideration of possible trends in the murderer's behavior, as determined by comparisons between Kelly's killing and the other murders previously attributed to the Ripper.
This article clipping from "The Standard" reports the events of the inquest into Ripper victim Mary Jane Kelly's murder in November 1888. It recounts updates on the London Metropolitan Police's progress in the case, as well as testimony from the coroner and witnesses (many of whom were neighbors of Kelly's at Miller's Court). Testimony from Ripper suspect Joseph Barnett was included in this inquest as well, helping to bring about a final verdict that the body at Miller's Court did in fact belong to Kelly.
This article clipping from "The Reading Observer" details the inquest into the murder and crime scene of Mary Jane Kelly, which presented evidence for Joseph Barnett's suspected involvement in the murder. The article also presents evidence from other witnesses in the inquest, many of whom were acquaintances of the victim. Barnett lived with Kelly until shortly before her death and has been considered a suspect or person of interest in the case since November 1888.
The front page of one of the earliest British tabloids' illustrating the "fifth and six" Whitechapel murders (those of Stride and Eddowes), as well as police investigation of the crime scene.
