Tony Harris - Jack the Ripper

October's meeting saw the return of the popular and entertaining speaker Tony Harris - this time in the guise of Sherlock Holmes, applying his detective skills to the gruesome case of Jack the Ripper.

It is 1888, and Whitechapel is being terrorised by a vicious killer targeting prostitutes. "Sherlock" set the scene for us, describing difficult economic times in the docks and streets of East London. While the docks were a major employer for men, prostitution was a common way for women to support themselves and their families. The police were unaccustomed to investigating violent, sex crimes by strangers, with many murders up to that point being the result of domestic issues. The use of forensic evidence could not even be described as being in its infancy - no fingerprints, no DNA.

There were five accepted Ripper murders, sharing the same, though escalating, modus operandi, but "Sherlock" identified two earlier murders that could have been the killer experimenting with his weapon of choice - a serrated knife. He explained how the police's deduction that Jack was left-handed, from the neck wounds he inflicted, was flawed, and demonstrated exactly why on our esteemed Chairman! We heard about the police's efforts to capture Jack (including dressing six foot tall policemen as women), and the opportunities they missed (for example, erasing the first example they had of Jack's handwriting).

The biggest breakthrough in the case was the delivery of the infamous "Dear Boss" letter (and a kidney) to George Lusk, who had been a prominent figure in the public response to the murders. It was initially thought to have been written in blood, although much later confirmed as red ink. Finally they had some real evidence. But to no avail. The police made 37 arrests during their manhunt, including Dr Thomas Bernardo (who worked in the area), a famous artist, a cricketer, a backstreet abortionist, and a local milliner. They did not, however, arrest Queen Victoria's surgeon - Dr William Gull - despite him being a suspect. Nor did they interview him, as the monarch forbade it.

"Sherlock" put forward the theory that Gull was in the area as a guardian for the Queen's favourite grandson - Prince Edward Victor, Duke of Clarence - while he carried out the vicious attacks. Edward had contracted syphilis from prostitutes in India while deployed with the army, and the associated madness may have led to a hatred of women and escalating murderous urges. Cashews, a luxury good and great favourite of the Prince, were found clutched in the hand of the third victim - Elizabeth Stride. The description of a person asking for directions to Lusk's house on the day the "Dear Boss" letter was delivered matched the Prince, with his distinct, long neck. Edward was permanently committed to an asylum just two days after the fifth, final, and most horrendous murder and mutilation of Mary Kelly. After his death, Queen Victoria had all his possessions burned, including any examples of his handwriting... most interesting, dear Watson.