The News from Whitechapel

“Early yesterday morning a horrible murder was discovered in Buck’s-row, a narrow passage running out of Thames–street, Whitechapel.”—The Daily Telegraph, Saturday, 1 September 1888.
This text is an annotated transcription of the articles that detailed the Jack the Ripper murders as they were reported by The Daily Telegraph, the world’s largest-selling daily newspaper in 1888. Providing explanations where needed, each chapter is devoted to one of the Ripper’s victims through transcripts of The Daily Telegraph coverage of her murder, its investigation and subsequent inquest. Interspersed with the transcripts are footnotes (the contents of these are drawn from Home Office and Metropolitan Police files, past and present Ripper books, other contemporary newspaper reports, and the authors’ research) that serve to correct what the newspapers got wrong, expand on certain points, or explain to the reader things that were common knowledge during this time period. Also included are rare illustrations including a previously unpublished photograph of victim Annie Chapman prior to her death.

Alexander Chisholm, an historian and the author of numerous articles on Jack the Ripper, lives in Scotland.

Christopher-Michael DiGrazia, the editor of Ripper Notes, lives in Bradford, Massachusetts.

Dave Yost has written several articles and essays for the Ripperologist and RipperNotes. He lives in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

Alexander Chisholm , Christopher-Michael DiGrazia and Dave Yost
Foreword by Paul Begg
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 248
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1385-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0714-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     vii
Foreword     1
Preface     5

MARY ANN NICHOLS     7
September 1: “Mysterious Murder in Whitechapel”     8
September 3: First Session of Inquest     14
September 4: Second Session of Inquest     19
September 7: Burial of Mary Ann Nichols     23
September 18: Third Session of Inquest     24
September 24: Fourth and Final Session of Nichols Inquest     27
Commentary     29

ANNIE CHAPMAN     35
September 10: “The Whitechapel Murder—Latest of the Series”     37
September 11: First Session of Inquest     45
September 12: Bloodstains Discovered in Hanbury Street     51
September 13: Second Session of Inquest     52
September 14: Third Session of Inquest     59
September 15: Ted Stanley Speaks; Burial of Annie Chapman     66
September 20: Fourth Session of Inquest     67
September 27: Fifth and Final Session of Chapman Inques     73
Commentary     78

ELIZABETH STRIDE     87
October 1: “Two More Women Murdered in Whitechapel and Aldgate”     88
October 2: First Session of Inquest     95
October 3: Second Session of Inquest     100
October 4: Third Session of Inquest     107
October 5: Arrests and Searches     116
October 6: Fourth Session of Inquest     117
October 8: Letters from Jack the Ripper     126
October 19: A House to House Search     127
October 24: Fifth and Final Session of Stride Inquest     127
October 31: Upkeep Costs for Vigilance Committees     128
Commentary     129

CATHERINE EDDOWES     140
October 1: “Two More Women Murdered in Whitechapel and Aldgate”     141
October 2: Further Investigation Into the Murders     153
October 3: More on Eddowes’ Immediate History     157
October 4: Eddowes Identified; The First Letter from Jack the Ripper     159
October 5: First Session of Inquest     166
October 8: Burial of Catherine Eddowes     174
October 12: Second and Final Session of Eddowes Inquest     175
October 16: Eddowes’ Husband Discovered     185
October 19: A Letter “from Hell”     185
Commentary     188

MARY JANE KELLY     194
November 10: “Another Case of Horrible Mutilation”     195
November 12: Kelly’s History; A Queen’s Pardon     205
November 13: The Kelly Inquest     210
November 15: George Hutchinson and Matthew Packer     221
November 20: Burial of Mary Kelly     223
Commentary     224

Afterword     229
Appendix     231
Sources and Bibliography     233
Index     235

“Most books about Jack the Ripper give the author’s opinion with regards to the suspects; this one gives you the chance to read what the citizens of London read each morning…wonderful footnotes…extensive bibliography and index…interesting…original images from the paper are included…an amazing resource”—Reviewing The Evidence