The Ripper’s mockeries and utter indifference to his destruction 01 human life are evident in his letters, which begin in 1888 and end, as far as we know, in 1896. As I read and reread – more times than I can count – the some 250 Ripper letters that survive at the Public Record Office and the Corporation of London Records Office, I began to form a rather horrifying image of a furious, spiteful, and cunning child who was the master controller of a brilliant and talented adult. Jack the Ripper felt empowered only when he savaged people and tormented the authorities, and he got away with all of it for more than 114 years.
When I first began to go through the Ripper letters, I concurred with what the police and most people believe: Almost all of the letters are hoaxes or the communications of mentally unbalanced people. However, during my intensive research of Sickert and the way he expressed himself – and the way the Ripper expressed himself in so many of his alleged letters – my opinion changed. I now believe that the majority of the letters were written by the murderer. The Ripper’s childish and hateful teases and mocking comments and taunts in his letters include:
“Ha Ha Ha”
“Catch me if you can” “It’s a folly nice lark ” “What a dance I am leading”
“Love, Jack the Ripper”
“Just to give you a little clue”
“I told her I was Jack the Ripper and I took my hat off”
“Hold on tight you cunning lot of coppers”
“good bye for the present From the Ripper and the dodger”
“Won’t it be nice dear old Boss to have the good ole times once again”
“You might remember me if you try and think a little Ha Ha.”
“I take great pleasure in giving you my whereabouts for the benefit of
the Scotland Yard boys”
“The police alias po-lice, think themselves devilish clever” “you donkeys, you double-faced asses”
“Be good enough to send a few of your clever policemen down here” “The police pass me close every day, and I shall pass one going to
post this.” “Ha! Ha!”
“you made a mistake, if you thought I dident see you…” “the good old times once again” “I really wanted to play a little joke on you all but I haven’t got enough
time left to let you play cat and mouse with me.” “Au revoir, Boss.” “a good Joke I played on them” “ta ta”
“Just a line to let you know that I love my work.” “They look so clever and talk about being on the right track” “P.S. You can’t trace me by this writing so its no use” “I think you all are asleep in Scotland Yard” “I am jack the ripper catch me if you can”
“I am now going to make my way to Paris and try my little games” “Oh, it was such a jolly job the last one.” “Kisses”
“I am still at liberty… Ha, ha, ha!” “don’t I laugh”
“I think I have been very good up to now”
“Yours truly, Mathematicus”
“Dear Boss… I was conversing with two or three of your men last
night”
“What fools the police are.” “But they didnt search the one I was in I was looking at the police all
the Time.”
“why I passed a policeman yestaday & he didnd take no notice of me.” “The police now reckon my work a practical joke, well well Jacky’s a
very practical joker ha ha ha” “I am very much amused” “I’m considered a very handsome Gentleman” “You see I am still knocking about. Ha. Ha” “you will have a job to catch me” “No use you’re try in to catch me because it wont do” “You never caught me and you never will Ha Ha”
My father the lawyer used to say that you can tell a lot by what makes a person angry. A review of the 211 Ripper letters in the Public Record Office at Kew reveals that Jack the Ripper was intellectually arrogant. Even when he disguised his writing to look ignorant, illiterate, or crazy, he did not like to hear that he was. He couldn’t resist reminding people he was literate by an occasional letter with perfect spelling, neat or beautiful script, and excellent vocabulary. As the Ripper protested more than once in communications that were increasingly ignored by the police and the press, “I ain’t a maniac as you say I am to dam [sic] clever for you” and “Do you think I am mad? What a mistake you make.”