A Profile of the 'Jack the Ripper' Suspect

by j.a. taylor

The Whitechapel murders took place within a one square-mile area consisting of three police jurisdictions in the east end of London in the Fall of 1888. The serial murders may have started as early as August 1888 if the Martha Tambram murder is to be included with the "canonical five." I do include this earlier murder for reasons I'll discuss, which would bring this murderer's total number of victims to six.

Whitechapel Area, London 1888

The murders took place within a four month timeframe although he did not strike in October. At the time in this area there was an uneasy mix of old Londoners and Irish and Jewish immigrants living in tight squalid conditions. The victims were women who worked the streets in desperation for lodging, food and drink.

I think it should be noted that these were streetwise women aware that a killer of a type unknown at the time was prowling the streets at night. I think this supports the possibility that this was an individual that would not be their idea of a "mad man". This man would not be suspicious to them and was most likely regularly seen at night in the bars and around the lodging houses these women would frequent.

All of the victims of the Whitechapel murders were poor street prostitutes in their 40s with the exception of the last, who was 25. All were known to drink in bars in the area and most if not all were reportedly alcoholics. They would all be considered very high risk victims as prostitutes are often targeted for accessibility and vulnerability. They were all murdered between the hours of 12 AM and 6 AM on or close to the weekend.

I do not believe the women were selected and followed for any lengthy time period. I do not think the victims mattered as much as what "they" represented to this individual. It is more likely to me that the murderer drank in the same bars, walked the same streets, probably nightly, and took opportunities for attack as he found them. These women were in horrible living conditions in the most feared and dangerous place in London at the time. It is unfortunate that they crossed paths with this murder in their effort to survive.

The following is my assessment of the offender characteristics most likely present in this case. This was a white heterosexual male age 20-30 who lived alone and answered to no one regarding his living habits. In at least one of the murders, Martha Tabram, the first victim, he would most likely have been covered in blood as it appears from the autopsy report interpretation he did face her during the attack. This may have prompted him to alter his method of operation or M.O., which is common, as the killer learns during the progression of serial murder. All of his other victims appeared to be lying supine at the time of the attacks with severe neck injuries that would have rendered them unconscious and dead within moments, thus limiting his exposure to blood spurting and spatter.

I also think he stored and possibly cannibalized organs and tissue he took as "trophies" from several of the victims. This would necessitate his need for isolation and privacy. I strongly believe he lived and worked possibly at the same place as a tradesman within the square-mile in which these murders took place. He knew the streets very well. I would assume that he would appear to others, particularly women,  as quiet,  ineffectual and nonthreatening. He most likely used drinking to embolden himself for the minimum amount of interaction he needed to have his victims lead him to their demise or employed his blitz style attack on women he found alone.

The exception to this was the last victim Mary Jane Kelly who interacted with him enough to go through her usual preparations for her trade. Her clothes were found folded by the fire and she had apparently gotten into bed wearing minimal clothing. I think when she initiated the encounter he attacked. This could also be evidence of evolving M.O. where he finally had the time he "needed" with this victim. Her condition when found reflected this only too horrifically.

These murders reveal a killer who desired power and control over his victims. He most likely did not have a lasting relationship with a woman and engaged in prostitution well before the killings began. His disgust with himself, his adolescent curiosity of the female body, and his hunger for domination together resulted in quite a rare type of lust killer.

To be continued....

The Vain Brain-- by Jennifer Taylor

Introduction:
      You are about to read that which comes from a self-educated and self-trained mind that considers all life on earth (including modern humans) through a prism of evolutionary thought, reason and logic. Sort of like philosophy without the boner for human ego. I am also a lifelong student of free thought, which means you are urged to debate, question or utterly dismiss the belief system regarding the human brain I have gleaned from 20+ years of geeky armchair neuroscience. Lastly, I have been drawn to conclude an absolute: we are by the very nature of our working brain hopelessly, horribly biased. Therefore, my sources of information are pro science-based methodology and peer-reviewed literature. Onward to the brain behind the "self" and reality as we do not even close to know it..

     Your three-ish pounds of energy-vampire silken tofu-like control center of a staggeringly complex one hundred billion brain cells is quite probably the most cognitively rich in the history of our planet.It is the only known brain to have the cognitive ability to understand our own eventual mortality, both a gift and a curse. I am always a whore for knowing. Do not confuse this with the natural world's faulty-recipe strive toward an evolutionary pinnacle: hello horseshoe crabs, sharks, cockroaches...we may have guns and steel but after the microbial world, the lowly mosquito is arguably the most historically deadly creature to our species, aside from ourselves, of course. 

     Currently a hot topic amongst the nuerogeeks is how we begin to grasp that what we experience as waking, conscious  individuals is filtered, altered and distorted by the brain behind the curtain. The why is easy: protection from an uncertain and unknown existence. The How? There lies the paradox of trying to understand the brain with the brain. Your brain is the key master of the reality the "self" perceives through its senses. Your very concept of "self" is a brain construct.

The following are some of my notes of research-based generalities common to the vast majority of us: 

-our memory is faulty to a degree that it becomes one of the ego's greatest allies.

-we think our weaknesses are very common while our strengths are unique.     

-we overwhelmingly prefer explanations that cast us in the best light and memory will alter facts to fit our version of events in a matter of days.

-our self-serving bias works well below conscious thought.

That is a small taste of our very vain brain. Chaw on that for a while...

Guest Blogger #3- D.B.

Listless

by D. Bell

I was watching that certain Sunday morning show on CBS a few weeks ago as is my normal weekend routine. The viewing always comes after the requisite production of fresh coffee and homemade pancakes laden with fruit and syrup. They did a story about lists, and how most media and other forums inundate us with aforementioned lists. I hadn’t given it much thought until then, but damn if they are not right. I dare you to peruse any magazine stand that isn’t filled with row after row of publications that offer some sort of life-altering list to help you be a better person or avoid being a chump whether you are at the grocery store, the doctor, or, ahem, in bed - I sleep just fine thank you!

How did we ever manage our lives before these nicely organized up to the minute somewhat scientifically researched tidbits of numbered knowledge? I too am guilty of reading through these whenever I come across them, even frantically at times, in my hurry to glean every morsel offered, because like most people, I want to be in the know, ahead of the game, safe from financial and medical ruin!

In this busy world of ours, it is much easier to have neat, small lists at our disposal that can easily be ingested in under a minute than to spend a leisurely respite from the world and invest some real time in reading a good book or article. But are they really helpful? Do you really retain and use what you learn from them, or is it just a pleasant way to kill time and feel good about it? Has your life actually changed because of a list?

The latest one I just saw from my online email services today was “Clue to Diabetes in Your Eyebrows”. No, I did not make that up, and yes, of course, I read it. Now I have to worry because my leg height to torso ratio is off and my eyebrows are not going gray like the rest of my hair? Oh no no, I am not going back to those WebMD days of hypochondriac self-diagnosis based on broad generic symptoms. That only leads to a bad episode of “The Brady Bunch” like when Peter and Jan were playing doctor, but not in an icky incestuous way.

Who comes up with this stuff? Why do I read them and will continue to do so even after my tirade? Should I make a list of why? I am definitely going to take my life back in a small way and not read the latest list about “How to Cook an Egg” even though I am sure it amazing as the teaser of a graphic is alluring. Apparently I am not alone in my feelings about lists. Someone wrote a book about it. I am sure someone will place it on a list of “List of Books with the Most Important Lists”

Guest Blogger #2 ----J.

On Why We Blog-- by J.
Why is it, this basic human inclination to blog? What has motivated our species since a couple of years ago to record our thoughts publicly, post idiosyncratic remembrances, and smear emotional residue all over the electrified wonderworld known as the internet? Nature? Nurture? Rampant pretension? Schools of thought abound.

Geneticists cite their experiments in Papua, New Guinea, where nude aborigines presented with the opportunity to blog, did so at a 75% rate of the total populace. Many of these little people, after the roasted wombat was consumed, quietly excused themselves from the tribal bonfire, eschewing the ritualistic dances and healing ceremonies that formerly formed the spiritual and social backbone of their culture, to instead slip stealthily back to their huts and discreetly log in. There is increasing evidence that children in particular are more inclined to view the sacred communal honoring of the Gods on YouTube, rather than actually drink the lizard's blood or reenact the day's hunt with a spear and a guy wearing a dingo skin.

Experimentation with other primates produces similar data. Though their efforts remain crude, a significant sample of Rhesus monkeys have blogged when provided with a reward system, similar to CVS‘ Extra Bucks, though evidence is mounting that the male with the most hits gets greater access to females, thereby creating a "natural" incentive. Though at a glance their incoherent ramblings seem the equivalent of electronic paw-prints, they may eventually provide clues relevant for understanding our own species. Even primates raised by wire-mesh mothers have demonstrated at least a curiosity about the medium, though their posts contain few embedded videos or MP3 files.

But what of highly-evolved western man? Why is he neglecting the dishes, the lawn, the checkbook, to instead hunch, type, and click. The tiny beams of light and electrical impulses that run the machine are lost upon him...they are a means to an end, superfluous details in the primordial urge to blog.

In search of answers, I offer myself as an example. I am a single man, and whilst I have numerous friends in the area, I still return home to an empty apartment. Some evenings, after listening to people at work all day, I am disinclined to pick up the phone. I need my space, thus the blog serves as surrogate spouse, family, or gerbil. It listens, it absorbs, it obeys most commands (except for the damn font key; I can never get it to change font. It sucks). Often artists, actors, musicians, and poets, working sickening day jobs, find that time for creativity at day’s end is lacking. A blog post - in essence a colorful poop- provides immediate satisfaction and relief.

Then there is the media and its warped attempts to determine what art is "good" and which artists receive attention. Commerce is the ultimate motive, not objective acknowledgement of talent or originality. To those who swim in the mainstream's most distant tributaries, alienation sets in when they realize that the media isn't there for them. We learn the truth at 17 that Britney will always get more press than Arthur Lee.

Therefore the blog serves as home-made magazine, a place to be editor-in-chief, graphic designer, gossip columnist. Perhaps 10 loyal friends will skim this gazette every couple of weeks, just to cover themselves for when they next see you… Nothing is more offensive than “loved ones” who don’t read your blog.

Like spores these machine 'zines multiply rapidly, the phenomenon spreading to corners previously considered unbloggable. One need merely check out some of the sizzling new Amish sites (I particularly recommend Barely Amish) to get a sense of the pandemic proportions. Who will be the first to blog in space? (and here, am I blogging in my tin can). In Texas? (not until the war is over). In church? (a reading from the blog of Mathew to the Phoenicians).

I know these answers no more than you but believe blogging marks a milestone in human evolution. We no longer need to write or call anyone. Even cell phones collect dust once the computer is turned on. One small step for the mouse, one giant leap for mankind. We have found the missing link.

Guest Blogger #1 ----J.T.

I asked a few friends to 'guest blog' about anything, and I would publish it here to the Quibley Corner, widely read by thousands. I'm brave, I guess, but I do know my friends and family pretty well too. So far, I've gotten 3 responses. A little prodding was necessary. Here, my dearest sister, a sensitive and intelligent woman, rants about censorship. Comments welcome.

Rant of a Gentle Person (who, by the by, has literally never killed a bug with intent). by J.T.

My husband and I have been in hot anticipation for the release date of Grand Theft Auto IV. After a painful delay, we finally got it this past Tuesday (and yes, he brags to his cable co-workers that his wife actually plays and enjoys video games). This is quite an event for us. We've played the previous titles, along with other select games. I do have discriminating taste in this area, as in films and books. When one of the GTA games comes out, we inevitably spend fevered weeks, malnourished, bug-eyed and dishevelled in our own stink, controller firmly in hand. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but we do not make a lot of firm plans for a while, and the first few nights we have easy clean-up dinners. It is, for the money, cheap entertainment ($60 bucks for at least 40+ hours of play) and a way that we bond over a common interest, which makes for a healthy marriage. Plus we live in Maine, for the love of Nancy.

I'm writing this for those who do not know anything about these games, the last concept of video games they have being Frogger trying not to get squished on the freeway. GTA is a detailed, immersive world that you play through a character's eyes, who starts out, in this case, stepping off the boat fresh from Eastern Europe with a promise of a better life from his low-life, lying, self-aggrandizing cousin. You then guide your character through a storyline that is constructed like a movie, with missions, or parts of the story that you complete and hopefully rise up until your character is top dog of the underworld.

There is a lot more to it, but that's the gist, and suffice to say, it is not at all mindless killing and mayhem. You have to have patience, restraint, even mercy, and use strategy and problem-solving skills. Now there is another side to the game as well. You can "free play" where you just roam around a huge city and cause all kinds of trouble, if you choose. And oh, yes, we choose. For me, personally, it is a stress-release, after working with children with special needs all day. I do crash cars, run over people, rob the innocent, use a sniper rifle to pop pedestrians, take out police helicopters with rocket launchers, visit hookers and strip clubs, etc...debauchery, baby.

But guess what? I don't do those things in real life, and neither do an overwhelming majority of people, including teenagers. There is no direct link from games like these to violence of any kind. Kids who listen to death rock, watch horror porn and play these games and then go shoot up their school have deep-seated psychological problems. They do not play a game and suddenly feel this rage. They are abused, bullied, ignored, and poorly nurtured.

Here is crux of the issue, though. I am an adult and it is a mature game, supposedly sold to no child under the age of seventeen. It says that right on the box. It says, literally, on the back of the game: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol. No surprises there. So if your fourth grader is playing this game, where are you? I should not be penalized, as an adult, because parents have no clue what their child is seeing or playing. It is escapism for me and many others, nothing less. I just read that M.A.D.D. is calling for the producers of this game to pull it off the shelves because the character drinks and then drives. That is censorship, plain and simple. It is ridiculous to think that people of age to play this game will get up off the couch to try drunk driving in real life because of a game.

I am entitled to view, play, listen to, or read anything that does not harm others. I love this game. It is fantasy, it is hurting no one, and it pisses me off when ANYONE tries to dictate my freedom to choose what I want or reject what I find distasteful. Reject, if it is not your cup of tea, and don't play, but please shut up so I can enjoy myself in the privacy of my own home.