Author: Neil K. MacMillan
Friday, 16 February 2001 - 05:55 pm |        |
I'm writing a novel about Jack the Ripper. The approach I'm using is that he spent considerable time in the United States. From the American Civil War to 1887 or early 1888 and that he commited several murders while in the U.S. Does this sound plausible to you guys?
I'd be interstested if there is competent speculation along those lines. And any ideas you might have. Thanks awfully, Kindest reguards, Neil |
Author: Triston Marc Bunker
Friday, 16 February 2001 - 06:25 pm | |
Okay, okay.
Neil, for the last couple of days I formulated an idea that could be novilized in book form. The plot does use an American connection and sounds very plausible. Now all I say is "go and find what my idea is here on these message boards". May the best man win, pistols at dawn, yadda, yadda, yadda.
I wont volunteer what my information is to you for obvious reasons, but all I can say is look for Liverpool co-incidences and links towards English and American suspects. If we both come to the same conclusion then let us compare notes.
Tris. |
Author: Neil K. MacMillan
Saturday, 17 February 2001 - 08:50 pm | |
| Tris: I understand perfectly. Being new at this can you point me in a general direction? Obviously I'm not going to go into details but I'd like to see your views without you compromising your efforts Kindest reguards, Neil |
Author: Christopher T George
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 09:52 am | |
Hi Neil:
What Tris is probably hinting at is that at least three suspects had connections to Liverpool and the United States. They were James Maybrick, James Kelly, and Francis Tumblety. The point though is that Maybrick may turn out to be a bogus suspect since the Diary is undoubtedly a fake, and that no murders in the United States prior to the Whitechapel crimes have been linked to these suspects. One poster on these boards made a case for a possible link between murders in Austin, Texas, in 1884 and Tumblety who had a habit of cropping up in different parts of the United States. There is no great similarity between those murders and the Ripper murders, however, and that link to Tumblety is speculative. This is not to say, though, that you cannot in your novel conjure up some Ripper murders Stateside that would precede your character's murderous spree in the East End. Good luck to you in your endeavor.
Best regards
Chris George |
Author: Triston Marc Bunker
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 11:21 am | |
Neil and Chris,
Firstly Chris, you are perfectly right to put forward James Kellys' name. This lunatic escapee doesn't quite fit in with my own theory, but could do if I followed some line of research.
I suggest that Tumblety had commited a murder or two in America. Maybrick doesn't come into the equation until the pair meet either in America or on a ship back into England. I can also put forward an idea about the "was Mary Jane Kelly really murdered ?" theory by saying that having an Irish connection (ie-with the Fenians)Tumblety faked her death to escape her Parisian brothel perseurs. But that does raise the question : why would a woman hater help whore despite the thread bear connection ?
As I suggested else where, and it has been called nonsense by R J Palmer without him saying why, Tumblety could have had a hold over Maybrick with an illegal supply of arsenic.
All of this will be tied into my novel for the pure purpose of the novel. If anyone can debunk all of my theories I invite them too. It would be nice to know why it wouldn't work.
In real theory terms I'm on the fence with the pair of them. They could only have done the murders if they had worked together.
But as a teaser Alaister Crowley once said that he was related to someone who knew the identity of the Ripper. Now go check the right paper work to see that Tumblety was arrested for indecency alongside with a man who went by the surname Crowley. I found this out when I saw that channel 4 documentary on video and paused it when they showed it. For Alaister Crowleys' own claims, I did find that in the "Biblical" A-Z by Begg, Fido and Skinner.
Tris
(sorry for any spelling mistakes, I found I couldn't make a connection with the spell checker) |
Author: Rosemary O'Ryan
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 01:26 pm | |
Dear Tris,
"Why would a "woman-hater" help a "whore" despite a thread-bare connection"? ? ? !
Love :-)
Rosemary |
Author: Triston Marc Bunker
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 02:02 pm | |
Dear Rosemary,
good question, that's why I posed it. If it sounds implausible (which I admit the moment I typed it) then why ? If there's another subliminal explaination to why it shouldn't then someone come forward and say so. If it still stands that Tumblety had "woman hater" written through him like a stick of rock then I'll omitt it from the novel. Perhaps he had some heart in his disease ridden mind to care.
All I ask is for people to argue for and against the case with their own theory of his mental awareness of women.
Tris. |
Author: Rosemary O'Ryan
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 04:43 pm | |
Dear Tris,
What ever gave you the impression he was a "woman-hater" in the first instance? Did he do something wrong ?
Love,
Rosemary. |
Author: Triston Marc Bunker
Sunday, 18 February 2001 - 05:03 pm | |
Dear Rosemary,
Lol, quid pro quo.
Loads of love back
Tris. |
Author: Neil K. MacMillan
Wednesday, 21 February 2001 - 03:49 pm | |
| Tris: I'm still investigating suspects but I'm going on the premise that JTR spent some time in the U.S. as a doctor during and after the Civil War and started his murederous spree in the U.S. returning to his native England when things got too hot for him on American soil. I'm planning on using Chicago in the beginning of the novel. Thanks for all the insight! I'm learning a lot from all of you and it is appreciated. Kindest reguards, Neil |
Author: Martin Fido
Wednesday, 21 February 2001 - 04:23 pm | |
Neil - There were genuine suggestions in the press that murders in Texarkana, Nicaragua and (I think) Jamaica suggested that the Ripper might have crossed the Atlantic after his exploits in Whitechapel. And Jean Dorsenne's 'Jack L'Eventreur' (recently translated by Molly Whittington-Egan) has some splendid fictional adventures of 'Inspector G.W.H.' (much given to saying unEnglish things like, 'Donnex-moi vos papiers!') in pursuit of the Ripper inb Texas.
Martin Fido |
Author: Neil K. MacMillan
Monday, 26 February 2001 - 03:02 pm | |
I was thinking along the lines of some one with a degenerative mental disease but I don't know if someone in that stage (Radically violent) would be able to pull off killing five some odd victims without getting caught. I'm pursuing the idea he was a British national who spent , as I stated, considerable time in America before the JtR killings.
Also, I'm not convinced he only did five. I suspect Martha Tabram was a JtR victim. What would the outside number be for victims? I know the canonical five but I think there would be some strong contenders that might put the total closer to 10 or 15. Kindest reguards, Neil PS, I'll have to read further on James Kelly and Francis Tumblety. I have read Maybrick's diary and I don't believe he was JtR. |
Author: Damien S.
Thursday, 18 October 2001 - 03:54 pm | |
Neil,
What a relief! I was getting a little tired of the only JtR books I could find were case books or true crime, etc. It's good to see someone actually writing a novel in story form (at least that's what I assumed it was..correct me if I'm wrong). I, too, decided to write a book about the Ripper, only mine will be based on the Lodger. I may name him, make the Lodger to turn out to be one of the named suspects, but I'm not sure yet. Who knows when I'll even start it? I have a book I've been writing since 8th grade (in 11th now)like Robert Cormier's books (The Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese, etc.) I've also started two vampire books, and I plan on writing a murder mystery. Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck with it, and, if you don't mind, will you send me what you have? I won't plagerize or anything, I just want to read it. My e-mail address is under my profile. Thankyou.
-Damien |
Author: Neil K. MacMillan
Wednesday, 24 October 2001 - 10:39 am | |
| Damien: It is going to be a novel but I'm taking a rather different approach then "The Lodger." I'm more or less, making a composite suspect. I too started writing in the eighth grade and, no I won't tell you how long ago that was. Suffice to say that Nixon was president. Read extensively and don't be afraid to edit! Good Luck and Good Hunting, Neil |
