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** This is an archived, static copy of the Casebook messages boards dating from 1998 to 2003. These threads cannot be replied to here. If you want to participate in our current forums please go to https://forum.casebook.org **
Bell, G. Wentworth
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Suspects: Specific Suspects:
Later Suspects [ 1910 - Present ]:
Bell, G. Wentworth
Author: RLeen
Saturday, 12 June 1999 - 10:54 am |        | Hello All,
Does anyone have any information on one G. Wentworth Bell whose behaviour and attributes seems to curiously echo those of Francis Tumblety.
For one thing, he was a native of North America, had an almost pathological hatred of woman which resulted in him composing, and displaying, all manner of misogynst texts. He was also thought odd by his landlords, and like so many lodgers of the time, was seen with blood stained cuffs after every atrocity. And finally, after one murder he stated that he was leaving England to go to Canada but was seen in London after this promise was uttered...and before Mary Kelly was killed.
Now I will admit that there is an element akin to fiction impinged upon in the full story. A doctor by the name of Forbes Winslow seemed to consider him the prime suspect and related his tale to an American newspaper. Unfortunately, perhaps something got lost in the translation, the gist of the story seems to change whenever one looks at differing works....including Winslow's autobiography.
Does anyone think that Wentworth Bell would make a good candidate as the Ripper?
Thanking you for your consideration
Rabbi Leen |
Author: D. Radka
Saturday, 12 June 1999 - 09:48 pm | | Rabbi Leen,
You can tell the writers of the "A To Z" don't consider GWBS a serious suspect by the way they write the entry about him. I am certain Begg wrote that entry--I've learned to discern when he has his tongue implanted in his cheek, and when he doesn't. Begg is a logical man, and his eyebrow rises when he encounters religious materials being passed off as fact. You know where Begg is telling you it's at when you read how GWBS was discovered to have produced "...xx pages of religous outpourings on foolscap..."
This is surely not to call Begg an athiest, but to say that in order to learn the case, you have got to learn Begg.
David |
Author: peter martin
Thursday, 18 January 2001 - 02:07 pm | | This is all I found
"A woman in the East End on Sunday at 2 am told Mr Callaghan that she saw a man on 30th. inst, who accosted her in Worship Street Bishopsgate She noticed him particularly as she remembered him as being the man she saw washing himself in a yard at the back of her house about 4 am on the morning of one of the Whitechapel murders. He was in his shirtsleeves, his coat being thrown onto a wooden fence. She drew the neighbours attention, and the neighbours watched him into Sun Street. Finsbury, where he arrived about 4 30am. He raised his hat to the man when he left him evidently knowing that he had been followed. At the meeting on Sunday last, the man asked her to have a drink but this was refused. She knows the man perfectly well and could identify him. The description in every way coincides with the man who lodged with Mr Callaghan. She says he has a small black bag with him. At the time mentioned before when he was seen washing hands on the morning of the murder he asked the woman where the Court went to. She often had noticed the man as a foreign looking man prowling about the neighbourhood."
Report by Chief Inspector Swanson dated 23 September 1889, regarding Dr. Forbes Winslow's suspect, G. Wentworth Bell-Smith.
Thanks to Wolf for finding this for me.
This seems similar to a man followed from the Price Albert pub in Brushfield st by Joseph Tayor to Halfmoon st (could have been going towards Finsbury) who's right hand and neck were bloodstained and whose shirt was torn. He looked frightened and nervous and walked with a peculiar springy stride.
Pete |
Author: The Viper
Thursday, 18 January 2001 - 03:21 pm | | The comments of Dr. Forbes Winslow to a reporter, including a reference to Worship Street, can be found in the Eastern Poste of 21st September 1889.
http://www.casebook.org/press_reports/eastern_post/easternpost890921.html
Regards, V. |
Author: peter martin
Thursday, 18 January 2001 - 07:49 pm | | I am (as you might have guessed from my questions elsewhere on these noticeboards) attempting to work an angle of the crimes on this man if possible ie: The bloody sink in, maybe, Dorset street could show the suspect was heading in the Finsbury area after the crime. The apron piece too could suggest he was going up towards Brushfield st to head that way. His height doesn't quite fit the bill but I've been refered to as 5'7" and I'm over 5'9" and that was by a policeman as I merrily skipped across Tower bridge (though I could have been weighed down by alcohol) Not getting an entirely good look at the suspects on many occassions could account for not noticing a close cut beard on a dark complexion and I think he was fair haired.
But he seems not to be too high up the ranking in the list of suspects. Is there a particular reason. Does everyone know something that puts him right out of the picture and I'm just making a fool of myself(again).
Pete |
Author: Martin Fido
Tuesday, 15 May 2001 - 07:34 am | | I believe Wentworth Bell and Forbes Winslow's fantasies are among the Ripper-related fictions expertly exposed in Melvin Harris's 'The Bloody Truth'. I imagine they are also fully covered in Molly Whittington-Egan's book on Winslow, which I regretfully haven't yet obtained myself.
With all good wishes,
Martin F |
Author: chris scott
Wednesday, 04 December 2002 - 06:23 pm | | G. WENTWORTH BELL SMITH
Re Census listings
I have been searching for any info on G.Wentworth Bell Smith
Before anyone gets too excited I havent found him BUT whilst trying out various combinations (Smith, Bell, Bell-Smith etc) I happened to try Bellsmith as a single surname for the Canadian census of 1881. As GWBS worked for the Toronto Trust (or Truss!) Society it seemed logical to look in the Canadian census and as Toronto is the capital of Ontario province I was hoping for some records from that area.
Well all 11 people of the name of Bellsmith resided in Ontario Province - 2 families one living in a place called Simcoe North and one in Wentworth! One of them even had the forename Wentworth - no, its not him - this one was only 2 at the time.!
Of these 11, 10 were born in England so GWBS may have been a first generation expat or even British by birth
Interestingly, the British census for 1881 does not have one person under the name Bellsmith so it looks as though the whole family emigrated - would be interesting to know when and why
Hope this is of some interest and if I find GWBS I will of course let you know!! |
Author: David Knott
Thursday, 05 December 2002 - 02:44 pm | | Chris,
Good luck with your search. GWBS used to be my favourite suspect, not least of all because the only definite clue ever left by JtR was at the junction of 'G'oulston Street, 'Wentworth' Street and 'Bell' Lane.
Don't know if you get Ripperologist, but the April 2002 issue had a copy of an advertisement for the 'City of London Truss Society', whose offices were in Finsbury Square and presumably connected to the 'Toronto Truss Society'.
Although Melvin Harris has shown that Forbes Winslow altered a date on a letter to support his case I don't think that this means that GWBS should be discounted as a suspect.
David |
Author: chris scott
Saturday, 21 December 2002 - 03:14 pm | | Hi all
I have carried on with some lines of enquiry about GWBS and have come on one thing that may be of interest!
It all revolves around the name of the company he was representing. If it was Toronto Trust Society then presumably it was some kind of finance/investment company.
However, most sources I have looked at incline to think the company was the Toronto Truss Society. Now as far as I am aware the word truss has two main meanings:
-a truss as in the building trade i.e. a wooden frame that forms part of the supposrt of a building
- a truss in the medical sense i.e. a surgical support especially those use to treat abdominal hernias.
If the company for which GWBS worked was involved in the surgical sense of the word, then one entry I found for Finsbury Square in the 1881 census may be of interest.
Details:
49 Finsbury Square
Household:
Head: Jane T Nocker aged 45
Born Bristol
Surgical Belt maker and housekeeper of offices
Whilst searching the records for Finsbury Square, I came across a fairly senior police officer with the City Police whose details may be of interest:
19 Finsbury Square
Henry S Bowman aged 65
Major 1/2 pay
Chief Supt City Police
Hope these details are of use
Chris S |
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