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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 **
Dear Boss and Tom Bulling
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Letters: General Discussion:
Dear Boss and Tom Bulling
Author: Stewart P Evans
Sunday, 04 July 1999 - 04:47 am |        | I see that Christopher George has come to the momentous decision, under the 'Matthew Packer' discussion, that the 'Dear Boss' letter was not written by Tom Bulling of the Central News Agency.
Now the mere fact that Bulling may not have actually written it, of course, still does not mean that the letter was not the work of the Central News Agency. (Anyone could have written for Bulling at his direction.)
However, I would disagree with Mr George as I think that there are distinct similarities in the structure of the writing to be found in these letters. I am no expert on this subject but I have appended hereto samples of both so that readers may make their own comparison. Obvously the 'Dear Boss' letter woul have been written with some amount of disguise, or very carefully in a neat hand to disguise the writer's normal flowing hand.
Stewart |
Author: Christopher George
Sunday, 04 July 1999 - 09:01 am | | Hi, Stewart:
What you are showing in the two pictures is, on the left, a transcription by Bulling of the October 5, 1888 Dear Boss letter, and on the right, the Dear Boss letter written September 25 and received by the Central News Agency on September 27. Well, naturally, Bulling is going to follow the format of the Dear Boss letter if he is giving us a faithful copy, is he not? I also do not think that Bulling's handwriting is a natural match for the real Dear Boss writer. Although obviously I am no handwriting expert, and such an expert may think differently.
However, of course, you are absolutely right, that if it was not Bulling at the Central News Agency who wrote Dear Boss, it could have been another reporter there, or even the "Boss" himself, having a little chuckle up his sleeve, i.e., Moore, mentioned in A to Z as another possible suspect as the hoaxer who wrote the letters. To give credence to the possibility of CNA's culpability in the production of the infamous letters, in fact, I am writing an article for an upcoming issue of "Ripperologist" in which I discuss a model under which the Dear Boss letters could have been written by a reporter at the Central News Agency. So I ain't totally a naysayer, Stew.
Chris George |
Author: Stewart P Evans
Sunday, 04 July 1999 - 10:38 am | | Mr. George, you are just an old romantic who wants the 'Dear Boss' correspondence to be real, thus enhancing the appeal of the anonymous killer(s).
Stewart |
Author: Christopher George
Sunday, 04 July 1999 - 10:59 am | | Hey Stewart:
Don't hang on me the tag that I am "just an old romantic who wants the 'Dear Boss' correspondence to be real, thus enhancing the appeal of the anonymous killer(s)."
No, I just want the truth to be known and the proper facts to be ascertained, which I believe is your aim also.
For my money, the Lusk letter more than Dear Boss rings truer that it could have been written by a cold-hearted killer. Dear Boss seems somehow too good to be true, too neatly written, rather prim and at a remove from the crimes, with "the red stuff," "just for jolly," "Saucy Jacky," and so on.
This is why I am investigating Bulling and the Central News Agency to see if the police accusation that Bulling and Moore and the CNA were responsible could be true. I am not saying that scenario did not happen. Perhaps it did. I just think it bears some investigation rather than taking at face value Littlechild and Anderson's statements that that is what happened.
Chris George |
Author: Yazoo
Wednesday, 22 September 1999 - 09:44 am | | If I can obtain one more fact, I am prepared to make what I consider a very strong argument that JtR was the kind of murderer/serial killer who indulged in communication with whomever he pleased. And that he did so on at least two occasions. And that he probably encoded a message in the terrible carnage of Kelly's room.
We make not like or understand the message or the idea that the probability is high that he sent them, but these deficencies do not erase the messages or diminish the probability of their having been sent.
Of course, one target of the murderer's communications would very probably be the popular press.
The question may become not "Did JtR write the 'Dear Boss' letters?" but "If he didn't write the 'Dear Boss' letters, can we make a better determination -- always remembering that we are dealing with probablities at this remove from the 1888 events -- of which letters, and to which papers/organizations, he may have written?"
In the abscence of "hard evidence" against Bulling, Moore, or anyone else at the CNA, and in light of an increased probability that the murderer indulged in writing messages, only the truly intrepid researcher would dismiss the CNA correspondence with the certitude of 1888-era policemen who never arrested, charged, extradited, brought to trial, or convicted anyone for even one of the Whitechapel Murders.
They say success tends to repeat itself.
I hope the same cannot be said of failure...especially in the tragic and influential case of JtR.
Yaz |
Author: JKleen
Wednesday, 22 September 1999 - 04:44 pm | | Huh??
Come on Yaz, you can do better than that! |
Author: Julian
Wednesday, 22 September 1999 - 05:03 pm | | G'day JKleen
And I thought you could do better that that mate.
Jules |
Author: Yazoo
Wednesday, 22 September 1999 - 09:15 pm | | Dear Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. Kleen:
This site is loaded with talented historians and researchers, and I am neither...not a drop of talent in either field. Freely and often admitted by yours truly.
But just have one of those talented people tell me if the Imperial Club on Duke's Place catered exclusively or predominantly or prominently to a Jewish clientele and I guarantee I will do better than the post on the CNA letters. I could try it right now but having my suspicions about the Imperial Club confirmed should put my argument beyond any reasonable doubt from any reasonable person. At least that's what I think.
If I nail that connection, I will revisit this topic with some facts to weigh in the balance against circa-1888 or modern opinion, dubious interpretations of negative investigative results by Littlechild (a la Anderson's logic about his suspect, his witness, and the non-identification "identification" the witness made of the suspect), gossip, hearsay, possibly slander and libel, accepted "wisdom," call-it-what-you-like.
But again, we're dealing with probabilities regarding any newspaper correspondence from the murderer. I'll never claim to have the same certainty in my opinions that many people appear to hold and espouse that there is no genuine JtR newspaper correspondence -- and all purported newspaper correspondence has been somehow "proven" to be hoaxes or the work of madmen.
People seem to be trying to firmly close the door on the possibility of genuine JtR correspondence and I find that attitude too rigid, to say the least. I believe that events of the night of September 29-30th, 1888 may tell us more about this issue than we previously realized.
Yaz
P.S., Hey Jules! |
Author: Caz
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 03:59 am | | Hey Yaz!
I can't wait to hear more about all this. I hate closing all doors on the notion of Jack as ripper-cum-correspondent. There are so many clues we could all be dismissing because of the trend to go with modern 'expert' thinking on the subject. If JtR was a literate fellow (and he must have been if he had any formal medical training :-)), and felt he also had a talent in that direction (though possibly not as fully recognised as he would wish), wouldn't he have taken full advantage of the blossoming newspaper readership, and consequent public awareness of sensational events as they happened, to hammer home his new-found power over the people of London?
I've often wondered, if the original 'Dear Boss' letter was a hoax, why the real killer didn't write in protest at this impostor and put the matter straight. I'm sure our man would have wanted to invent his own nom-de-plume too.
Looking forward to hearing some more.
Love,
Caz |
Author: Yazoo
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 05:06 am | | Hey Caz!
If the matter of any JtR newspaper correspondence turns out like so many other aspects of this case, it will appear simple at first but get more complex the longer we (okay, okay, maybe it's just me!!!) look into it.
The work on contemporary newspapers and coverage being done by Alex and CM and Dave and Chris, I think, will surely rock all our little worlds. I hope they can find publishers for their work then they are done.
Yaz |
Author: ChrisGeorge
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 06:20 am | | Hi, Yaz:
I understand that Alex Chisholm, Christopher-Michael DiGrazia, and Dave Yost are steaming ahead with their project. Meanwhile, I am working on a couple of separate projects and will probably publish separate to the opus to be published by those three esteemed gentlemen. Just thought I should clarify.
Chris George |
Author: Yazoo
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 07:12 am | | Hey Chris!
Now that I think about it, isn't Jon skulking about (grins) on a similar newspaper/media-type project?
Yaz |
Author: ChrisGeorge
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 07:41 am | | Hiya Yaz:
I understand Jon is currently transcribing the Eddowes inquest. However, he can best tell you what he is up to Ripperwise other than moseying down to the Stampede near where he and Ann live in Ontario for some good country 'n' western music 'n' dancing. :-)
Best regards
Chris |
Author: Yazoo
Thursday, 23 September 1999 - 04:49 pm | | Well, it's been a couple of days and I think the answer I was looking for about the Imperial Club is not going to be what I hoped it would.
Some people have thought I was being mysterious or coy but that wasn't my intention. I thought the implications of finding the Imperial Club was a focus for a segment of the East End Jewish population was obvious. If you care to learn what I thought (so much for my bright ideas!), I'll briefly explain under the Jospeh Lawende topic. Then that can be the end of it.
Sorry for sounding so mysterious and also for sounding a false alarm, everyone.
Yaz |
Author: Tom Wescott
Thursday, 01 March 2001 - 11:29 pm | | To Stewart P. Evans,
Stewart...Could you please do me a big favor an email me a jpg attachment of the Bulling/Ripper letters side by side? I'd really appreciate seeing them in a larger format (and not having to wait for your book which, of course I will buy!). My email address is JackRpr88@aol.com. Thanks a lot.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Christopher T George
Friday, 02 March 2001 - 10:49 am | | Hi, Tom:
In my opinion, Bulling's handwriting is not like the 25 September 1888 Dear Boss letter, which is written in a much more precise clerkly hand. The Bulling letter in which he transcribes the 5 October Dear Boss letter to send it to Chief Constable (CID) Adolphus Williamson is written in a more flamboyant, free flowing style than the careful rounded hand used for the 25 September letter. I don't particularly agree that it is "proven" that Thomas J. Bulling and his boss at the Central News Agency Charles Moore concocted the first Dear Boss missives. Sir Melville Macnaghten wrote that he detected "the stained forefinger" of a journalist at work in the missives, and Chief Inspector John George Littlechild specifically names "Bullen" (meaning Thomas J. Bulling) and Moore as being responsible for the letters. It will be interesting to see what Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner have to say about this accusation in their forthcoming book on the Jack the Ripper letters. I assume that they will place Bulling firmly in the dock. I cannot agree with that assessment.
Chris George |
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