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Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth (Paley)
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Media: Specific Titles:
Non-Fiction:
Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth (Paley)
Author: Koji
Thursday, 19 November 1998 - 12:48 am |        | According to Paley, the case against Joseph Barnett:
Joseph Barnett precisely fits the contemporary mould of Jack the Ripper.
1. Joseph Barnett was born in the East End and lived there for his entire life. By 1888, he had lived near all of the murder sites. On the night of the double murder,police followed the rippers trail to Dorset Street, where Barnett then lived with Mary Kelly. It is assumed that the ripper would had to have had some knowledge of the streets.
2. As a life long East ender, Barnett was a familiar local figure and may have been known to Kellys fellow prostitutes. This relates to the fact that the Ripper was probably known to his victims since he approached them with ease and without alarming them.
3. The Ripper would need to have been physically strong and able to use a knife. Barnetts job as a fish porter required considerable strength and after years of cleaning fish, he was handy with a knife. Dr Halsted even said at the time that "the surgical skill possessed by Jack the Ripper could easily have been acquired by someone accustomed to boning and filleting fish.
4. Barnett was 30 years old, 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build, with a fair complexion and moustache. This description fits exactly with eye witness reports.
5. At Kellys inquest, Barnett contradicted himself, recanting what he told the police 3 days earlier about why he left Kelly. he displayed symptoms of the psychological disorder known as echolalia.
6. Catharine Eddowes was killed next to an orange market where Barnett may have worked. As a market porter, Barnett could explain his presence on the streets in the early hours if he needed to.
7. The ripper may have come into possession of the key to Kellys room as he apparently locked the door behind him when he left. The key was never found after the night that Barnett left.
8. Barnett was known to dislike prostitutes and blamed them for Kelly's downfall.
9. Barnett had been to school and could read and write. Ginger beer bottles were found in the room he shared with Mary Kelly. This ties in with the first Ripper letter, believed to be genuine in which it was evident that the writer had been to school which was rare at the time. Ginger beer bottles were also mentioned in the letter.
10. Barnett had compelling motives for killing Kelly- sexual jealousy and rejection. Only 10 days after Barnett moved out, Kelly was murdered. She no longer ahd any use for him since he had lost his job and resorted to prostitution. On the night of her death, Kelly was visited by both Barnett and his brother. Barnett knew how to slip into the locked room. After Kelly was killed, the ripper was never heard from again. It is not uncommon to hear of men killing their girlfriends in this way even today.
It is also included in the book that Barnett precisely fits the mould of the modern day serial killer.
1. Most serial killers are white males in their twenties and thirties and most sexual killers are under 35. This totally fits Barnett as describes earlier.
2. Most killers come from dysfunctional families, marked by cold distant unloving mothers and absent fathers. Barnett was 6 when his father died and his mother abandoned the family at 13.
3. Many serial killers are intelligent men, often employed in menial jobs far below their intellectual capabilities. Barnett had been to school and certainly was capable of more than a fish porter.
4. Many serial killers suffer physical ailments and disabilities. Barnett had a speech impediment.
5. The initial murder spree is often triggered by some sort of pre crime stress such as the loss of a job, relationship etc. These murders began shortly after Barnett lost his job which forced Kelly to return to prostitution against his wishes.
The book goes on to describe the Ripper project worked on by members of the FBI. Evidence is then given by them in the same manner as above, but the majority of it is the same as I have already cited so I have not bothered to include this here.
As I said before, I am not of the opinion that Barnett was the Ripper and most of the above evidence could be used for hundreds of different people at the time. I do feel that it is worthy of consideration however. |
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