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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 **
Ripperologist Magazine (edited by Paul Begg)
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Media: Ripper Media:
Ripperologist Magazine (edited by Paul Begg)
Author: Tom Wescott
Friday, 21 June 2002 - 12:58 am |        | THE NEW ISSUE! READ ALL ABOUT IT! 
Two nights ago I had a pleasant surprise when I opened my mailbox to find that familiar envelope that always makes the mail-woman look at me funny.
Not to be outdone by Ripperana, who recently put out their landmark 40th issue (ten years!), this new issue of 'the Rip' is #41, and its only getting better, baby!
The cover is awesome, being a montage of the official Ripper document fascimiles to be found in the latest publication to which Evans & Skinner have lent their name, 'Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders'. Turning the page to the editorial I found that Paul had graciously handed over his editorial space to Loretta Lay (of laybooks.com, a great source for Ripper books) who wrote a very poignant tribute to the legendary Camille Wolff whose 1995 book 'Who Was Jack the Ripper?' is the most sought after of recent Ripper works. Congratulations on your 90th Birthday, Cam!
Now, onto the meat of the issue:
*Stephen Knight - This is an amazing (although all-too brief) biography of the author/journalist known to us all as the author of the most successful and popular Ripper book ever written. Regardless of what you think of his work now, Knight is responsible, directly or indirectly, for the large majority of us having found the case, and deserves no less of a writer than Whittington-Egan to pay him respects. Let's be honest, W-E could publish his grocery list and you'd still read it in awe!
* The Kendall-McCarthy's - Andy Aliffe submits this interesting piece on the show business ancestors of Millers Court's own John McCarthy. As far as I know this article was not previously researched by Melvin Harris and is not an April Fools prank.
* Wainwright - A Proprietorial Interest - Shirley Harrison submits this piece in response to Mark Bloomfield's article in the May issue, and it turns out to be one of the most enjoyable pieces in this issue (which says a lot). Harrison actually lives in the place where murderer Henry Wainwright attempted to dump a dismembered corpse over a hundred years ago. However, I'm not certain that she was thinking when she included her address in the article for any serial killer aficionado to see. But hey, to each his own, it's still an enthralling piece.
* Mary Kelly is Dead - The title of this article will certainly get your attention. It is authored by John Malcolm who very responsibly questions many accepted conclusions of the Ripper case, my favorite being the accepted idea that Stride was killed with a different weapon than the others. Is it wrong? Great stuff!
* Joe the Ripper - Although an illustration of Joe Barnett accompanies this Mark King piece, the man on trial is actually the mysterious Joseph Fleming. Could he be the Ripper?
* A Race With the Devil - Bernard Brown is the editor of the Metropolitan Police History Society Magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Rip. Here he examines the career of Inspector Race, the unfortunate cop who arrested Thomas Cutbush and lived to regret it.
* The Victim Photographs - When you see Stawell Heard's name in the by-line, you know you're in for a treat! This article originally appeared in the April 1998 edition of the Rip, and is brought back here as part of their 'From the Archive' series, an excellent idea considering most of their subscribers (myself included) missed out on the mags early days. Ever wanted to know the full history of the known victim photos, and the mysterious packages arriving at Scotland Yard a 100 years after the murders? Here it is.
* The Second American Ripper Conference - This on-the-spot report from Eduardo Zinna makes me wish I'd robbed a bank and hopped a train to Baltimore to have taken part in the festivities. The pics of Christopher-Michael Digrazia cheesing it up in a white tux are alone worth the price of the mag!
* Every Harlot Was a Virgin Once - As if Heard, Whittington-Egan, Harrison, Zinna, and Brown weren't enough star power and talent for one issue, William Blake then offers this summary of a talk given by the venerable Des McKenna at the latest meeting of the Cloak and Dagger Club. The subject of the talk was Long Liz, and a video is available of Des' entire talk. What are you waiting for?
* I Beg to Report - NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! The moral of this news report is to forget buying Christmas gifts this year because you'll be broke after buying all the new Ripper books coming out in November & December, including Cornwell's, the paperback edition of Eddleston's (for those of us not wanting to take out a loan to get his hardback edition), Paul Begg's eagerly anticipated 'Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History' (man, that's a brave title!), and 'The Oscar Wilde Years: From Jack the Ripper to Oscar Wilde'. Also on the way are 'Jack the Ripper On Screen' by Denise Meikle (June 30), Jack the Ripper's Black Magic by Ivor Edwards (the totally new edition, coming out in August), 'The News From Whitechapel: The Whitechape l Murders in the Daily Telegraph' by three of the brightest minds working the case today, Alex Chisholm, Dave Yost, and CM Digrazia (October), 'The Thames Torso Murders' by R. Michael Gordon (tentatively October), and Shadow Pasts by Prof. William D. Rubenstein, in which he writes about amateur historians, including Ripperologists, whom I'm sure he loves as much as the other idgits with letters after their names who enjoy taking their stabs.
Unfortunately, there's no word on Richard Whittington-Egan's overdue 'The Quest For Jack the Ripper: A Literary History 1888-2000'. No doubt Richard's waiting for the literary output on Jack to slow down. He may have a long wait as Keith Skinner and Seth Linder are putting together a 'Diary' retrospective, and word is Melvin Harris is putting together his own book on the Diary.
*Ripper Rarities - In this segment Dave Froggatt looks at 'The Harlot Killer', a book groundbreaking for its day. This overview was very welcome by those of us who do not yet own a copy.
*REVIEWS - Tons of reviews of interest to Ripperologists.
* THE LAST WORD - In the latest edition of his column, Ripper Notes editor CM Digrazia picks up the slack for Paul Begg by dropping some schoolin' on us and giving a very interesting talk on nostalgia. So, when is Paul going to do a guest editorial for RN? Hmmmm?
All in all, this is one of the best issues of the Rip I've ever seen, probably because almost all the articles actually had something to do with Jack the Ripper, which is why I subscribe to the mag in the first place. It would be unfair to expect every issue to be this jam-packed, but if they remain even HALF this focused I will be MORE than satisfied. Kudos to Paul Begg and the gang for giving me a very enjoyable night of reading and some new information on the Ripper that I'm sure to reference in the future.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Sunday, 23 June 2002 - 11:09 am | | Tom,
I wrote the article on Wainwright, and my first
name is
Jeff Bloomfield |
Author: Christopher-Michael DiGrazia
Sunday, 23 June 2002 - 07:20 pm | | Tom -
Thanks for the kind words on "The Last Word." True praise, however, should go to Paul Begg for being brave enough to allow me to prattle on in public and jeopardise the entire circulation of his magazine. Paul, of course, can guest editorialise in RN whenever he wants.
Kudos to Adam Wood for his sterling efforts in producing the amazing colour cover; his mastery of desktop publishing means that the Rip is simply the best-looking mag on the market as well as being the essential one for any serious Ripper student.
A top-notch, meaty issue all the way through. |
Author: Tom Wescott
Friday, 05 July 2002 - 09:36 pm | | Hello all,
I apologize that I am just now noticing these responses to my post of June 21st. Mr. Bloomfield is correct in stating that his first name is actually Jeff and that he wrote the original Wainright piece to which Harrison was responding. I apologize, Jeff! I honestly don't know where I got Mark from.
CM,
You're sure doing a helluva job in promoting your own competition! Personally, I don't think I'd go so far as to say the Rip is 'the essential' Ripper magazine, for this simple reason: If one were only to subscribe to the Rip and not to Ripper Notes, they'd miss out on many fabulous essays such as Wolf Vanderlinden's ultimate Mary Kelly essay 'Screams of Murder', or Dave Yost's authoritative 'Long vs Cadoche' and, of course, my stuff! On the other hand, if one takes only RN and not Ripperologist, then you'd be unaware of all the great work done by Stawell Heard, Eduardo Zinna, et al. Then again, if a reader subscribed to BOTH of these magazines, but didn't take Ripperana, you'd never know of the latest contemporary unearthings of Nick Connell and men like him. So, in a perfect world, Paul Begg, CM Digrazia, and Nick Warren would pool their resources to produce a high quality, 60+ page MONTHLY!
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott
P.S. I'm still awaiting complimentary issues of Ripperoo that should be on their way to me any time. Once I've had a chance to read them (which I'm very much looking forward to!) I'll share my two cents on those as well. |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Saturday, 06 July 2002 - 02:23 pm | | Hi Tom:
No problem about the first name business. Mark
you, I am fond of "Jeff".
I got my copies of the February and April issues,
which are very interesting. I appreciate the
addition of photographs and illustrations to my
own article, which were very nice.
The article by Eduard Zinna about the East End
socialists was very good, but the article that
stirred up some interests in me was by Stephen Martin regarding Dr. G.H.R. Dabbs of Shanklin,
Isle of Wight, who had a theory of the identity
of Jack the Ripper, now totally lost to history.
The article began with the reference to Dr. Dabbs
meeting with Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) in August 1891. Dodgson mentions their
discussion was about this theory, but does not
go into details.
My curiosity in this Dabbs story is based on one
obvious irony - that Rev. Dodgson is currently one
of the newest (if generally dismissed) suspects
for the role of the Ripper. The other is that
Dabbs' relations with his most famous patient -
Alfred, Lord Tennyson - overlooked some interesting sidepoints. Tennyson knew Dodgson.
In 1859 they had a conversation in which the
poet discussed murder cases. It was a subject
that fascinated him. In fact, he is
recorded as having spent an evening with Dr.
Benjamin Jowett, Master of Balliol College,
talking about murders. [Reference to this can be
found in Richard Altick's VICTORIAN STUDIES IN
SCARLET (New York: Norton, 1970), p. 125, and
p. 316 to Altick's sources for these two items.]
Jeff |
Author: Tom Wescott
Saturday, 06 July 2002 - 11:15 pm | | Jeff,
I always enjoy your contributions to the mags, as well as your original take on the graffiti as published in Camille Wolff's book, and your extremely intriguing D'Onston murder theory as published in Ivor's book (and to appear in the upcoming NEW, IMPROVED edition, along with my stuff. Woo-hoo!).
I found Eduardo Zinna's article to be very impressive. As to the Mr. Dabbs article, I had already read it in Ripperana, and since no suspect was named, it was rather anti-climactic. If it weren't for the fact that I would like to see all references to Lewis Carroll as the Ripper brought to a halt (at least one teacher in my town now refuses to teach Carrol and informs her students that he was JTR!) I'd encourage you to submit a small article detailing the fascinating coincidence you posted above. You've got a Holmesian eye, and I look forward to your future writings.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Sunday, 07 July 2002 - 06:06 am | | Tom,
Thanks for the kind words about my researches.
I am curious about the type of teacher who
bases a curriculum on a weird theoretical book
like that on Dodgson/Carroll. Does she/he also
ban Twain's Huckleberry Finn because it uses the
"N" word for the character of Jim, or Shakespeare
for creating the figure of Shylock or Othello
or using the negative version of Richard III?
Or is it simply due to the suggestion of a bad
character in the writer. That should take care
of Lord Byron, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound,
Knut Hamsun, and George Eliot. A writer once
proposed that Mary Cecilia Rogers was murdered
by Edgar Allan Poe, who then wrote a story based
on the murder, so that should remove him too!
As for any future writings, I have some ideas,
but none regarding Dr. Dabbs or the Dodgson/
Tennyson connection.
Jeff |
Author: Christopher T George
Tuesday, 16 July 2002 - 10:03 am | | Hi, Jeff and Tom:
A bit of background information about the Dabbs theory on the Whitechapel murders.
A few years ago, Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) expert Karoline Leach and corresponded by e-mail about Dr. George Henry Roque Dabbs (1846-1913) of Shanklin, Isle of Wight, England.
On these boards, on 14 November 1998 - 01:49 pm, Karoline stated: "Dodgson does mention JTR in his diary once, on the 26 August 1891. He refers to having heard a 'most interesting theory' on the case put forward by one Dr. Dabbs. He [Dodgson] doesn't record what the theory was. . ."
Karoline told me by e-mail that she thought that Dabbs's theory may have been that Jack could been a somnambulist (sleepwalker), since she had learned that Dabbs wrote a play about a sleepwalking killer. He was a literary man and had a number of plays produced in London. My search in old theatre collections and library catalogues though did not turf up the play by Dabbs, so my own enquiries led nowhere.
I am glad though to see that Stephen Martin did publish an article on Dr. Dabbs in Ripperologist which increases our knowlege about him.... another of the many peripheral characters in the case.
Best regards
Chris George |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Tuesday, 16 July 2002 - 10:30 pm | | Hi Chris,
Fascinating about Dabbs as a dramatist. Hopefully
the play may turn up.
There was a case in Boston in the 1840s where
sleepwalking proved a successful defence in a
homicide. Possibly Dabbs was acquainted with it.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Author: Martin Fido
Wednesday, 17 July 2002 - 06:28 am | | Hi Chris and Jeff,
He would almost certainly be acquainted with Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" which turns on a sleepwalker being wrongfully suspected of guilty criminality.
All the best,
Martin F |
Author: Tom Wescott
Monday, 26 August 2002 - 01:43 am | | THE NEW ISSUE IS OUT...
Paul Begg is an octopus. He's written a new book (JTR: The Definitive History) and has updated and revised his old classic (if you don't know the name of that one, you're on the wrong website!), and continues to put out good stuff like this issue of Rip! Even octopi have their limits, though, and for the last two issues Paul has relied on guest editorials, this issues being from Adam Wood, who does the outstanding production design for the mag. Unfortunately, his editorial about football misses the mark in this writer's humble, and probably misguided, opinion. But keep reading!
* REFUTING CORNWELL by Jane Jakeman - An excellent article which works as a perfect companion piece to Wolf Vanderlinden's essay in the current Ripper Notes. If you read these two articles and still think Sickert was the Ripper, then you're either holding an old black and white photograph of a bloody Sickert leaning over Mary Kelly's butchered remains, or you're a gork! Miss Jakeman works in the same profession as Cornwell (novelist) and she has shown great guts in writing this piece as she did and seeing it published. Very impressive!
*A DAGGER IN THE MIND: ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE CRIMES OF LONDON by Eduardo Zinna - For anyone interested in cinema, which is most of us, this is a very informative and entertaining piece. Like most of Zinna's work it is lengthy, but could never be lengthy enough! He details many of Hitchcock's films and explains the true crime cases that influenced them. The title of the article is a misnomer, though, since Hitchcock found influence outside of London as well (i.e. Wisconsin's Ed Gein for 'Psycho'). It's always great to read an article and come away feeling as if you've actually learned something new, and Zinna rarely fails to deliver. However, it should be noted that investigators now believe Gein to have killed many more people than originally thought at the time.
*LE GRAND OF THE STRAND by Gerry Nixon - Originally published in issue 18 (which I don't yet have) this was my overall favorite article in this issue. Le Grand will be familiar as one of the two P.I.'s who whisked Matthew Packer away and gave birth to the 'grape stalk' myth given much mileage in 'From Hell'. This article will drop your jaw as Nixon gives details of Le Grand's colorful criminal life, and indicates a possibility that he played a hand in composing some of the Ripper letters!
*FROM HULL - This is a report given by Adrian Morris of a talk given by ANDY ALIFFE at the June meeting of the Cloak & Dagger Club. As Andy is talking on the subject of D'Onston, I was very intrigued by this article, although a little confused. The article states 'A letter from D'Onston to Sir Charles Warren was intercepted by the Post Office due to the similarity of the handwriting to that of the 'Dear Boss' letter.' Although D'Onston certainly wrote a letter to the police, and it appears that a letter written by him was thought by a Post Office clerk to resemble the 'Dear Boss' letter, I am not aware of any information which suggests that both were one and the same. Aliffe, like Harris, also lends credence to D'Onston's warped tale of his love affair with 'Louise' (also named 'Ada' in his version to Mabel Collins). If there is any evidence that such a woman existed, or that the Warren/Post Office letter were one and the same, I would be much gratified to receive full particulars. In the end, it seems that some educated theorizing on the part of Aliffe was either presented as fact by the speaker, or rendered as such by the reporter. Regardless, Aliffe's colorful descriptions of Garibaldi and the Rosicrucianists were informative and welcome.
*I BEG TO REPORT: NEWS AND VIEWS IN BRIEF: Mostly consisting of the same 'upcoming books' info from the last issue, we are also informed of a few new ones, and given details on an exciting new Ripper board game coming from the Parlours and designed by the more than capable Adam Wood. Check out www.whitechapel1888.com for more details.
*RIPPER RARITIES by Dave Froggatt - In this latest installment of Froggatt's column he discusses the film and book of 'Hands of the Ripper' from Hammer Films. After reading this article, I'm gonna have to chase this one down!
*REVIEWS - As always, the Rip provides plenty of excellent reviews and there's a TON of them in this issue, all of them interesting. But of particular interest is 'Jack the Ripper: The Murders and the Movies' by Denis Meikle, out now. Rip calls it 'A Must'. Yours truly also contributed a review of the new film 'Hell's Gate'. NOT a must! I'm sure many of the readers, such as myself, appreciate the Rip for turning us on to books we otherwise wouldn't have known existed.
*THE LAST WORD by Christopher-Michael DiGrazia - I always look forward to CM's column, and for good reason: they're equal parts entertaining and informative, the very formula that makes Ripper Notes what it is. In this issue he talks about the way we perceive mystery in all its forms, offers many colorful examples, and then applies that perception to aspects of the Ripper case. And I must say, his closing paragraphs sent a shiver up my spine. But that is a GOOD thing!
* GLENN - Inspector Abberline Jr. is at it again, and appears to be repeating himself ala 'Groundhog's Day'!
All in all, another fine issue of a fine magazine that any self-respecting Ripperphile would do well to subscribe to. If you don't believe me, just ask Queen Victoria, as she appears to be the current Ripperologist spokesperson!!!
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Monday, 26 August 2002 - 07:46 am | | ***RIPPEROLOGIST***
There is very little I could add to Tom Wescott's review of the August issue of the Ripperologist. But maybe you should judge for yourselves - that dwindling proportion of you who still don't subscribe to the Ripperologist. Can't think why. You can have Adam Wood on football in the 1880s, Jane Jakeman on Walter Sickert, Christopher George on Martin Kosminski, Gerry Nixon on Private Eye Le Grand, Adrian Morris on Andy Aliffe, Tom Wescott on Hell's Gate, Christopher-Michael DiGrazia on mysteries, Dave Froggatt on Ripper rarities, news, book reviews, cartoons and other contributions delivered to the privacy of your home - well, where you live - all for only £ 4 in the UK or US $ 10 in the USA or elsewhere. Or, better still, subscribe. Only £ 24 or US $ 60 a year (six issues). Cheques against British banks only, please, but cash is welcome. Even Euros. If you subscribe, you may attend the meetings of the Cloak and Dagger Club at an historical pub in Whitechapel. It's not mandatory, though. No one will visit you. You will not be dragged, kicking and screamng, to the meetings. It's not that kind of Club.
Contact Coral Kelly, Subscription Manager:
coralkelly52@hotmail.com
170 Eswyn Road
Tooting
London
SW17 8TN
England |
Author: Christopher T George
Monday, 26 August 2002 - 02:01 pm | | Jeez, Tom, what about my article on "The Bankruptcies of Martin Kosminski"? Conspicuous in its absence in your rundown of the contents of the August issue of Ripperologist! 
Oh, yeh, I know, it's a bit dry. I am still coughing from blowing the dust off those old legal briefs. And if you ever had your fingers on Kosminski's briefs, you'd feel the same way! 
At least Beggy put my name on the cover with the great photograph of the redoubtable Alfred Hitchcock alongside the names of Eduardo Zinna, Gerry Nixon, and Jane Jakeman!
By the way, Eduardo, great informative article on Hitch and the connections of his films to the Ripper story and to modern murders in general! Superb work. Congratulations.
Now about that article on Martin K. . . . |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Monday, 26 August 2002 - 04:04 pm | | Hello Tom and Chris, and thanks for the compliments.
Chris, I don't find your article on Kosminski's misadventures dry at all. But then I wouldn't, would I? We cannot consider the Whitechapel murders in isolation. All information on the Victorian background, the East End or the suspects brings us closer to an understanding of the environment in which the Ripper operated and of what - if not who - he himself was. I'm not sure we'll ever know who the Ripper was - but if the answer is there somewhere, it's bound to be in some dusty old document no one has looked at for a hundred years. Or so I hope. They also serve who blow off dust.
Now, those who have not subscribed yet...
Cheers
Eduardo |
Author: Tom Wescott
Tuesday, 27 August 2002 - 12:03 am | | Eduardo,
Good pitch!
Chris,
What can I say? I'm a dope! I thought I had covered all the articles. That's what I get for doing it so late, I guess. I don't know HOW I forgot yours, especially considering it would have to be a MUST for any Kosminski-ite (?)! I must admit, I don't fall into that category, but the research is typical Chris George superb, and the misadventures of Martin & Co. make for entertaining reading in itself.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Christopher T George
Tuesday, 27 August 2002 - 09:11 am | | Hi, Tom and Eduardo:
Thank you to both of you for your kind words about my article on furrier Martin Kosminski. Tom, I realized your lack of mention of my article was an oversight, but I thought I would use the opportunity to display a bit of author's pique and to feel entitled to stamp my little foot!
Yes, I do believe every little bit of information about the period in which the Ripper operated is potentially useful. As you will have gathered, I am personally fascinated with some of the side alleys in the case, such as the role of the Jews generally, either as witnesses, local inhabitants, or, possibly, the murderer or associates/relatives of the murderer.
It is great that we have venues such as Ripperologist, Ripper Notes, Ripperana, and now our Oz counterpart, Ripperoo, to be able to publish some of these arcane details about the case. Such information may not be of sufficient import to publish in book form but might eventually lead to a "break" in the case. In this sense, I feel that people who only rely on the books are missing a wealth of information about the Ripper and his times that they could learn if they subscribed to the magazines.
All the best
Chris George |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Tuesday, 27 August 2002 - 09:30 am | | Hi all,
Tom, are you aware that Ed Gein is buried in the same graveyard he used to go robbing at night? In fact, the woman whose murder led to his capture is buried near him and his family. I haven't seen anything new on the case for quite some time, but I was under the impression that he was held responsible for the murder of one woman - whose body was found in his shed - and suspected of another murder. What they don't know is how many graves he actually robbed. Has any other information come to light? (Notice I didn't write "dug up", though Ed Gein jokes are contagious.)
Cheers,
Eduardo |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Sunday, 01 September 2002 - 11:22 am | | RIPPEROLOGIST
A few copies of the August issue of the Ripperologist are still available. The contents include Adam Wood on football in the 1880s, Jane Jakeman on Walter Sickert, Christopher George on Martin Kosminski, Gerry Nixon on Private Eye Le Grand, Adrian Morris on Andy Aliffe, Tom Wescott on Hell's Gate, Christopher-Michael DiGrazia on mysteries, Dave Froggatt on Ripper rarities, news, book reviews, cartoons and other contributions, all for only £ 4 in the UK or US $ 10 in the USA or elsewhere. Or, better still, subscribe. Only £ 24 or US $ 60 a year (six issues). Cheques against British banks only, please. Subscriptions include membership in the Cloak and Dagger Club and access to its meetings.
***SUBSCRIBE NOW***
Contact Coral Kelly, Subscription Manager:
coralkelly52@hotmail.com
170 Eswyn Road
Tooting
London
SW17 8TN
England |
Author: Tom Wescott
Monday, 02 September 2002 - 12:33 am | | Eduardo,
From what I remember hearing a few years back is that many hitch-hikers and travelers went missing in the area of Gein, and it is now believed (if not proven) that he did away with them. There were more bones and body parts in his house than could have been accounted for by his grave robberies. It is also interesting to note that he never served a minute in a maximum security prison, but instead lived in a minimum security prison, with no gates, until he died in 1984!
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott
P.S. Last year they released a movie called 'Ed Gein' starring Steve Railsback (Manson from Helter Skelter'). Although Railsback was good in the role, the movie kind of sucked. 'Dahmer' is out now, with 'Bundy' on the way. |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Monday, 02 September 2002 - 05:38 am | | Hi Tom,
Yes, it seems that Ed Gein was a model prisoner. My understanding was that they could never figure out how many graves he had robbed, or what belonged to whom of the bits and pieces they found strewn about at his place, short of digging up the whole cemetery, and finally decided to leave it at that. Gein himself did not remember which graves he had opened.
So 'Dahmer' and 'Bundy', eh? Among the things I miss most from my New York years are the movie cable channels - this is the sort of film that's bound to play on HBO at 4 am.
Cheers,
Eduardo |
Author: Christopher-Michael DiGrazia
Monday, 02 September 2002 - 09:21 pm | | Quite true - Gein could only be connected by proof to the murder of Bernice Worden, and though it was quite certain he had dug far and afield looking for other (ahem) artefacts, his degenerating mental state meant that, as noted, no-one could prove whom he killed or whom he merely liberated from their mossy crypts. As well, an understandable reluctance on the part of many people of Plainfield to learn that Gein had been messing about with their late loved ones contributed to the quick burial (sorry) of the whole sordid affair.
You may remember as well the often-told but never officially confirmed stories of Gein having a "helper" in his hellish endeavours; this person often makes a cameo appearance in pulp retellings of the story, but even in the most exhaustively researched versions, this 'Earl' (as he has been once named; there are other nom de plumes for him) is never treated seriously, just as an extra, added weird fillip.
An interesting case (and granted immortality by Robert Bloch), but, I think, far too outre for anyone to give it serious attention. Its longevity is due more to it being the preserve of the 'question authority' type of teenager who wants a cheap way to shock the bourgeoisie - the same type who would wear a Harold Shipman 'Carry On Doctor' T-shirt or an 'Ed Kemper and His Terrible Temper' one with Kemper holding his mother's bloody head up. Pah.
And for a final note, for those of you not sure - though the spelling of his name looks as though it should be pronounced to rhyme with fiend, it actually rhymes with the word fine. |
Author: Christopher T George
Monday, 02 September 2002 - 09:49 pm | | Hi, CM, Eduardo, and Tom:
Actually, CM, I never thought Gein rhymed with anything other than fine. Must be just me. I fill up with Fino all the time.
Now, one of the dangling questions about our Jacky is whether he like Ed Gein may have been a grave robber as well as a robber of the corpses of the recently deceased. This is something we all might keep in mind, if we see in the contemporary newspapers reports of grave robbing incidents.
Best regards
Chris George |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Wednesday, 04 September 2002 - 06:17 am | | Hi, CM, Chris and Tom,
I'm quoting from memory - the researcher's curse - but I've seen somewhere that Gein rhymed with 'been', rather like Frankensteen as opposed to Frankenstine. I'll check out this source eventually.
I've also read about Gein's helper - named 'Gus' - somewhere.
And I seem to remember that Gein admitted to one more murder, of a woman called Hogan, I think, and was suspected of having something to do with the disappearance of a travelling salesman. And then I believe the local authorities gave up on the case, in the sense that it was better not to investigate further. Besides, his insanity was never in doubt.
As for Gein jokes, well, they've always belonged in the category of gross-out jokes, haven't they?
All the best,
Eduardo |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Wednesday, 04 September 2002 - 06:23 am | | RIPPEROLOGIST
A few copies of the August issue of the Ripperologist are still available. The contents include Adam Wood on football in the 1880s, Jane Jakeman on Walter Sickert, Christopher George on Martin Kosminski, Gerry Nixon on Private Eye Le Grand, Adrian Morris on Andy Aliffe, Tom Wescott on Hell's Gate, Christopher-Michael DiGrazia on mysteries, Dave Froggatt on Ripper rarities, Eduardo Zinna on Alfred Hitchcock, news, book reviews, cartoons and other contributions, all for only £ 4 in the UK or US $ 10 in the USA or elsewhere. Subscriptions are only £ 24 or US $ 60 a year (six issues). Cheques against British banks only, please. Subscriptions include membership in the Cloak and Dagger Club and access to its meetings.
***SUBSCRIBE NOW***
Contact Coral Kelly, Subscription Manager:
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Author: Tom Wescott
Thursday, 05 September 2002 - 01:01 am | | RE: The pronunciation of Gein's name...
I've seen news footage from the time of his arrest and trial, and from this and numerous other sources, there is no question in my mind that he pronounced his name 'Geen' as opposed to 'Gine'. I'm pretty sure that some of this footage is included in the recent Railsback film, 'Ed Gein'.
And by the way, a couple of years ago a very fascinating (although underproduced) movie about the Atlanta Child Murders came out, starring Gregory Hines. Very much worth looking into.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Author: Brenda L. Conklin
Saturday, 07 September 2002 - 01:11 pm | | | I did it, finally. I have parted with $60 worth of the dead presidents and subscribed to Ripperologist. I can't wait to get my first issue! I doubt I will be showing up at any Cloak and Dagger meetings as the commute would take quite a while. It would be a lot of fun though! Maybe its time to think about planning that vacation to London..... |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Sunday, 08 September 2002 - 10:21 pm | | Re: Gein as Model Prisoner.
I recall, at the time of his death in 1984, it
was mentioned that Gein was rewarded for being
a model prisoner by being allowed to watch his
favorite movie whenever it was on television:
Hitchcock's PSYCHO. I don't know if he cared for
(or even saw) the three sequels (I believe it was
three) that Anthony Perkins made - and even once
directed.
Jeff |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Monday, 09 September 2002 - 05:41 am | | Hi Brenda,
Welcome to the Rip! I'm sure you will enjoy it. And I agree that you would find a visit to the Cloak and Dagger Club to be a lot of fun. Just let us know.
Hi Jeff,
It is odd to think that Gein liked to watch a film based on his own exploits. It's a bit like Don Quixote and Sancho discussing Cervantes in the second part of 'Don Quixote'.
Cheers,
Eduardo |
Author: Jeff Bloomfield
Monday, 09 September 2002 - 10:36 pm | | Hi Eduardo,
There is one difference, in that Cervantes was
having a little fun at the expense of some rival.
It seems the first part of "Don Quixote" had been
such a success that a spurious second volume was
published. Cervantes wrote his sequel to trounce
the author of this spurious second volume.
The author of the "Mu" novels (his last name is
Churchward) created a fictitious massive continent
in the Pacific in prehistoric times. The characters (in one of the stories) start debating
whether or not Atlantis existed.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Saturday, 28 September 2002 - 12:27 pm | | RIPPEROLOGIST
The October issue will soon be available.
***SUBSCRIBE NOW***
Subscriptions are only £ 24 or US $ 60 a year (six issues). Subscriptions include membership in the Cloak and Dagger Club and access to its meetings.
***SUBSCRIBE NOW***
Contact Coral Kelly, Subscription Manager:
coralkelly52@hotmail.com
170 Eswyn Road
Tooting
London
SW17 8TN
England
***SUBSCRIBE NOW*** |
Author: adam wood
Thursday, 31 October 2002 - 06:24 am | | Re: lateness of October's Ripperologist
Dear all
Further to CMD and Chris George's speculation on the Patricia Cornwell thread, the October issue has been delayed not only due to other commitments but more significantly because we are observing the legal requirements of a non-disclosure agreement.
This means we will be unable to mail the magazine, which is ready to go, until mid November.
We extend our apologies to all subscribers.
Best regards
Adam |
Author: Christopher T George
Thursday, 31 October 2002 - 09:36 am | | Hi, Adam:
Not to worry. Ripperologist always provides such a bounty of good things to read that it will be worth the wait.
All the best
Chris |
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