Jack The Ripper (Graphic)

Jack the Ripper is the first recorded serial killer to have ever happened anywhere in the world.  By today's standards, his crimes were few but they contained many horrific, gruesome details that are now used in modern day TV and movie dramas.  Unlike the entertainment murders on the screen, this one was never solved.

The Setting:

All five (yep, only five) murders took place in West London in 1888.  Back in the time (and sort of still today), the West End was not a great place to live.  London had dedicated this area to all the manufacturing and businesses that no one would ever want to live near.  This included the pig slaughter houses, coal burning factories and ship yards.  Because of the types of jobs available, poor, uneducated and, often immigrant families settled here.Unfortunately this also attracted illegal activity as well such as prostitution, gambling, and thievery.  It was said to be a place that bread "depravity, degradation and disease." 

Victim 1: Mary Ann Nichols

Poor Mary lived a typical hard life in East London.  Her alcoholic issues did not make her life any easier.  She left her husband and five children in 1880 and fell into prostitution in order to buy alcohol.  She was not a pretty lady at 5'2".  Her hair was graying, five front teeth were missing and the remaining ones were very discolored.
On August 31, she was last seen telling her landlord "I'll soon get my doss money - see what a jolly bonnet I've got now!" She was found at 3:40am by two cab men and then five minutes later by a police constable on a dark street. Half of her blood had flowed from her body, down the gutter.  Her throat was slashed, her stomach was cut and there were stab wounds around her genitalia.
Despite being near homes, no one heard a thing.


PC Neil discovers Nichols' body in Buck's Row, from Famous Crimes Past and Present, 1903.


Mortuary photograph

Victim 2: Anne Capman

Known as "Dark Annie" because of her moods, she was 5', stout with dark wavy hair and a thick nose. She was under-nourished and suffering from a chronic disease of the lungs (tuberculosis).   Like the first victim, Anne was a drunk and eventually worked as a prostitute to support her habit.

 On September 8 Annie is harassed by the rent collector to pay her rent for a bed in a boarding house.  She states to him that she will be back with the money and leaves the lodging house to earn some money.  At 5:30am she is last seen alive with a talking to a man over forty "shabby and genteel", of "foreign appearance".
Annie's body is discovered a little before 6:00am by a lodger living in the area. She is found flat on her back, her throat deeply severed, her head only staying attached by a few inches of skin on the back. Her abdomen was entirley open. The intestines were cut from the body and placed on the shoulder of the corpse. The uterus and bladder were removed from the body and never found.  Because of the precision in these cuts, the police they believe the killer as some form of medical training.

Victim 3: Elizabeth 'Long Lizzie' Stride

Born in Sweden, Lizzie moves to London, marries and runs a coffee house with her husband.  After selling the business he dies in 1884 and she is left alone in the East End.  She eventually becomes an alcoholic and is in and out of workhouses and jail.  

On September 30 at 12:35am , she is last seen with a man by a courtyard entrance carrying a package wrapped in newspaper. At 1:00am, a jewelry salesman (Louis Diemschutz) is driving a cart and pony into the same courtyard.  His pony refuses to enter .  He cannot see because of the dark so he gets off his cart and walks.  He discovers Stride on the road. Her throat is cut.  It is believed that Louis  frightened the Ripper, causing him to flee before performing his mutilations. 

Mortuary photograph

Victim 4: Catherine Eddowes

Catherine is an intelligent, scholarly woman but with a fierce temper. She married but then separated, taking her two children with her.  She worked as a fruit saleswoman in the East End.  She was known to drink often but never worked as a prostitute.  On September 29, around 8:00pm, she is arrested for public intoxication and is released around 1:00am (the same time when victim 3 is being discovered).  

At 1:45am her body is discovered by Police Constable Watkins. He had been in the same area he discovers her body 15 minutes earlier.  It had been empty then.  

Her throat is cut down to the vertebrae. Her intestines are placed over her right shoulder and the left kidney is removed.  Her face is mutilated - eyelids cut, top of the nose is cut off, earlobes cut off and two triangular flaps are cut into her cheeks.  

Mortuary photograph

At 2:55am a constable finds a blood-stained apron nest to a wall where "The JEWES are not the men That Will be Blamed for nothing" is written in chalk.  Nothing of importance was ever derived from the phrase.  

Victim 5: Mary Jane Kelly

Mary Jane lived a transient life in the East End.  She constantly moved from place to place and worked many odd jobs.  She suffered from alcoholism.  She was approximately 25 years old when she met her end.  

On November 9 at 2:00am, Mary Jane asks a friend for money and then states that she needs to find some money.  She is seen meeting  a man and walks off with him.  The man is carrying a small parcel.  He has a dark complexion and a mustache.  They are seen to be heading towards Mary Jane's flat. At 3:00am a neighbor hears someone shout "Oh, murder!" but does not think anything of it as the area is often loud.  

The rent collector comes to Mary Jane's flat at 10:45am and discovers her body.  Her uterus , kidneys and one of her breasts were placed by her head.  Her liver is found between her legs.  Her intestines are placed over her right shoulder and her spleen over her left.  Part of her flesh is on the bedside table.  Her heart is missing.

Mortuary photograph

Conclusion:

Although many theories have been put forth about who Jack the Ripper is, I think its far more interesting to keep this one unsolved.  Today, new evidence continues to be put forth and the documents from the initial investigation are combed over.  

It is also interesting to learn about police work back then.  They could never release photos of the crimes today, for example!

My favorite part is seeing how much the City has changed since then.  Here is a video showing the crime scenes then and now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh02pH_HOsw

Westminster Abbey

Had a lovely tour of the Abbey this week.  For those who don't know, this is the place where Prince William and Kate got married.  I learned that the best time to go was just a bit before closing time. The crowds are smaller and the staff are more likely to open areas that are normally closed to the public.

One of the interesting things about this abbey is that when you are walking around, the floor will change and there below your feet will be a burial of some famous dead person.  Some have been there so long that the inscription is completely worn from people's shoes.  You are not allowed to take pictures but I found these images of my favorites online.


The exterior.


Oddly enough, she shares a room with her sister Queen Mary (aka Bloody Mary).  They fought over religion.


The inscription says "Partners both in throne and grave, here rest we two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in the hope of one resurrection."


Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor.  I was lucky enough to catch a quick tour into this area.  Because of how old this place is (finished building it in 1065), they don't normally allow people in here.  The ground is worn from people praying on their knees in front of the alter.


Henry VII's Lady Chapel: This area of the Abbey is beautifully designed and was meant to be the burial spot of the Tudor Royals.

The roof is breathtaking.


Poets' Corner:  In this area many famous writers and artists are burried.


The floor in Poets Corner.
Some of the more famous artists include Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens.  Others are commemorated (not buried but recognized.  These include William Shakespeare, Jane Ausen  and Lewis Carroll.


The Coronation Chair.  This chair was built in 1296 and has been used in all Royal coronations since 1308.  That's a lot of royal butts!

Spooky Tour (or not)

The husband and I went on a spooky ghost tour on the weekend.  I would love to tell you some of the stories that I learned and how scary it was but it just plain sucked.  So I am still on the lookout for a good tour that I can blog about.  Stay tuned!

Some Old Things

Went to The British Museum and saw LOTS of old, ancient things.

A picture of the outside of the Museum.  It has some beautiful architecture.  

The Rosetta Stone: Because it contains the same inscription in three separate languages, this stone has been the key to understanding and translating Egyptian hieroglyphs.  

These are Egyptian Hieroglyphs translated to the modern alphabet.

A female mummy unwrapped.  They had an excellent display of all things mummified!

 
They were buried with various items including pots, vases, and jewels.  This is Ginger, a young man who was literally stabbed in the back.

I like cats. So did the Egyptians!  Here are some mummified cats. Cats lived a pretty wonderful life back then.  They had servants and lived in a life of luxury.

This is a mosiac from 4th century AD. That is during the time of Romans.  It is probably the earliest known mosaic of Christ. 

A really cool (and loud) clock.  The cogs would tick and every 15 minutes would eventually pull a cord that was attached to a bell found high above.  Very loud (and kind of scary when you are standing near it and don't expect it to go off).

Stone Statue from Easter Island. It is thought these were carved to commemorate important ancestors around AD 1000. Originally, this one was painted red and white

The Lewis Chessmen: Made from walrus ivory and whale teeth.  Each one is individually carved to look like kings, queens, bishops and knights. They were made sometime in the 12th century. 

Some Old Parchment

Took a trip to The British Library today which was a spectacular reminder of all the things I learned during my English degree.  The layout of the library is absolutely breathtaking.



Plus there are so many old treasures to explore!


The Gutenberg Bible (The first book printed in Europe using movable type).


Leonardo da Vinci's Notebook


Mozart's Music Diary


Beowulf: The only copy of this text which survives thanks to the Cotton Library.

Some of the other highlights included written songs by The Beatles, the Magna Carta, and letters from the Royals including Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I.

Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures of these items so I will just have to visit them again and again.  Good thing admission is free!

My Local Ghost

In order to celebrate the Halloween spirit (he he), I found a great ghost that walks the streets of my neighbourhood. Seriously, there are ghosts everywhere in this city!

Read and enjoy!

In 1803, the 'Hammersmith Ghost', was terrorising that area of Greater London. It was assumed to be the spirit of a man who had committed suicide by cutting his own throat. In December of that year, a woman taking a short-cut home through the church yard was chased by a figure that she described as being, 'very tall and very white'. When it grabbed her in its arms, she fainted. Later, her friends found her wandering aimlessly around the cemetery. She was gently led home and put to bed. She never recovered from the shock and died shortly after.

An excise officer, by the name of Francis Smith, decided to investigate the alleged spectre. Maybe he had an idea that there was nothing supernatural about this 'ghost' because he went armed with a blunderbuss. This he loaded, not with silver coins, but with lead shot. When the ghost appeared, he fired.

Unfortunately, Smith's aim was true and the figure dropped to the ground. Upon investigation, Smith was horrified to find that he killed an innocent, dust covered bricklayer by the name of Thomas Milward who was on his way home. The body was taken to the nearby Black Lion pub. Smith was tried for 'wilful murder', found guilty and sentenced to death. This was almost immediately commuted to one year's hard labour. 

When the 'Hammersmith Ghost', as it had come to called, was apprehended, he was discovered to be nothing more sinister than a man a dressed up. He said that he was frightening people in retaliation for someone having scared his children by telling them ghost stories.

However, Thomas Milward, the unfortunate bricklayer, still haunts the Black Lion Pub where his body was taken. The pub displays a plaque recounting the story. Drinkers hear their name whispered, computers turn themselves on and the upstairs floorboards can be heard creaking as if someone is walking across them.

Shopping In London

I love to shop!  Back home, I knew my favorite stores and could pick out clothes like no one's business (ask the husband, he was dragged a many a times with the promise of a Starbucks coffee which never lasted as long as the outing).  

It was really hard to discover which stores and brands I would like here once I landed but after less than a month I have discovered many wonderful things!

1. Everyone does online shopping.  With a population of over 8 million people living in approx. 1,500 square kilometers, there is no real room for stores.  So just shop online!  this size/population ratio makes is super easy to buy online, have everything shipped free to your door in 2 days and if you don't like something, you get to ship it back for free too!
2. Because of the location of our flat, we are actually within 5 minutes of the second largest mall in the UK. This has been really handy in buying things for the flat and wasting some afternoons away browsing the different shops.  The people watching is also fabulous!
3. The food courts are high-class food establishments here.  You will not find the usual burger and pizza joints that litter North American malls.  Everything is made in front of you, designed to your specifications.  Oh, and it's mostly healthy (or at least not deep-fried). Every meal is presented on china dishes and you are provided silverware cutlery to eat with.  
4. Feeling thirsty while shopping? Don't feel like a bottle of water or a pop?  How about a wine? Beer? Pimms? Yes, that's right, they serve alcohol at ALL the fast food places.  You will also be provided a real glass glass to drink your alcohol from.  

I always loved shopping but for these very reasons, shopping is a far more enjoyable experience!  

Walking in London

One of my biggest complaints about London so far is the walking.  Not all the walking that one has to do because I don't have a vehicle, but because there are no rules to walking.  In Canada, we drive on the right side of the road, and we walk on the right side of the street.  In England, they drive on the left side of the road, and they walk anywhere!.  So you must pay attention and dodge people coming towards you from all sides.

Oh, and to make it even more exciting, pedestrians do not have the right-of-way in crosswalks.  Crosswalks are mere places of suggestion to cross the street. If a car is there, you must stay out of its way. You get hit, it's your fault.

So thanks to these little tidbits, walking is far more complicated than what I learned in New York: yellow ones don't stop.  Bonus points if you can guess the movie that is from.

A typical street to maneuver in London.

I'm Finally In London

So it took a bit of work to get here, but I finally arrived September 30th, cats in tow.  We were all on the same flight but got to the flat separately which was a blessing. I could not imagine lugging two large suitcases, a huge backpack and two kennels through the tube.  Shea met me at the airport and had a car waiting to take us to the flat.  The cats got to go through their own customs where they were moved into a large kennel, cleaned (I have to assume because they smelt like cleaning product of some sort), scanned for their microchips, fed, watered, then loaded back into their clean crates and driven to the flat where we were waiting anxiously.

It took Samson a bit more time to get used to the new (cramped) quarters but they are both very well adjusted and enjoying their 6 foot tall cat tree.

My parents were here for my first 6 days as a London resident (they had been traveling Europe and visiting my brother's family before).  They were very nice in helping get some of the shopping done to make this place functional.  For example, a vacuum cleaner was a must.  We also needed some more dishes and a duvet to fit our super-king bed (its just a king sized bed according to North America; its just fun to say).  We also got to eat some yummy meals together and walk a bit of the city while Shea worked (ha ha).

Now that they are gone, I have had some time to get over a cold that was contracted on the flight here and start getting into a routine (sort of).  I am still trying to get all my papers in order so I can teach here but in the meantime I will just enjoy being a tourist and charging online purchases to Shea's credit card!

One of Samson's hiding spots (also a shot of our very tiny kitchen).

Yep, that's him on top of the kitchen cupboards.

Evea sleeping in the radiator bed.  I think this will be very popular once we turn on the heat.

The Situation

Alright, so the blogging didn't happen as often this summer as I would have liked.  Part of the reason is that everything I wanted to blog about had pictures to go along with it.  The camera is in London.  I have mostly been in Canada.  So it's kind of hard to blog about things that I don't have pictures to go along with.

In addition to this, there has been a situation with the paperwork to get the cats across the pond.  Their rabies vaccination papers were missing their microchip numbers.  And then the vet closed his business and moved.  So now I am waiting for the correct paperwork to arrive by mail.  Once I get that, we can book flights for them (and then for me).

Once I get to London, I will do some quick blogs about New York and maybe even about my various trips to the lake. Mostly, I will be busy trying to find work (can't apply for work unless you know when you will be able to start).  Looks like I will also be busy buying furniture too. Not a lot, because there was also a situation with finding a place to live.

We ended up having to lease a flat for a year because we could not find a borough that we would like to buy a house in.  By the time we came to the realization that we want to stay in Central London, it was time for me to come back to Canada and for the husband to go to New York for a month.  Being crunched for time, we found a place to rent in a decent area with a small commute.  That also means it is really small.  But it is clean (which the last rental was not) and gives us some time to find a permanent home.

So that is everything that kept me busy this summer.

Stay tuned. Maybe I will actually move one day...

A Day at the Tower of London

Today, we spent part of the day at the Tower of London.  This is one of my favorite sites but I don't think they do it justice.  There is so much history in this location that they skim over.  Instead their plaques discuss when certain artifacts were added to the collection.  Some of the highlights include:

The Beefeaters:

A beefeater (or Yeomen Warders). They are in charge of looking after any prisoners in the Tower and guarding the Crown Jewels. The beef-eaters do a great job bringing the history alive in their tours.

The Actual Building:

The beautiful architecture of the Tower of London

The Crown Jewels:

The Crown Jewels including the Imperial Crown (you are not allowed to take pictures so I ripped this off the Internet). If I had a crown like this, I would wear it each day while eating breakfast.  People would look at you funny if you wore it around town after-all.

Traitor's Gate:

Many prisoners of the Tudors entered the Tower of London through the Traitors' Gate. It played a big part in Anne Boleyn's coronation in 1533. She was the second wife of Henry VIII who ordered the Queen's Lodgings in the Tower to be renovated and spent the equivalent of over 1 millions pounds making them suitable for her. It was in those lodgings that Anne spent the night before her coronation and, ironically, she was also imprisoned there before being beheaded in May 1636. 

The Bloody Tower: (Ghost Story)

Within this tower, two young princes disappeared mysteriously.   After the death of King Edward IV, his sons, Edward V and Richard (12 and 9 years old) were moved to the Tower by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester.  He stated that is was to prepare Edward for his coronation as king. Richard of Gloucester took the throne for himself, stating that the princes were not legitimate heirs.  No one saw the princes after 1483 and they were presumed murdered. 

Their ghosts, sometimes holding hands, have been seen in various rooms in the Bloody Tower where they were incarcerated. In 1674, two small skeletons were found in a chest and given a Royal funeral.  Recently, these bones were exhumed and forensically examined.  Although the results were inconclusive, it was determined that the bones belonged to male children of the correct age.  

Other Interesting Bits:

 Scavenger's Daughter: A torture device used to lock the prisoner in a bent-over position

The Rack: Need I say more?

A ledger from 675-1679 that records the artifacts in the Tower.  This ledger is 914 pages!

 

A dragon made out of armour (because what's a castle without a dragon?)

The site of where so many nobles were beheaded including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (both wives of King Henry VIII).

An execution block and axe.