Suspects Under Scrutiny: Profiles and Possibilities

Overview

The identity of Jack the Ripper has eluded definitive proof, despite extensive police efforts and centuries of theorizing. In 1888, the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police investigated dozens of individuals, ranging from local laborers to foreign immigrants and even affluent professionals. This chapter profiles the most prominent suspects named in official records and senior investigators' later accounts, drawing from Metropolitan Police files, Home Office correspondence, and memoirs like those of Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline and Inspector Edmund Reid. It evaluates each suspect's background, connection to the crimes, and the evidence—or lack thereof—tying them to the murders, concluding with an assessment of why no one was conclusively charged.

The suspects here are those with documented police scrutiny in 1888-1891, avoiding later sensational claims unless grounded in primary sources. The analysis reflects the investigative constraints of the era and the complexity of Whitechapel's social fabric.

John Pizer ("Leather Apron")

• Background: A Polish Jewish bootmaker, born 1850, Pizer lived in Whitechapel and was known locally as "Leather Apron" for his trade and alleged temper. He had a minor criminal record for assault, per MEPO 3/140.

• Connection: After Annie Chapman's murder (September 8, 1888), a leather apron found near her body sparked rumors, amplified by The Star (September 5). Witnesses reported Pizer threatening prostitutes, per Inspector Joseph Helson's September 10 report.

• Investigation: Arrested September 10 by Sergeant William Thick, Pizer was questioned at Leman Street station. He provided alibis—home with family during Nichols' murder, at a lodging house for Chapman's—verified by relatives and a landlord, per Abberline's September 12 log. Released September 12, he faced no charges.

• Evaluation: No physical evidence linked Pizer to the scenes. His apron matched his trade, not the crime, per Helson. Public anti-Semitism likely fueled suspicion, but police dismissed him as a viable suspect.

Montague John Druitt

• Background: Born 1857 in Dorset, Druitt was a barrister and schoolteacher dismissed from Blackheath School in November 1888 for unspecified reasons. His body was found in the Thames on December 31, 1888, a suicide, per coroner's report (January 2, 1889).

• Connection: Assistant Commissioner Sir Melville Macnaghten's 1894 memorandum (HO 144/221/A49301C) named Druitt a "likely" suspect, citing his "sexual insanity" and proximity to London. His family suspected mental instability, per Macnaghten's private notes.

• Investigation: No contemporary police record ties Druitt to 1888 inquiries. Macnaghten, joining Scotland Yard in 1889, relied on "private information," possibly from Druitt's brother William, a solicitor. Druitt lived in Blackheath, 7 miles from Whitechapel, with no documented presence there.

• Evaluation: Macnaghten's claim lacks corroboration—no witnesses, no forensic links. His suicide post-dates the murders, and mental health speculation is unsubstantiated. Historian Philip Sugden (1994) deems him a posthumous scapegoat, not a prime suspect in 1888.

Aaron Kosminski

• Background: Born 1865 in Poland, Kosminski immigrated to London in 1881, working as a barber in Whitechapel. Admitted to Colney Hatch Asylum in 1891 for insanity, he exhibited paranoia and violent tendencies, per asylum records (LMA H12/CH/B/13).

• Connection: Macnaghten's 1894 memo listed Kosminski as a suspect with "strong hatred of women" and "homicidal tendencies." Chief Inspector Donald Swanson's marginalia in his copy of Sir Robert Anderson's memoir (1910) claimed Kosminski was identified by a witness but not charged due to refusal to testify.

• Investigation: Police surveilled Kosminski in 1888-1889, per Swanson's October 19, 1888, report (MEPO 3/141), noting his residence near Goulston Street. The witness, possibly Israel Schwartz or Joseph Lawende, saw a suspect with a victim but hesitated, per Anderson's The Lighter Side of My Official Life. Kosminski was institutionalized, not prosecuted.

• Evaluation: Proximity and behavior align with the killer's profile, but no physical evidence (e.g., knife, blood) exists. The identification is vague—Swanson's note lacks detail—and asylum records show delusions, not murder. Modern scholars like Martin Fido (1987) favor him, but proof is circumstantial.

Michael Ostrog

• Background: A Russian-born conman and thief, born circa 1833, Ostrog had a long criminal record, including aliases and escapes from asylums, per Home Office files (HO 144/221/A49301C).

• Connection: Macnaghten's 1894 memo named Ostrog a suspect, citing his "homicidal mania" and presence in London in 1888. Described as a "mad Russian doctor," he fit public fears of foreign killers.

• Investigation: Police sought Ostrog in October 1888, per MEPO 3/141, but found he was in a Paris prison from November 1887 to March 1888, released too late for early murders. No record places him in Whitechapel during the crimes.

• Evaluation: Ostrog's inclusion appears erroneous—Macnaghten admitted weak evidence. His criminality was non-violent (theft, fraud), and the alibi disproves involvement, per Sugden (1994). He's a relic of 1888 xenophobia, not a serious contender.

George Chapman (Severin Klosowski)

• Background: Born 1865 in Poland, Klosowski arrived in London in 1887, working as a barber-surgeon in Whitechapel. Later convicted of poisoning three wives (1903), he was hanged, per Old Bailey records.

• Connection: Abberline, in a 1903 Pall Mall Gazette interview, endorsed Chapman, noting his surgical training and residence near murder sites (e.g., Cable Street, 1888). His violent misogyny emerged later via poisonings.

• Investigation: Not a suspect in 1888, Chapman surfaced post-conviction. Police files lack mention until 1903, when Inspector George Godley linked his locations to the Ripper's range. No witnesses tied him to 1888 scenes.

• Evaluation: Surgical skill and proximity are compelling, but poisoning differs from the Ripper's knife-work. Dr. Thomas Bond's 1888 profile (HO 144) emphasized brutality, not finesse, weakening the case. Abberline's theory is plausible but unproven.

Analysis

The suspect pool reflects 1888 biases—immigrants (Pizer, Kosminski, Ostrog), the "mad" (Druitt, Ostrog), and skilled tradesmen (Chapman)—yet none yielded solid evidence. Police methods—witness IDs, house searches—faltered without forensics. Kosminski and Chapman stand out: Kosminski for proximity and Swanson's note, Chapman for Abberline's hindsight. Yet, as Anderson conceded (1910), "no proof could be obtained." The killer's anonymity endured not from police failure alone, but from an era ill-equipped to catch him.