The Whitechapel Murders

In Victorian London, in 1888, a killer was walking amongst the locals. However, this is not the serial killer who you are thinking of. Jack the Ripper is one of two killers who operated in London simultaneously.

If history is to be believed, this second killer did not get the publicity that The Ripper did; known as the torso killer, his murder has largely been ignored by many, although he was no less vicious.

This is the story of the Whitechapel Mystery. A killer who hunted in the shadows like his famous peer and mocked the police. Some will say this is the story of the same killer, that the murder was never accredited to The Ripper but should have been. You decide.

Remains are Found

On 11th September 1888, a right arm and shoulder were retrieved from The Thames in Pimlico. The remains were taken to the local police station, but with little else to go on and a much bigger killer emerging, they were largely ignored. It is clear that this angered the murderer, so he took action.

At the time of the murders, the police were busy building a new station, famously known as Scotland Yard, the home of the metropolitan police. However, the station was not finished, and workers still constructed it daily.

On 2nd October, one of the workers discovered a strange package in the basement. The parcel contained a torso; it had been wrapped in black cloth, possibly a petticoat and left after 29th September. It was now challenging for the authorities to ignore the murder as it had quite literally turned up in their basement.

It was not until the 17th October that more of the body was discovered; this time, it was a left leg buried in a construction site. Unfortunately, no other remains were ever recovered.

Who was the Mystery Woman?

From the limited science available to them, the police managed to ascertain that the torso was that of a 5'8" woman. The woman had been of large build and had never carried a child.

She was well nourished, with delicate hands that had not been used to manual work. It was primarily thought that she came from a good family, mainly as the satin she was found wrapped in was not cheap.

In addition, they described her as having fair skin and dark hair; they estimated her age at approximately twenty-four. But unfortunately, with only limited body parts, this was all the evidence they had.

What the Police Knew

A post-mortem examination provided more clues to the murder. The woman's uterus had been removed, just as Catherine Eddowes had. The cause of death could not be determined, but suffocation or drowning was ruled out.

Similar to the early days of the Ripper investigation, the police believe that the killer had a degree of medical knowledge. They also concluded that the limbs had been removed post-mortem.

The woman had died between six weeks and two months before being found; there was also a copy of The Echo dated 24th August with the body.

Links to The Ripper

As little as the police did know, they ruled out any links to Jack the Ripper, saying that the murders were completely unrelated. However, many have discussed whether this lady, who was never identified, was the first victim of Jack the Ripper.

There are similarities between the cases. The obvious one is the removal of the uterus. There is also the fact that this killer, like the Ripper, liked to taunt the police. The Ripper sending notes, this killer sending a body.

Both murders were said to be done by someone with anatomical knowledge. However, this has primarily been disproven for the Ripper.

There is also the coincidence that all the murders occurred during the same period, in the same area. However, bear in mind that Victorian London was a harsh place to be, and murders happened on regular occasions. So, there are many that we will never know about.

So what do you think? Was the torso murder a separate psychopath wandering around London, or did Jack the Ripper claim more than five victims?