Jack The Ripper

Why did the Whitechapel murders attract to much attention in 1888?

There are a number of reasons why Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention.

One of them was the nature of the attacks. No one had ever seen or heard about such violent and gruesome attacks so everyone wanted to know more. The middle class had to take an interest because of the threat of disorder and a possible revolt by the poor. The style of the attack itself attracted the public. The ghastly nature of the way in which 5 women were killed brutally was something that was in a way irreplaceable. The women were all very similarly attacked. All of the women had their throat cut of. So for this reason they wanted to see the murderer caught as soon as possible for their own safety not the prostitutes.

The interest in the murders grew with each attack. This was because of the regular continuation of the killings and the failure of the police catching him. Each attack was worse then the previous. The fact that Ripper was able to commit these crimes and run away without anyone noticing was also something that attracted the public.

Another reason interest grew with every attack was because of the amount of women that were killed, there had not really been any serial killers recorded before in history so this was all new to everyone. As well as the nature of the crimes, the nature of the victims caused a lot of people to give some attention. All the victims were prostitutes, this made other prostitutes scared for their own safety therefore they would have paid a lot of attention to whether Jack had been caught yet so they could get back to business normally.

The victims had history of alcoholism and severe depression. They were all single or divorced and had been on the wrong side of the law on several accounts and had even been convicted of drunkenness and disorderly behaviour. All of the women were from poor backgrounds and had tough lives and never really had any happiness of some kind. There only hope of surviving came from the money they earned from prostitution.

The media used this fear to sell more newspapers and therefore make more money.

The press were enjoying their chance to make money by exaggerating stories to sell more papers. The news of the murders had spread worldwide, as this was the first known case of homicidal serial murders. People were so afraid that they did not go out on the streets at night. Whatever the press wrote people would believe it and go to the police for every single detail and update about possible arrests, evidence or any suspicious activities going on. The press had often questioned the police on why they haven't captured the killer; this further fed the public's anger and fuelled the emotions as to why these mysterious murders were happening in their city. Letters like Dear Boss would definitely have attracted the public.

The press captured the people with their accounts to who was committing such brutal murders. Significantly these theories did attract the public. After this in the newspaper, hundreds of letters piled in from people claiming to be Jack the Ripper, only one or two have ever been considered as possibly true, as they obtain evidence to the next murders. Also, the pressure was on the police for a reward to be offered. The fact that a serial killer on the loose had made everyone frightened and people wanted him caught was very significant. As this Provoked more and more people feeling insecure and anxious.

Another reason why this attracted the public was because of a royal conspiracy theory. This most appealing theory unfolded like when Albert Victor, known popularly as Eddy, was the grandson of Queen Victoria. Eddy frequently went in the Whitechapel area. He met and had an affair with a shop girl named Annie Crook. Annie became pregnant with his child and, according to one version of the story, married Eddy secretly in a Roman Catholic wedding. Other versions have the child being born out of wedlock.

Marrying or impregnating a Catholic girl of low social standing was a definite wrong move for a future king. The prime minister delegated this task to Queen Victoria's physician, Sir William Gull. Dr. Gull had Annie taken away to a hospital where he savaged her memory and intellect, leaving her institutionalized for the rest of her life. Mary Kelly was caring for Annie's royal daughter, named Alice Margaret, when Annie was kidnapped. Mary Kelly,