In the year of 1888 in Whitechapel London, the streets of East End were rife with illicit and promiscuous activity. Drinking, prostitution, and other such proceedings were not unknown to this area in London, but on August 31, 1888, an elusive murder will make a name for himself, dubbed ‘Jack the Ripper,’ for his multiple, brutal killings. His murders would become sensationalized in British media from his two letters ‘From hell,’ and ‘Dear Boss.’ While serial killing itself becomes a performance in media, it can be argued that Jack the Ripper’s letters were substantial in cementing his legacy, and displaying his murders to the general public as a grand spectacle.
His letter ‘From Hell’ was sent with a kidney of Catherine Eddows, his fourth victim. Murder is already agreed upon to be wrong, but by sending the kidney he signals to readers that he is a character which is truly and utterly morally perverse. In this and how warped the writing is, ‘From Hell’ is the most believable letter to be written by the true serial killer. The murder’s and the victims alone would never have been able to connect Jack the Ripper’s persona to the public. The letters were what drew ordinary people into his character. He finds everything to be humorous and entertaining, so he continued to work off of this and send this letter to the chairman of the vigilante committee, George W. Lusk. This reflects how contemporary murders are often able to garner support or sympathy, because through interviews and media coverage they are able to appeal to the public. While in the 19th century England did not have television to broadcast Jack the Ripper, his letters were enough to spread like wildfire— because this was one of the very few and rare times in which the public was able to truly hear the assailant’s voice. His voice and thoughts, while appalling, are utterly captivating and mesmerizing. In his other letter, ‘Dear Boss’ he continues this streak of grotesque display, when he writes that he will cut off the ear of his next victim, who was evidently Catherine Eddows. This bold proclamation not only would verify his letters as being penned from the killer himself, but also continues to elaborate on this morally abominable charcaicature. Once Catherine’s body was found with a severed earlobe, the police released the letter and ‘Jack the Ripper’ became to be known all around London.
The letters continued to fuel the public’s frenzy and craze. Their mania over the character, ‘Jack the Ripper,’ is only solidification as to how the letters were the cornerstone to his characterization. In the midst of the killings, a flood of letters enter the media (which in reality were ordinary people attempting to impersonate Jack the Ripper) so much so that it became unclear which were Jack’s letters, and which were faked. While the complication in whose letters were whose, it proves the idea that Jack’s letters were what helped in fostering his image as a notorious killer. The public knew that his letters were what gave birth to his character, because so many others sought to recreate his letters in order to get attention for themselves. Negative attention was attention nonetheless, and this insight reveals that the grisly murders were not the root to his sensationalization— but rather his letters.
Five women were murdered in cold blood in the streets of East End: Mary Ann Nicholos, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. Yet it is none of these names that are left remembered in history. Jack the Ripper’s infamous shadow looms over in history, making sure that he will live on through his letters.
