Monday 19th Nov 1888
Good evening and welcome to Whitechapel on Monday the 19th November, 1888. Tonight find a city in mourning in the last days of Ripper Live.
Today, thousands of people lined the streets route to pay their last respects to Mary Jane Kelly, who was murdered ten days ago. Her body was taken to St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery at Leytonstone and the roads were filled as the procession went. Literally thousands watch the procession.The funeral is paid for by Henry Wilton, verger of St. Leonard's Church in Shoreditch. The funeral is given a few lines in The Star. The press is starved of new material and despite the recent atrocity, it is quiet.
"A Star man made a round of the police-stations this morning, and received everywhere the report of a very quiet night. Neither at Commercial St nor Leman St was anyone detained. Expectation of another murder was the only cause of stir. Detectives were mustered at the stations in readiness for any emergency. Up to twelve o'clock, however, nothing had turned up. Last night there was some excitement consequent on the arrest in a Flower and Dean St tenement house of a young man. He accompanied a woman & had the misfortune to make use of expressions which caused her think she was in the hands of the murderer. She ran trembling to a policeman, who arrested the man. He satisfied the detective, and was released after a short detention."
Saturday's paper contains a curious piece of news entitled; "Revenged on "Jack the Ripper."" which reads as follows: "At Liverpool yesterday a young man named Bramwell was charged with damaging a wax figure of "Jack the Ripper" at an exhibition. On seeing the figure at the exhibition he expressed a determination to smash it. He was ordered to pay the damage and costs." The most notable thing to consider about this news is the fact this man who killed only ten days ago has now been immortalised. He has already become a thing of folklore. Any innocent man can suddenly have the finger pointed – suddenly become the monster. But after the act of accusation, when innocence is proven, the threat vanishes. The notion of "Jack the Ripper" is like a phantom. And with more paranoia comes more uncertainty. Superstition blends with the crimes. There are fewer facts and more questions.
With Sir Charles Warren finally quitting amidst accusations of ineptitude, the newspapers have lost a political focus. Warren's failure to catch the Ripper gave them great ammunition. Now he's gone, whose fault is it? The stories are drying up.
Join us again on Wednesday as the Autumn of Terror heads towards winter and we continue the final week of #RipperLive ...