Edmund Reid

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in completely proving his innocence. That was the last Ripper murder.’ And now tell me a few things. First, how do you account for the man so skilfully escaping you all? ‘As I have explained, we never in one single instance found a person who had seen a man with any of the murdered women on the evenings they were murdered, so we never had a description of him. This is accounted for by the fact that every victim was a woman of ill-fame of the very lowest type, and that in every instance the woman took the man secretly, at a moment when no one was in sight, away to a quiet, hidden, secluded spot known by her, never frequented at night-time. Further, with the exception of the last two cases, the place of the murder was on private property; that is, in a place into which the law forbids that a policeman should enter. The victims themselves selected the hiding-place, the scene of their murder, and sought it in a stealthy manner which prevented them being seen. They selected their murderer, they selected the scene of their death, and provided their assailant with escape. They took care to render impossible evidence of their being seen taking a man to the scene of the murder.’ And what is your own idea of the murderer? ‘That he was a homicidal maniac there was no doubt, and had that cunning of insanity which defies the reason of sane persons is equally certain. I am satisfied that he was a man who did not seek victims. My notion is that he might never have committed a murder at all had he not been solicited and led away by the women; but that on every occasion when this happened to him the frenzy came upon him. His carrying a knife may be accounted for in dozens of ways. It is likely, too, that in every instance drink had much to do with the recurring mania. Every one of the murders was committed after the public-houses closed at night, most of them within an hour afterwards.’ Have you the remotest idea who or what the man was? ‘He was a vulgar man; that is, he was no scientist or medical man – not even a butcher – I should say, from the same clumsiness displayed in his frenzied work in each case. I have always believed that he lived somewhere in the neighbourhood of Berner-street. The first of the murders was in that district, and every one was committed within a radius of a quarter of a mile of the Princess Alice public house in Commercial-street. All of the women lived in that district, and so I believe did the murderer. There are similar women, and equally hidden spots in other parts of London, yet no Ripper murder was committed in any other part of London. Then, again, on the night of the Berner-street murder he went down Citywards, when he murdered the woman in Mitre-square and returned to Berner-street within an hour and a half, to the spot where the piece of the Mitre-square woman’s apron was found, thrown on the ground beneath the writing on the wall.’ Now, what became of him? ‘I believe he is dead. You see every case disclosed that with each recurring attack of the mania the fury of the frenzy was intensified. The greatest probability is that the effect on the murderer’s system was physical exhaustion of a kind which would destroy the system. Yes, I should say Jack the Ripper is dead. Most likely he died in a madhouse.’ Among other things which Reid spoke of was the fact that though called Whitechapel murders, most of them were committed in Stepney and Spitalfields. He also said it was a mistake to fancy the murders made the Ripper feared by the class of people who alone had need to fear him. ‘I have heard wretched women of that class, starving, homeless, unhappy creatures in the misery of their debased life, scream for Jack the Ripper, pray for him to come to them and end their misery. And I saw children in the street, when the scare was at its height, laughing and skipping, and enjoying life, playing at the game of the Ripper.’ The journalist ended the interview by informing readers that: Edmund Reid, by the way, is still one of the most popular men in the East End, and an influential committee has been formed, of which Mr Solomon, of 18 Commercial-street, is the secretary, for the purpose of presenting him with a handsome testimonial from Whitechapel tradesmen, as a memento of his services among them. 2 2 News of the World, 12 April 1896. Ripperologist 147 December 2015 6
As in other interviews given by Reid on the Whitechapel murders, this contains glaring and obvious errors, including getting the year of the Mitre Square murder wrong, saying that Emma Smith was killed by one man when she had described three attackers, claiming that no body parts had been removed and saying that nobody saw a man with any of the victims on the nights they were killed are just a few examples. from Lloyd’s Weekly News Reid repeated his belief that there were nine murders, that the murderer had no anatomical knowledge and was a homicidal maniac who was probably dead by 1896. He elaborates on his theory that the victims were largely responsible for their own deaths with the curious suggestion that Jack the Ripper had not been seeking victims and might not have killed anyone if he not been given the opportunity to do so and escape undetected. It is difficult to believe Reid’s story about John McCarthy’s mental breakdown, as immediately after the murder of Mary Kelly he was lucid enough to be interviewed by the Sunday Times newspaper and to give evidence at Kelly’s inquest a few days later. It is perplexing to read the remarks of a police officer who had worked so closely on the Whitechapel murders investigation for so long, making numerous errors just a few years after the crimes had been committed. Yet on other occasions Reid was accurate, such as still being able to remember exactly how much weekly rent Mary Kelly had to pay. Disappointingly, Edmund Reid has not proved to be the most reliable source on the subject of the Whitechapel murders. However, his ultimate conclusion that the identity of Jack the Ripper was not known is entirely reasonable. In 1902 Reid took umbrage when the Metropolitan Police offered retired officers a modest sum to assist at the Coronation of King Edward VII in London. Reid felt that it was rather insulting for retired sergeants and inspectors to receive ‘the same as a pensioned third-class constable. It is not a matter of sight-seeing with them, but hard work, many leaving a home and business for a time, travelling many miles; and, another thing, no matter how loyal one may be, he does not want to be out of pocket in the manner.’ 3 Reid later added: I do not wish to egotise, but should like to say that I was a detective-inspector twelve years, both at the Yard and Whitechapel during the Ripper murders, and only left in 1896, and now am asked to offer myself for duty during the Coronation at the same price as a constable who has just managed to get a small pension with the skin of his teeth. I certainly think that some distinction should be made according to rank, and that all should be asked to assist. I do not intend to offer myself after the disrespect shown to an officer who also left with a good character. 4 Despite this disagreement with his former employers it seems that Reid was still willing to do them a good turn. In 1912 and 1913 he advertised his services, free of charge, to advise young men who wished to join the Metropolitan Police Force. 5 By the time of the Coronation Reid had left London for his native east Kent and in the early 20th century was registered as living at ‘Reid’s Ranch’ in Hampton-on-Sea, a tiny seaside hamlet of Herne Bay. He was simultaneously living at a house in Borstal Hill in the neighbouring town of Whitstable. There he joined the quoit club 6 and wrote letters to the local newspaper. In 1905 a Whitstable resident, writing under the name of ‘A Progressive’, complained in a letter to the Whitstable Times about the state of the town which ‘excels in untidiness. Many of the roads are overgrown with weeds and the water channels at the side of the roads are full with grit and manure.’ The seafront was in a ‘deplorable’ condition, and worst of all, a refuge dump had been established at the eastern entrance of the town, close to the main road. 7 3 Daily Mail, 29 April 1902. 4 Daily Mail, 12 May 1902. 5 Whitstable Times, 14 & 28 December 1912; 4 January 1913. 6 Whitstable Times, 14 October 1905. 7 Whitstable Times, 15 July 1905. Ripperologist 147 December 2015 7
Page 1 and 2: No. 147 December 2015 Edmund Reid N
Page 3 and 4: The Anniversary Waltz EDITORIAL by
Page 5 and 6: So you never obtained a description
Page 7: poor mutilated woman turned his bra
Page 11 and 12: Edmund Reid at Hampton-on-Sea makin
Page 13 and 14: This sounds similar to Yuri Gagarin
Page 15 and 16: just touched to guide-rope expected
Page 17 and 18: Sir Charles Warren Over the years,
Page 19 and 20: The register also tells us how much
Page 21 and 22: John George Littlechild was Initiat
Page 23 and 24: JTRForums: A Decade of Dedication B
Page 25 and 26: I've been focused on newspapers for
Page 27 and 28: him outside the docks, and because
Page 29 and 30: We have seen the sweater engaging h
Page 31 and 32: From the Casebooks of a Murder Hous
Page 33 and 34: As for murder house detection aspec
Page 35 and 36: Inspector Ross decided to try a few
Page 37 and 38: The murder house at No. 9 Adelphi T
Page 39 and 40: Portraits in connection with the Ra
Page 41 and 42: tirades against himself; he was wor
Page 43 and 44: Newspaper photographs of Margery Wr
Page 45 and 46: An unexpected survivor: the little
Page 47 and 48: He bared his breast and exposed the
Page 49 and 50: Victorian Fiction The Last House in
Page 51 and 52: The Last House in C-- Street By Din
Page 53 and 54: ‘We did all we could to persuade
Page 55 and 56: ‘“Nonsense, Patty!” But it ha
Page 57 and 58: Mrs MacArthur stopped, wiped her ey
Page 59 and 60:
Jack the Ripper- Case Solved, 1891
Page 61 and 62:
portrayed as a super-cop and Druitt
Page 63 and 64:
London Fog: A Memoir Christine L Co
Page 65 and 66:
he made his living by writing anony
Page 67 and 68:
The Ice Cream Blonde: The Whirlwind
Page 69 and 70:
Scholars of the wild west seem agre
Page 71 and 72:
Ripper Fiction with DAVID GREEN The
Page 73:
Proper Red Stuff: Ripper Fiction Be
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Edmund Reid

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