Leather Apron Case Study

Frequently during the case, the press and police reports overlap and influence each other, but each creates a separate image of Jack the Ripper. Many inquests were published in the newspapers, but they did not contain the details of the police reports. The police reports also contain many letters written by the press to the police or written by the police to the press, showing their constant interaction throughout the case. The most prevelant interaction between these two groups was the press’ criticism of the police. The police were dealing with the usual string of criminal activity in Whitechapel, and they had no leads in Tabram’s case, so once again the murder was thought to be the work of one of the area 's gangs.
Dew reflects that once …show more content…
Several witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man near the scenes of both murders. The only thing connecting these statements was they all described a man dressed as a gentleman. This image of the Ripper is completely different than the working-class images of ‘Leather Apron’ or the ‘mad butcher’. The idea that the serial killer could be a member of the upper class horrified the people of the East End and led to the expansion of the search for the Ripper to the West End. One witness testimony stood out from the rest. Israel Schwartz identified the body of the deceased as a woman he saw just before the time of the murder; He said she was with two men, both of whom had dark hair, dark mustaches, and wore gentleman 's clothing. The witness also said one man referred to the other as “Lipski”. Chief Inspector Donald Swanson even states in his report: “The use of ‘Lipski’ increases my belief that the murderer was a Jew.” The police reports also have sparse mentions of inquests involving accusations of a few declared insane medical students in the area; there is no further detail as to what prompted this inquiry. This is one of the few allusions to the ‘mad doctor’ theory that was later made famous by the press. The press often described the ripper as insane and possibly supernatural. At the time of the killings, Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde …show more content…
The profile was not published in the press. The police explored many ideas of Jack: ‘Leather Apron’, the ‘mad butcher’, the ‘mad doctor’ or medical student, the gentleman, and the Jew. Many of these images were exaggerated by the press, however the police considered the theories which held some evidence. After conducting countless investigations into several dozen suspects, the police came up empty handed. They dismissed ‘Leather Apron’, and there was not enough evidence against the ‘mad butcher’ or any other working class man. After the confession from the drunk medical student and Dr. Bond 's report, the police dismissed the ‘mad doctor’ theory. There was no evidence of any religious motive in the case, and the police had discounted the Jews ' involvement after the writing on the wall that accused the Jewish