June 1996
Of the literally dozens of odd coincidences in the case, one which has been advanced most recently has been the idea of anagrams in the Ripper's "writings." Concerning the chalked message on Goulston Street, JUWES was said to have been written in a "rounded schoolboy hand" and the W could very well have been a U and a V. We now have JUUVES, and upon moving one letter back in the alphabet we have ITTUDR -- an anagram for DRUITT. Also, in the Dear Boss letter, the author writes "... I can't use it. Red..." This is a perfect anagram for "I can see Druitt." Are these just a few more coincidences to throw on the pile, or actually clues pointing to the verification of M.J. Druitt as Jack the Ripper? Are there any other hidden anagrams in the case?
1.
Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 21:20:08 -0700
From: wolvie@sprynet.com
First of all I don't feel that there is any reason to beleive that the Ripper wrote the Goulston St. graffiti. The message is described as blurry which is an indication that it was old and not written on the murder night. Furthermore, the "Dear Boss" letter is probably also a hoax. In any event, you can find anagrams in just about anything if you look hard enough!! These little tidbits are amusing, but should be discounted.
2.
Date: Mon, 03 Jun 1996 15:03:03 -0400
From: Michael Rogers
Anagrams! I mean, come on. I know we're all a little obsessed by all this but let's try and keep our heads here. That's even more ridiculous than that Maybrick watch with the victims' initials scratched in it. As a journalist, a good rule of thumb is that anything that seems too contrived to be real IS too contrived to be real, so don't believe it.
3.
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 1996 18:36:38 +0100
From: Matthew Fletcher
I am afraid I am responsible for the anagram suggestion. To expand slightly on the introduction:
The 'Dear Boss' letter and followup have never been validated or disproved. There is no real evidence either way and (quite rightly) they are generally regarded as suspect.
The first 'Dear Boss' letter contains "You will soon hear of me with my funny little games." The very next sentence ends "... I cant use it. Red ". The consecutive letters "t use it Red" give "See Druitt!" - or the "I can" can be stuck on the front.
The previous sentence can certainly be read as flagging the reader that a little game to find the author's name is coming up. I certainly agree that you can find anagrams in anything - but this isnt SO contrived is it?
When combined with the fact that JUWES ( or JUUVES ) can be shifted to Druitt I think its worth a look. Killers often send letters to the authorities to boast and give clues away. Hasn't someone recently decoded a name from the Zodiac killer letters?
4.
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 16:45:46 +-1000
From: Dennis Stocks
Anagrams are a nice intellectual exercise and all manner of messages can be found.
Those who champion the Druitt theory will continue to argue so on the basis of Macnaughten's destroyed papers. Yet Macnaughten probably formed his opinions from second-hand sources. If you look at Druitt's cricket fixture schedules, it is highly unlikely that he could have committed three of the canonical murders. Note that the 1894 report (both versions) Macnaughten refers only to "private information" and not to any official inquiry. In 1903 Abberline put the Druitt "case" in context when he said "Soon after the last murder in Whitechapel the body of a young doctor (sic) was found in the Thames, but there is absolutely nothing beyond the fact that he was found at that time to incriminate him".
5.
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 14:19:16 -0700
From: Nicholas A. Racht
I find the suggestions concerning anagrams to be fascinating even if they are reaching a bit. In my opinion, as a third party observer to the debate I believe that there may be something to this but perhaps not what you think.
If I were presented with the case facts which showed not only the use of anagrams but also of encrypted anagrams (JUUVES) I would certainly deduce the involvement of some form of secret society. I would not believe however that they were directly involved in the murders. Rather it would seem that they knew who was involved and were attempting to communicate this information to those of their members who were in a position to do something about it. The use of the encryption would also indicate that they felt it was neccessary for the incident to be handeled with some measure of discretion (to perhaps avoid scandal or to ensure that the society was not forced to reveal itself in order to aid the authorities).
Back to This Month's Topics for Debate
Back to the Conference Main Page