Jack the Ripper
color. 1995 approx. 60 mins. White Star,
195 Hwy. 36, West Long Branch, NJ 07764.
$19.95.CRIME
1.
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 10:20:27 -0400
From: Michael Rogers
In the 107 years that have passed since the Jack the Ripper killings, the theories regarding the true identity of the Whitechapel murderer have been legion. Suspects have ranged from a member of the Royal Family to a Jewish immigrant taylor. This program presents what is known in Ripperology as the "Mason theory" formulated by British journalist Stephen Knight in his volume, "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution." The basis of the theory is that the murders were actually committed by an unholy trio of Freemasons; Royal physician William Gull, artist Walter Sickert, and coachman John Netley, to silence the five prostitutes who were attempting to blackmail fellow Mason Prince Albert Victor, who Knight claims, had secretly married a common Catholic woman, the scandal of which would have toppled the crown if it bacame public knowledge. Knight asserts that the fashion in which the women were slain is in accordance with ancient Masonic ritual. Although the theory is pretty far-fetched--Knight fails to mention that at the time of the killings Gull was 72 and was recovering from a stroke--the program is nonetheless intriguing. Recommended for true crime collections.
Michael Rogers, "Library Journal"
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