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Jack the Ripper Special Branch Index Ledgers

Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:17 am by Admin

Where would a book on Jack the Ripper conspiracies be without mention and an adequate assessment of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch Index Ledgers?

For those who do have a personal interest in these developments on the case, details on their existence and relevance was first published in the foundational reference work on the Whitechapel murders in 2006, Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard …

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Secret Files on Jack the Ripper?

Wed May 18, 2011 3:36 pm by auspirograph

Breaking News?

Hi all,

Yes, this is a breaking story on Jack the Ripper historical sources but it has been an on-going saga for some time with the UK Information Tribunal. The story is a bit more involved than the press are reporting, or as Trevor Marriott is describing. There are certainly some details of a Victorian Special Branch investigation of Jack the Ripper, however, because suspects …

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Ripper Writers RSS Feeds

Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:56 pm by Admin

As a service to members and guests of Jack the Ripper Writers who would like to subscribe to updates and news displayed on this website blog, please go to the menu right and choose your favorite option.

Thanks for your continued interest and support of a site specific for writers, authors and crime historians on Jack the Ripper and the iconic Whitechapel murders.

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Jack the Ripper Writers


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TUMBLETY

 

Identifying the Source - Part 1.

 

 

By

 

Joe Chetcuti

 

 

 

When two detectives are shadowing a criminal suspect, the last thing they want to see when they look over their shoulders is a well-informed news reporter following them. Yet on the afternoon of Sunday, December 2, 1888, two New York City detectives, Crowley and Hickey, found themselves in that situation. The two had been stationed at the end of a gangplank that was located outside an immigration receiving center called Castle Garden. At the top of the gangplank sat the French steamer La Bretagne

 

Inspector Thomas Byrnes assigned his two best men to the waterfront in lower Manhattan having known that there was a growing interest in one particular transatlantic passenger on the La Bretagne. Despite the fact that these circumstances produced an enticing atmosphere, Crowley and Hickey could not have enjoyed the additional presence of a World newsman at the dock. Especially one who quickly identified both detectives and publicly reported of their movements. But since there was nothing that could be done to counteract this development, the policemen simply continued to do their duty as best they could.

 

 

Inspector Thomas Byrnes

 

 

Before long, an anxious Irish-American passenger scurried down the ramp and proceeded to depart from the area in a horse-drawn cab. Crowley and Hickey followed in another cab, and the pesky newsman completed the convoy that would carry them all to East 10th Street. Soon afterward, the spotlight was concentrated on the Inspector who orchestrated this police activity. Byrnes casually answered the questions that the World reporter put to him. He calmly implied that the New York City Police Department intended to cooperate with England in this matter.

 

...if they think in London that they need (Tumblety) and he turns out to be guilty our men will probably have an idea where he can be found. 1

 

In addition to that quote, the New York Herald, The World, and the Trenton Times reported about an odd English detective who arrived upon the East 10th Street scene. It was plain to see that a combined English-American police effort had been put into effect. The likely scenario was that Byrnes had been contacted in advance and briefed on the situation. The British initiated the matter, Byrnes complied, and a timely journalistic tip was wired across the Atlantic Ocean that enabled The World to dominate the reporting of the event.

 

That newspaper walked step by step with the police on December 2nd. The La Bretagne information that was sent from Europe proved to be reliable. Somebody in England was on top of things and had relayed pertinent data to his fellow newsmen in New York. Wolf Vanderlinden expressed it correctly when he wrote, "Exactly who tipped off the World is unknown, but that paper seems to have had the inside track on almost all of the Tumbelty related news stories." 2

 

That inside track allowed Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper to get the jump on its competition. The World printed out numerous columns concerning Tumblety soon after he was released on bail in London. The most gripping article about him was presented on the day in which the French vessel arrived in Castle Garden. It was displayed under the heading "SPECIAL CABLE DESPATCH TO THE WORLD" from London. In a similar fashion, Tumblety’s arrest was introduced in the November 19th issue thanks to "A special London despatch to The World" that had just arrived in New York on the previous morning. The European informant who supplied this Whitechapel news has remained a man of mystery even though he played such a pivotal role in the drama. The accurate information that he transmitted overseas was confidently acted upon in New York.

 

 

Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The New York World

 

 

So who exactly was this man? He figured to have been a veteran British newsman with a proven track record. A respected investigative reporter who had earned the right to be trusted. He most likely had established a good line of communication with somebody inside the Marlborough Street Police Court or Scotland Yard. I say that because the man obviously had been enlightened to the fact that the English authorities had an interest in Tumblety that went well beyond their issuing of an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor sexual assault charge. He came across as an experienced member of the press who knew where the political boundary lines were drawn. For example, none of the English newspapers printed anything about Tumblety during the autumn of 1888. Our mysterious British journalist did not rock the boat in this regard, but instead he conformed to the guidelines. He cabled his information about Tumblety to New York, but he was cautious not to expose this data to the newspaper readers of England. He seemed to know what the political limitations were when it came to publicly revealing the name of a West End Ripper suspect.

 

Although we can probably draw up a list of the man’s professional qualities, some questions about him still need to be asked. Was he familiar with Irish affairs? (Especially with Tumblety’s alleged involvement with the Irish National Party?) Did he know of the large dossier that Scotland Yard had compiled on Tumblety? Was he directly employed by The World? If not, then which news agency did he represent? What we had here was a top-notch journalist who was respected on both sides of the Atlantic, and there are tough questions about him that should be addressed. A determined search for this gentleman has recently been completed. It will be a pleasure to share what was discovered.

 

 

The New York World Building in the 19th Century 

 

 

It was learned that the New York Historical Society has four books about The World in its collection. Copies of two of those books can be found at the Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF) in California. The facility is located just a few miles northwest of the University of California-Berkeley campus. I journeyed out there this past September to read the material. Both pieces of literature were written by a former World reporter named James W. Barrett. The author admired Joseph Pulitzer and was very proud to have worked for him. Barrett wrote:

 

"When I say The World, I mean the morning paper. The Evening World and the Sunday World were incidental sideshows. So far as we of the morning staff were concerned.” Pulitzer also owned the St. Louis Dispatch, but according to Barrett: "We knew The World was the one nearest to the heart of Joseph Pulitzer. I believe [Pulitzer's will] clearly indicated that in case of financial trouble his heirs were to sell the St. Louis Post Dispatch but not The World.”

 

Barrett listed the names of many of his co-workers, but one man stood out from all the rest. "James M. Tuohy, the authoritive London Bureau Chief of The World, also chief of it European sources." 3 In the other NRLF book, Barrett mentioned that Pulitzer's newspaper also had a bureau in Paris, France. 4 So, Tuohy was the head man of two major European news centers.