Holmes the Ripper

Holmes The Ripper

By

Bruce A. Brennan

DeKalb, IL 60115

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010

ISBN — 2011-01-05 06:15:32

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Chapter # Title

1. Ian meets Jack the Ripper

2. Judge Parker and Ian’s new job

3. Lizzy Borden and eastern trip

4. Back to Work

5. Chicago, fingerprints and H. H. Holmes

6. Dalton Gang & John Wesley Hardin

7. Chicago for H. H. Holmes

8. H. H. Holmes in Philadelphia and a death close to home

9. Boston and the final act in investigation

10. Bridget, the Reporter

11. Pinkerton man and life with Bridget

12. Judge Parker dies; Wyatt Earp gets on board

Chapter 1

A friend of mine once told me why we have two ears and one mouth. He went on to explain, in his English accent and excited tone that every constable, policeman and investigator should be taught this concept early in his training or career.

The story I am about to relate to you developed over many years. I personally witnessed much of the story firsthand. Much of it I was told or surmised by conversation with and observation of many of the participants. I gathered a great deal of the material from time I spent with Ian Dean.

We have two ears and only one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we talk. It is hard to get in trouble while you are listening. It is hard to think and comprehend while we are talking. We can and should observe while we listen. This is how we learn. We have two eyes for the same reason. Another sentiment that is true and indispensable for lawmen is, When in doubt, this is when you need it.

Always remember, the only fish that are caught are the fish with their mouths open. he told me. I wish I had learned this earlier in my life.

I have noticed over the past fifteen to twenty years that newspapers and magazines have been publishing more and more national and international news. The newest phrase you hear, in 1928, is It’s a small world. I agree with that sentiment, finding it true in most cases.

By reading several newspapers and magazines every week, several years ago, I became familiar with a policeman from England who has been tracking criminal cases around the world. He was investigating crimes in England and the United States. Some of the cases were very well known and highly publicized crimes at the time. His name is Ian Dean.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Dean in 1891. We saw each other at the funeral of Judge Parker in 1896 and several times before that in addition to the 1891 meeting but, got to know each other much better at the funeral and thereafter. This was after he sent me material about cases he was working on. He was 29 years old at the time of our 1891meeting, meaning he was 34 years old at the time of Judge Parker’s funeral.

We became good friends; close friends. We had some shared history but, mostly we just liked each other. Over the years we were friends, Ian told me several amazing tales. I believe the stories are true although some facts may have been forgotten over time and replaced with what seems logical and exciting. I always believed what Ian told me was true, unless it was so obviously outrageous; it was not supposed to be believed. I lived with that credo my entire adult life, not just with Ian. Honesty amongst friends is important.

The story I am revealing to you is one of the stories Ian and I discussed numerous times over the years. Unfortunately, Ian died earlier this year freeing me from a promise we made to each other. We had a mutual arrangement during our friendship that the stories we spoke of in private about our lives would remain private until one of our deaths. The survivor was free to tell the stories after the other died. That is why I have never spoke of these things before and why I am now telling this story. My friend, Ian Dean died two months ago, on November 17, 1920. He was 58 years old. He was much too young to die.

Much of what I am going to tell you has been revealed before. Much of this information was in a book written by Ian. This is the first complete telling of the story from a perspective not belonging to Ian, however.

My friend was the only child born to Edward and Elizabeth Dean that survived child birth. He was born in London, England in 1862. Edward Dean was a barber/dentist on the east side of London. It was common for a dentist to also be a barber. This helped keep his chair busy even if a customer could not afford dental work. Elizabeth was a homemaker who raised Ian and volunteered at various charities. The family practiced the Catholic religion.

Ian was raised a Catholic but, like me, fell out of regular church attendance as a young adult. We both felt we could practice our religion without attending services. We did not have to have others see us in church to be comfortable in our faith.

Ian was a talented and intelligent child. His mother was a lover of music. She taught Ian how to play the piano. He did not resist learning how to play. He was first in his class throughout his formal schooling. His mother also instilled a love of reading in him at an early age. This trait was particularly helpful during his formal training in police work. He was a voracious reader his entire life, at least while I knew him.

Ian was hired by Scotland Yard as an investigator in 1885. He was 23 years old, fourteen years younger than me. The six foot Dean weighed 190 lbs. The current theory in law enforcement at this time was to hire large men as police officers. Ian was large for 1885, especially in England. Shortly after his third anniversary at Scotland Yard, he was assigned to investigate a brutal murder. This August 1888 assignment was just the first in a series of apparently connected murders that became known as the Jack the Ripper case.

Jack the Ripper is the name given to a murderer or murderers that operated in London, England in 1888. The Ripper worked in the Whitechapel area. This area of London suffered from double-digit unemployment. Electricity was non-existent, as was indoor plumbing. The narrow, smelly streets were lined with vacant shops, whorehouses, taverns and residential flats. The occupied apartments were the living space for three times the intended occupants.

The Whitechapel murderer preyed on the residents of this slum. The most common trade among the women was prostitution. Most flats doubled as whorehouses. The tenants took turns leaving so their roommates could earn money by turning tricks in the comfort of their own home. The lucky women were able turn earn a living as a barmaid. Disease ran rampant throughout the local population, often transmitted through sex with the men and women who came to the neighborhood looking for a good time.

The murder spree resulted in at least five dead prostitutes. The mutilated bodies were discovered between August 31, 1888 and November 9, 1888. The area within which the murders took place was a near slum area in the east end of London. The area was widely known for the crime, poverty, alcoholism and the prostitution that flourished there.

The five known victims were:

1. Mary Ann Nichols, August 31, 1888

2. Anne Chapman, September 8, 1888

3. Elizabeth Stride, (Long Liz), September 30, 1888

4. Catherine Eddowes, September 30, 1888

5. Mary Jane Kelly, November 9, 1888.

The Ripper is suspected in at least five other similar murders beginning with Emma Elizabeth Smith, April 3, 1888 and ending with Frances Cole, February 13, 1891.

The manner of the killings was inhumane, if a manner of murder can ever be humane. The Ripper was proficient with a cutting tool. The exact type is unknown. While working the Ripper case, Ian Dean, was convinced the murderer used tools common in the world of medicine. These scalpels and such were sharp and cut quickly and decisively in the hands of a trained surgeon.

It was determined the knife being used had a twelve inch blade and pointed end. A knife used for amputations by doctors. It cut tissue quickly and deeply.

The bodies of all of the victims were mutilated. Several had one or both breasts removed. The method of removal was efficient. The inner organs of some victims were removed. It was not uncommon for the removed body parts to be missing from the scene of the crime. Occasionally, the parts were just left near the body.

One victim had her liver removed and taken from the murder zone. A few days later, a letter arrived at a citizen’s crime prevention group purportedly from the Ripper. Inside the letter was a liver. It was determined, rightly or wrongly, that the liver was from this victim. The letter came from hell. It ended with catch me if you can

Crime solving was as much a matter of luck as it was hard investigative work. The Whitechapel area, being impoverished, was not afforded the best police personnel or equipment. The local citizens, although concerned for their own well being, did not raise much of a ruckus about the situation. The locals were usually living one step ahead of the law themselves and were not anxious to invite questioning police into their lives.

Although the authorities suspected the Ripper was practicing cannibalism with his victims’ body parts, this suspicion was kept under wraps. The police feared a citizens panic if all of the facts were revealed. Ian Dean did not agree with this decision or many other aspects of the investigations.

The Ripper had never been arrested in England or anywhere. Three suspects piqued the interest of Scotland Yard, the headquarters for the London Metropolitan Police. These three suspects were considered insane. Apparently, at least one of them was sane enough to avoid arrest, if the actual killer was among the three.

In 1889, a new Scotland Yard was opened. During the construction of the new facility, it appeared the Ripper christened the new Police Headquarters. On the night of October 3, 1888, someone entered the construction site and deposited a headless, limbless body of a woman. This crime was never solved or officially attributed to the Ripper, although it seemed obvious to all.

The Ripper’s crime spree ended as abruptly as it started. Many theories have been espoused for the end of the crimes. The most common theories suggest the Ripper was committed to an insane asylum in an unrelated matter, the Ripper died, the Ripper committed suicide or the Ripper was imprisoned for another crime. It is unlikely the Ripper just saw the evil of his ways and quit killing women.

Another theory that was well known at the time was that the Ripper was from an influential family, perhaps even Royalty. It was widely believed the Ripper’s family intervened and spirited him out of the country, probably to the United States, never to return. The family problem was no longer a concern for the family, in England at least.

The newspapers helped sensationalize the Jack the Ripper case. The science of printing was improving daily. Papers could now print drawings, illustrations and charts with the stories. This did not increase the cost but, improved the story and the look of the paper. This new ability was used extensively with the Ripper stories.

Shortly after the Ripper’s crime spree ended, Ian Dean decided to move to the United States and seek work as a Policeman in the New Country. Prior to leaving for the United States, Ian read a brief article about the murder of a notorious but, small time crook in the western United States. The article peaked Ian’s interest.

Belle Starr was a female cattle thief in the western United States in the 1880s. She was an unattractive woman. She was aware she was not a handsome woman and made up for this perceived fault by being a whore.

Belle was known to have run with the Clanton gang in Arizona and northern Mexico. Cattle’s rustling was a big problem in that area during the 1870s and 1880s. With no known photograph of her to be distributed, she was able to act as the front man for the gang. She surveiled the area and helped develop the getaways.

Belle spent time in prison as did her husband Sam. Belle Starr was a sexually active woman while in prison with both the male guards and the female inmates. She is believed to have had incestuous relations with her son, Ed Reed.

Belle Starr was known to brag about her sexual prowess. She was particularly proud of her ability to provide great satisfaction to a man or a woman orally. She was known to have said she gave the best head in the west. Hell, I heard her brag about that.

Belle Starr was murdered in the Eufaula Indian Territory, Oklahoma in late 1889. It was widely thought her son, Ed Reed, ashamed over his mother’s sexual activity with him, killed her. He was never charged or convicted of the murder. The crime remained unsolved until Ian Dean viewed the situation with his fresh, clear eyes.

Belle Starr was murdered with some sort of knife. Her throat was split open. Her breasts were mutilated and her vaginal area was stabbed repeatedly. Her lips were cutoff.

Crime investigation was crude, by modern standards in the 1880s in both England and the United States. Crime investigation was nearly non-existent in the western United States. It is unlikely any law enforcement personnel working on the Belle Starr murder had ever heard of Jack the Ripper.

During my time in law enforcement, I generally carried a gun. If I was looking for a suspect or traveling, I would wear a holster. If not, the gun was carried in a pocket. Ian rarely carried a gun in England. Once he began working in the western United States, he did carry a gun while working.

We had a discussion once about guns and there use by law enforcement. I mentioned I had been in numerous gun fights, several of which resulted in the death of someone. Although I was slightly wounded on a few occasions, I never sustained a serious gunshot injury. Ian had never been in a gunfight. In fact, he never pulled his weapon in the line of duty.

During this conversation, Ian asked me about a rumor he had heard. As I said, I was never seriously wounded in a gunfight. Ian wondered why. He told me he had heard I was rumored to wear an iron vest under my clothes to deflect bullets. I assured my friend this was not true. I was just lucky.

Photography was a developing field. Color photography was nonexistent. One of the biggest problems with photography was the cost. To get your picture taken, the subject would have to stand still for several minutes to allow the camera to capture the image. Any movement would ruin the shot and necessitate another shot. Obviously, this doubled and often times tripled or more the already high cost.

A new crime solving technique, fingerprints, were just beginning to be used in the United