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Jack the Ripper is the most famous serial killer of all time, and considered by many to be the very first. To this day, the murderer has never really been identified, but every Ripperologist has his or her favorite suspect including one of the very first John Pizer (also referred to by some as Leather Apron) to, the only female candidate, Mary Pearcey (also referred to by some as Jill the Ripper).

SOURCE: The Coroner's Inquest (into the death of Mary Ann Nichols) as reported on September 3, 1888 in The Times, page 12:

MR. HENRY LLEWELLYN, surgeon, of 152, Whitechapel-road, stated that at 4 o'clock on Friday morning he was called by the last witness [Police-constable John Neil] to Buck's-row. The officer told him what he was wanted for.

On Reaching Buck's-row he found deceased lying flat on her back on the pathway, her legs being extended. Deceased was quite dead, and she had severe injuries to her throat. Her hands and wrists were cold, but the lower extremities were quite warm. Witness examined her chest and felt the heart. It was dark at the time. He should say the deceased had not been dead more than half an hour. He was certain the injuries to the neck were not self-inflicted. There was vey little blood round the neck, and there were no marks of any struggle or of blood, as though the body had been dragged. Witness gave the police directions to take the body to the mortuary, wher he would make another examination.

About an hour afterwards he was sent for by the inspector to see the other injuries he had discovered on the body. Witness went, and saw that the abdomen was cut very extensively. That morning he had made a post-mortem examination of the body. It was that of a female of about 40 or 45 years. Five of the teeth were missing, and there was a slight laceration of the tongue. There was a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face. That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb. There was a circular bruise on the left side of the face, which also might have been inflicted by the pressuer of the fingers.

On the left side of the neck, about 1 in. below the jaw, there was an incision completely severed all the tissues down to the vertebrae. The vessels of the neck on both sides were severed. The incision was about 8 in. in length. the cuts must have been caused by a long-bladed knife, moderately sharp, and used with great violence.

SOURCE: The Coroner's Inquest (into the death of Annie Chapman) as reported on September 14, 1888 in The Times, page 4:

MR. GEORGE BAGSTER PHILLIPS, 2, Spital-square, stated he was a divisional surgeon of police, and had been for 23 years. At 6.20 on Saturday morning he was called by the police to 29, Hanbury-street, and he arrived there at 6.30.

He found the dead body of a female in the possessn of the police, lying in the back yard, on her back and on the left hand of the steps. The head was about 6 in. in front of the leel of the bottom step, and her feet were towards a shed, which proved to contain wood, at the bottom of the yard. The left arm was placed across the left breast. The legs were drawn up, the feet resting on the ground, and the knees turned outwards. The face was swollen and turned on the right side. The tongue protruded between the front teeth, but not beyond the lips. The tongue was evidently much swollen. The front teeth were perfect, so far as the first molar, top and bottom, and very fine teeth they were. The body was terribly mutilated.

He searched the yard, and in doing so found a small piece of coarse muslin and a pocket comb in a paper case lying at the feet of the woman near the paling; and they apparently had been placed there in order or arranged there. He also found and delivered to the police other articles, including the leather apron.

The stiffness of the limbs was not marked, but was evidently commencing. He noticed that the throat was dissevered deeply; that the incisions through the skin were jagged, and reached right round the neck.

On the back wall of the house, between the steps and the paling which bounded the yard on the left side, about 18 in. from the ground, were about six patches of blood, varying in size from a sixpenny piece to a small point. On the wooden paling, between the yard in question, and the next, smears of blood, corresponding to where the head of the deceased lay, were to be seen. These were about 14 in. from the ground, and immediately above the part where the blood lay that had flowed from the neck.

Soon after 2 o'clock on Saturday he went to the labour yard of the Whitechapel Union for the purpose of further examining the body. The body had evidently been attended to since the removal to the mortuary, probably to be washed.

There was a bruise over the right temple. On the upper eyelid there was a bruise, and there were ewo distinct bruises, each of the size of the top of a man's thumb, on the forepart of the top of the chest.

The stiffness of the limbs was now well marked. There was a bruise over the middle part of the bone of the right hand. There was an old scar on the left side of the frontal bone. The stiffness was more noriceable on the left side, especially in the fingers, which were partly closed. There was an abrasion over the ring finger, with distinct markings of a ring or rings.

The throat had been severed as before described. The incisions into the skin indicated that hey had been made from the left side of the neck. There were two distinct, clean cuts on the left side of the spine. They were parallel from each other and separated by about half an inch. The muscular structures appeared as though an attempt had been made to separate the bones of the neck.

There were various other mutilations of the body, but he was of opinion that they occurred subsequent to the death, he thought that he had better not go into further details of the mutilations, which could only be painful to the feelings of the jury and the public. The CORONER decided to allow that course to be adopted.

WITNESS, continuing, --The cause of death was visible from the injuries he had described. From these appearances he was of opinion that the breathing was interfered with previous to death, and that death arose from syncope, or failure of the heart's action in consequence of loss of blood caused aby the severance of the throat.

By the CORONER. -- He should say that the instument used at the throat and the abdomen was the same. It must have been a very sharp knife, with a thin, narrow blade, and must have been at least 6 in. to 8 in. in length, probably longer. He should say that the injuries could not have been inflicted by bayonet or sword bayonet. They coul have been done by such an instrument as a medical man used for post-mortem purposes, but the ordinary surgical cases might not contain such an instrument. Those used by slaughter-men, well ground down, might have caused them. He thought the knives used by those in the leather trade would not be long enough in the blade.

There were indications of anatomical knowledge, which were only less indicated in cnsequence of haste. The whole of the body was not present, the absent portions being from the agdomen. The mode in which these portions extracted showed some anatomical knowledge. He did not think these portions were lost in the transit of the body.

He should say that the deceased had been dead at least two hours and probably more when he first saw her; but it was right to mention that it was a faily cool morning, and that the body would be more apt to cool rapidly from its having lost a great quantity of blood.

There was no evidence about the body of the woman of a struggle having taken place. He was positive that the deceased entered the yard alive. He made a practical search of the passage and the approach to the house and he saw no trace of blood. There was no blood on the apron, which had the appearance of not having been recently unfolded. He was shown some stainin on the wall of No. 25. To the eye of the novice it looked like blood, but it was not so.

The deceased was far advanced in disease of the lungs and membranes of the brain, but they had nothing to do with the cause of death.

The stomach contained a little food, but there was not any sign of fluid. There was no appearance of the deceased having taken alcohol for some hours before her death.

The injuries were certainly not self inflicted. The bruises on the face were evidently recent, especially about the chin and the sides of the jaw, but the bruises in front of the chest and temple were of longer standing -- probably of days. He was of opinion that the person who cut the deceased's throat took hold of her by the chin, and then commenced the incision from left to right.

He thought it was highly probable that a person could call out, but with regard to an idea that she might have been gagged he could only point to the swollen face and protruding tongue, both of which were signs of suffocation.

Some Ripperologist don't consider this a Ripper killing, because of the lack of mutilation to the body, and also because of the time it would take to travel from the Stride murder site to the Eddowes site.

SOURCE: The Coroner's Inquest (into the death of Elizabith Stride) as reported on October 3, 1888 in The Times, page 10:

MR. FREDERICK WILLIAM BLACKWELL said, -- I live at 100, Commercial-road, and am a surgeon. At 10 minutes past 1 on Sunday morning I was called by a policeman, and my assistant, Mr. Johnson, went back with him. I followed immediately I had dressed. I consulted my watch on my arrival, and it was just 1.10.

The deceased was lying on her left side completely across the yard. Her legs were drawn up, her feet against the wall of the right side of the yard passage. Her head was resting almost in the line of the carraige way, and her feet were about three yards from the gateway. The feet almost touched the wall, and the face was completely towards the wall.

The neck and chest were quite warm; also the legs and face were slightly warm. The hands were cold.

The right hand was lying on the chest, and was smeared inside and out with blood. It was quite open. The left hand was lying on the ground and was partially closed, and contained a small packet of cachous wrapped in tissue paper. The appearance of the face was quite placid, and the mouth was slightly open. There was a check silk scarf rond the neck, athe bowe of which was turned to the left side and pulled tightly.

There was a long incision in the neck, which exactly coreresponded with the lower border of the scarf. The lower edge of the scarf was slightly frayed, as if by a sharp knife. The incision in the neck commenced on the left side, 2 1/2 in. below the angle of the jaw, and almost in a direct line with it. It nearly severed the vessels on the left side, cut the windpipe completely in two, and terminated on the opposite side 1 1/2 in. below the angle of the right jaw, but without severing the vessels on that side. The post mortem appearances will be given subsequently.

By the CORONER. -- I did not ascetain if the bloody hand had been moved. The blood was running down in the gutter into the drain. It was running in an opposite direction to the feet. There was a qantity of clotted just under the body.

The CORONER. -- Were there no spots of blood anywhere?

Witness. -- No. Some of the blood had been trodden about near to where the body was lying.

The CORONER. -- Was there any blood on the side of the house, or splashes on the wall?

Witness. -- No. It was very dark at the time, and I only examinded it by the policeman's lamp. I have not since examined the place.

The CORONER. -- Did you examine the clothing?

Witness. -- Yes. There was no blood on any portion of it. The bonnet was lying on the ground, a few inches from the head. The dress was undone at the top. I know about what deceased had on, but could not give an accurate description of them. I noticed she had a bunch of flowers in her jacket. The injuries were beyond the possibility of self-infliction.

The CORONER. -- How long had the deceased been dead when you saw her?

Witness. -- From 20 minutes to half an hour when I arrived. It was a vey mild night and was not raining at the time. There was no wet on deceased's clothing. Deceased would have bled to death comparatively slowly, on account of the vessels on one side only being severed, and the artery not completely severed. Deceased could not have cried out after injuries were inflicted as the windpipe was severed. I felt ther heart and found it quite warm. My assistant was present all the time. Dr. Phillips arrived from 20 minutes to half an hour after my arrival, but I did not notice the exact time.

The CORONER. -- Could you see there was a woman there when you went in?

Witness. -- Yes. The doors were closed when I arrived. I formed the opinion that the murderer first took hold of the silk scarf, at the back of it, and then pulled the deceased backwards, but I cannot say whether the throat was cut while the woman was standing or after she was pulled backwards. Deceased would take about a minute and a half to bleed to death. I cannot say whether the scarf would be tightened sufficiently to prevent deceased calling out.

DR. GEORGE BAXTER [sic] PHILLIPS said: -- I live at 2, Spital-square. I was called at 1.20 on Sunday morning to Leman-street Police-station, and from there sent on to Berner-street to a yard at the side of a club-house.

I found Chief-Inspector West and Inspector Pinhourn in possession of a body, which had already been seen by Dr. Blackwell, who arrived some time before me.

The body was lying on the near side, with the face turned towards the wall, the head up the yard and the feet towards the street. The left arm was extended, and there was a packet of cachous in the left hand. A number of there were in the gutterr. I took them from her hadn and handed them to Dr. Blackwell. The right arm was over the belly. The back of the hand and the wrist had on it clotted blood. The legs were drawn up, with the feet close to the wall. The body and face were warm and the hand cold. The legs were quite warm. Deceased had a silk handkerchief round her neck, and it appeared to be slightly torn. I had ascertained it was cut. Theis corresponded with the right angle of the jaw.

The throat was deeply gashed, and there was an abrasion of the skin about 1 1/4 in diameter, apparently stained with blood, under her right brow.

At 3 p.m. on Monday, at St. George's mortuary, in the presence of Dr. Rygate and Mr. Johnston, Dr. Blackwell and I made a post mortem examination. Dr. JBlackwell kindly consented to make the dissection.

Rigor Mortis was still thoroughly marked. There was mud on the left side of the fave and it was matted in the head. We then removed the clothes. The body was firly nourished. Over both shoulders, especially the right, and under the collar-bone and in front of the chest there was a blueish disolouration, which I have watched and have seen on two occadions since.

There was a clean-cut incision on the neck. It was 6 in. in length and commenced 2 1/2 in. in a straight line below the angle of the jaw, 3/4 in. over and undivided muscle, and then, becoming deeper dividing the sheath. the cut was very clean, and deviated a little downwards. The artery and other vessels contained in the sheath were all cut through. The cut through the tissues on the right side was more superficial, and tailed off to about 2 in. below the right angle of the jaw. The deep vessels on that side were uninjured. From this it was evident that the haemorrhage was caused through the partial seerance of the left carotid artery.

Decomposition had commenced in the skin. Dark brown spots were on the anterior surface of the left chin. There was a deformity in the bones of the right leg, which was not straight, but bowed forwards. There was no recent external injury save to the neck.

The body being washed more thoroughly, I could see some healing sores. The lobe of the left ear was torn as if from the removal or wearing through of an earring, but it was thoroughly healed.

On removing the scalp there was no sighn of bruising or extravasation of blood. The skull was about a sicth of an inch in thickness, and the brain was fairly normal. The left lung had old adhesions to the chest wall, the right slightly. Both lungs were unusually pale. There was no fluid in the pericardium. The heart was small, the left ventricle firmly contracted, and the right slightly so. There was no clot in the pulmonary artery, but the right ventricle was full of dark clot. The left was firmly contracted so as to be absolutely empty

The stomach was large, and the mucous membrane only congested. It contained partly-digested food, apparently consisting of cheese, potatoe, and farinaceous powder. All the teeth on the lower jaw were absent.

On Tuesday I again went to the mortuary to observe the marks on the shoulder. I found in the pocket of the underskirt of the deceased the following articles -- key as if belonging to a padlock, a small piece of lead pencil, a pocket comb, a broken piece of comb, a metal spoon, some buttons, and a hook.

Examining her jacket, I found that, while there was a small amount of mud on the right side, the left was well plastered with mud. I have not see the two pocket-handkerchiefs.

I will answer any questions put to me, but as there is another case pending I think I had better stop here.

The CORONER. -- What is the cause of death?

Witness. -- It is undoubtedly from the loss of blood from the left carotid artery and the division of the wind-pipe.

The CORONER. -- Did you examine the blood at Berner-street?

Witness. -- I did. The blood had run down the waterway to within a few inches of the side entrance of the club.

The CORONER. -- Were there any spots of blood on the wall?

Witness. -- I could trace none. Roughly estimating it I should say there was an unusual flow of blood considering the stature and the nourishment of the body.

DR. PHILLIPS was re-called and said: -- After the last examination, in company with Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Brown, I went to the mortuary and examined more carefully the roof of the mouth. I could not find any injury to or absence of anything from the mouth.

I have also carefully examined the two handkerchiefs, and have not found any blood on them. I believe the stains on the larger one were fruit stains. I am convinced that the deceased had not swalled either skin or seed of a grape within many hours of her death. The abrasion which I spoke of on the right side of the neck was only apparently an abrasion, for on washing it the staining was removed and the skin was found to uninjured.

The knife that was produced on the last occasion was submitted to me by Constable 282 H. On examnation I found it to be such a knife as would be used in a chanler's shop, called a slicing knife. It had blood upon it, which was similar to that of a warm-blooded being. It has been recently blunted and the edge turned by apparently rubbing on a stone. It evidently was before that a very sharp knife. Such a knife could have produced the incision and injuries to the neck of the deceased, but it was not such a weapon as I would have chosen to inflict injuries in this particular place; and if my opinion as regards the position of thebody is correct, the knife in question would become an improbable instument as having caused the incision.

The CORONER. -- Could you give us any idea of the position of the victim?

Witness. -- I have come to the conclusion that the deceased was seized by the shoulders, placed on the ground, and that the perpetrator of the deed was on her right side when he inflicted the cut. I am of opinion that the cut was made from the left to the right side of the deceased, and therefore arises the unlikelihood of such a long knife having inflicted the wound described in the neck, taking into account the position of the incision,

The CORONER. -- Was there anything in the cut that showed the incision first made was done with a pointed knife?

Witness. -- No.

The CORONER. -- Have you formed an opinion how the right hand of the deceased was covered with blood?

Witness. -- No; that is a mystery. I may say I am taking it as a fact that the hand always remained in the same position in which he found it -- resting across the body.

The CORONER. -- How long had the deceased been dead when you arrived?

Witness. -- Within an hour she was alive.

The CORONER. -- Would the injury take long to inflict?

Witness. -- Only a few seconds. It might be done in two seconds.

The CORONER. -- Does the presence of the cachous in her hand show that it was suddenly, or would it simply show a muscular grasp?

Witness. -- No; I cannot say. You will remember some of the cachous were found in the gutter. I have seen several self-inflicted wounds more extensive than this one, but then they have not divided the carotid artery. You will see by that m as in the other cases, there appears to have been a knowledge where to cut the throat.

The CORONER. -- Was there any other similarity between this and Chapman's case?

Witness. -- There is a great dissimilarity. In Chapman's case the neck was severed all round down to the vertebral column, the bertical bone being marked, and there had been an evident attempt to separate the bones.

The CORONER. -- Would the murderer be likely to get bloodstained?

Witness. -- Not necessarily, for the commencement of the wound and the injury to the vessels would be away from him, and the stream of blood, for stream it would be, would be directed away from him, and towards the waterway already mentioned. There was no perceptible sign of a anaesthetic having been used. The absence of noise is a difficult question in this case, and under the circumstances, to account for, but it must not be taken for granted that I assumed there was no noise. If there was an asence of noise, there was nothing in this case that I can account for. She might have called out and not have been heard. As I said beforee, if there was a noise I cannot account for it.

The Foreman. -- Was the wound caused by drawing the knife across the throat?

Witness. -- Undoubtedly. My reason for supposing deceased was infured when on the ground was partly on account of the absence of blood anywhere but on the left side of the body, and between that side and the wall.

The CORONER. -- Was there any sign of liquor in the stomach?

Witness. -- There was no trace of it.

DR. BLACKWELL, recalled said: -- I have little to say except to confirm Dr. Phillips's statement. I removed the cachous from the left hand, which was nearly open. The packet had lodged between the thumb and fourth finger, and had become almost hidden. That accounted for its not having been seen by several of those around. I believe the hand relaxed after the injury was inflicted, as death would arise from fainting owing to the rapid loss of blood. I wish to say that, taking into consideration the absence of any instrument it was impossib le that the deceased could have commited suicide. With respect to the knife which was found, I should say I concur with Dr. Phillips in his opinion that although it might have possibly inflicted injury it wa extremely unlikely that such an instrument was used. The murderer using a sharp, round-pointed instrument would severely handicap himself, as he could only use it one way. He was informed that slaughterers always used round-pointed instruments.

The CORONER. -- No one suggested anything about a slaughterer. Is it your suggestion that this was done by a slaughterer?

Witness. -- No, I concur with Dr. Phillips as to the postmorem appearances. There were some pressure marks on the shoulders. These were not regular bruises, and there was no abrasion of the skin.

A juryman. -- Do you know how these marks were likely to have been caused?

Witness. -- By two hands pressing on the shoulders.

SOURCE: Coroner's inquest reports, 1888, No. 135, Catherine Eddowes inquest, 1888 (Corporation of London Record Office). These records include the written statement of the following witness:

FREDERICK GORDON BROWN 17 Finsbury Circus, Surgeon of City of London Police Force, being sworn saith -- "I was called shortly after 2 o'clock I reached about 18 minutes past 2 my attention was called to body of Deceased.

"The body was lying in position described by Watkins. The body was on its back -- the head turned to left shoulder -- the arms by the side of the body as if they had fallen there, both palms upwards -- the fingers slightly bent, a thimble was lying off the finger on the right side. The clothes drawn up above the abdomen, the thighs were naked, left leg extended in a line with the body, the abdomen was exposed, right leg bent at the knee. The bonnet was at the back of the head -- great disfigurement of face, the throat cut across, below the cut was a neckerchief. The upper part of the dress was pulled open a little way.

"The abdomen was all exposed. The instestines were drawn out to a large extent and placed over the right shoulder -- they were smeared over with some feculent matter. A piece of about 2 feet was quite detached from the body and placed between the body and the left arm, apparently by design. The lobe and auricle of the right ear was cut obliquely through. There was a quantity of clotted blood on the pavement on the left side of the nedck, round the shoulder and upper part of arm, and fluid blood coloured serum which had flowed under the neck to the right shoulder -- the pavement sloping in that direction.

"Body was quite warm -- no death stiffening had taken place. She must have been dead most likely within the half hour.

"We looked for superficial bruises and saw none -- no blood on the skin of the abdomen or secretion of any kind on the thighs -- no spurting of blood on the bricks or pavement around. No marks of blood below the middle of the body -- several buttons were found in the clotted blood after the body was removed. There were was no blood on the front of the clothes. There were no traces of recent connection. When the body arrived at Golden Lane some of the blood was dispersed through the removal of the body to the mortuary. The clothers were taken off carefully from the body, a piece of the deceased's ear dropped from the clothing.

"Made a post mortem examination at 1/2 past 2 on Sunday afternoon -- rigor mortis was well marked, body not quite cold -- green discolouration over the abdomen. After washing the left hand carefully a bruise the size of a sixpence, recent and red, was discovered on the back of the left hand between the thumb and first finger. A few small bruises on right shin of older date. The hands and arms were bronzed -- no bruises on the scalp, the back of the body, or the elbows.

"The face was very much mutilated. There was a cut about 1/4 of an inch through the lower left eyelid dividing the structures completely through the upper eyelid -- near to the angle of the nose the right eyelid was cut through to about 1/4 an inch. There was a deep cut over the bridge of the nose extending from the left border of the nasal bone down near to ther angle of the jaw on the right side, across the check -- this cut went into the bone and divided all the structures of the cheek except the mucous membrane of the mouth. The tip of the nose was quite detached from the nose by an oblique cut from the bottom of the nasal bone to where the wings of the nose join on to the face. A cut from this divided the upper lip and extended through the substance of the gum over the right upper lateral incizor tooth. About 1/2 an inch from the top of the nose was another oblique cut. There was a cut on the right angle of the mouth as if by the cut of a point of a knife the cut extended an inch and a half parallel with lower lip. There was on each side of check a cut which peeled up the skin forming a triangular flap about an inch and a half. On the left cheek there were 2 abrasions of the epithelium. There was a little mud on the left cheek -- 2 slight abrasions of the epithelium under the left ear.

"The throat was cut across to the extent of about 6 or 7 inches. A superdicial cut commenced about an inch and 1/2 below the lobe and 2 1/2 inches behind the left ear and extended across the throat to about 3 inches below the lobe of the right ear. The big muscle across the throat was divided through on the left side -- the large vessels on the left side of the neck were severed -- the larynx was severed below the vocal chords. All the deep structures were severed to the bone the knife marking intervertebral cartilages -- the sheath of the vessels on the right side was just opened. the caratoid artery had a fine hole opening. the internal jugular vein was opened an inch and a half not divided. The blood vessels contained clot. All these injuries were performed by a sharp instrument like a knife and pointed.

"The cause of death was haemorrhage from the left common carotid artery. The death was immediate and the mutilations were inflicted after death.

"We examined the abdomen, the front walls were laid open from the breast bone to the pubes. The cut commenced opposite the ensiform cartilage. The incision went upwards not penetrating the skin that was over the sternum. It then divided the enciform cartilage. The knife must have cut obliquely at the expense of the front surface of that cartilage. Behind this the liver was stabbed as if by the point of a sharp instrument. Below this was another incision into the liver of about 2 1/2 inches and below this the left lobe of the liver was slit through by a vertical cut. 2 cuts were shewn by ajagging of the skin on the left side. The abdominal walls were divided in the middle line to within 1/4 of an inch of the navel, the cut then took a horizonal course for two inches and a half towards right side. It then divided roung the navel on the left side and made a parallel incision to the former horizontal incision leaving the navel on a tongue of skin. Attached to the navel was 2 1/2 inches of the lower part of the rectus muscle on the left side of the abdomen the incision then took an oblique direction to the right and was shelving.

"The incision went down the right side of the vagina and rectum for half an inch behind the rectum -- There was a stab of about an inch on the left groin, this was done by a pointed instrument, below this was a cut of three inches going through all tissues making a wound of the peritoneum about the same extent.

"An inch below the crease of the thigh was a cut extending from the anterior spine of the ilium abliquely down the inner side of the left thigh and separating the left labium forming a flap of skin up to the groin. The left rectus muscle was not detached. There was a flap of skin formed from the right thigh attaching the labium and extending up to the spine of the ilium. The muscles on the right side inserted into the poupart's ligament were cut through. The skin was retracted through the whole of the cut in the abdomen but vessels were not clotted -- nor had there been any appreciable bleeding from the vessel.

"I draw the conclusion that the cut was made after death and there would not be much blood on the murderer. The cut was made by some one on the right side of body kneeling below the middle of the body -- I removed the contents of the stomach and placed it in a jar for further examination. There seemed very little in it in the way of foof or fluid but from the cut end parly digested farinacious food escaped -- The intestines had been detached to a large extent from the mesentery. About 2 feet of the colon was cut away -- The sigmoid flexure was invaginated into the rectum very tightly -- right kidney pale bloodless with slight congestion of the base of the pyramids.

"There was a cut from the upper part of the slit on the under surface of the liver to the left side and another cut at right angles to this which were about an inch and a half deep and 2 1/2 inches long.

"Liver itself was healthy -- the gall bladder contained bile, the pancreas was cut but not through on the left side of the spinal column 3 1/2 inches of ther border of the spleen by 1/2 an inch was attached only to the peritoneum. The peritoneal lining was cut through on the left side and the left kidney carefully taken out and removed -- the left renal artery was cut through -- I should say that some one who knew the position of the kidney must have done it.

"The lining membrane over the uterus was cut through. The womb was cut through horizontally leaving a stump 3/4 of an inch, the rest of the womb had been taken away with some of the ligaments. The vagina and cervix of the womb was uninjuted. The bladder was healthy and uninjured and contained 3 or 4 ounces of water.

"There was a tongue like cut through the anterior wall of the abdominal aorta. The other organs were healthy -- There were no indications of connexion -- I believe the wound in the throat was first inflicted -- I believe whe must have been lying on the ground -- They [sic] wounds on the face and abdomen prove that they were inflicted by a sharp knife and that in the abdomen by one six inches long. I believe the perpetrator of the act must have had considerable knowledge of the position of the organs in the abdominal cavity and the way of removing them. The part removed would be of no use for any professional purpose. It required a great deal of ["medical" - deleted] knowledge to have removed the kidney and to know where it was placed, such a knowledge might be possessed by some one in the habit of cutting up animals -- I think the perpetrator of this act had sufficient time or he would not have nicked the lower eyelids. It would take at least 5 minutes -- I cannot assign any reason for these parts being taken away.

SOURCE: The following evidence given at the inquest into the death of Mary Jane Kelly, dated November 12^th of 1888, were included with the papers held at the Greater (Corporation of) London Record Office:

GEORGE BAGSTER PHILLIPS -- M R C S Regd -- having been sworn deposed as follows: I am a surgeon to H Division of Metropolitan Police and reside at 2 Spital Square -- I was called by the police on Friday morning last about 11 oclock and proceeded to Millers Court which I entered at 11.15 a.m.

I found a room the door of which led out of the passage near 26 Dorset Street and having two windows I produce a photograph I had taken -- there are two windows in the court -- 2 of the panes in the window mearest the passage were broken and finding the door locked I looked through the lower broken pane and satisfied myself that the mutilated corpse lying on the-bed was not in need of any immediate attention from me and I also came to the conclusion that there was nobody else on the bed or within view to whom I could render any professional assistance -- Having ascertained that probably it was advisable that no entrance should be made into the room at that time, I remained until about 1.30 when the door was broken open I think by Mr. McCarthy -- I think by direction of Superintendent Arnold who had arrived -- When I arrived the premises were in charge of Inspector Beck.

On the door being opened it knocked against a table, the table I found close to the left-hand side of the bedstead and the bedstead was close up against the wooden parition, the mutilated remains of a female were lying two thirds over towards the edge of the bewdstead, nearest to the door of entry she had only her under linen garment on her, and from my subsequent examination I am sure the body had been removed subsequent to the injury which caused her death from that side of the bedstead which was nearest to the wooden partition, the large quantity of blood under the bedstead, the saturated condition of the paliasse, pillow, sheet, at that top corner nearest the partition leads me to the conclusion that the severance of the right carotid artery which was immediate cause of her death was inflicted while the deceased was lying at the right side of the bedstead and her head and neck in the right-hand corner.

Notes of examination of body of woman found murdered & mutilated in Dorset St.

Position of body, The body was lying naked in the middle of the bed the shoulders flat, but the axis of the body inclined to the left side of the bed. The head was turned on the left cheek. The left arm was close to the body with the forearm flexed at a right angle & lying across the abdomen, the right arm was slightly abducted from the body & rested on the mattress, the elbow bent & the forearm supine with the fingers clenched. The legs were wide apart, the left thigh at right angles to the trunk & the right forming an obtuse angle with the pubes.

The whole of the surface of the abdomen & thighs was removed & the abdominal cavity emptied of its viscera. The breasts were cut off, the arms mutilated by several jagged wounds & the face hacked beyond recognition of the features. The tissues of the neck were severed all roung down to the bone.

The viscera were found in various parts viz; the uterus & kidneys with one breast under the head, the other breast by the right foot, the liver between the feet, the intestines by the right side & the spleen by the left side of the body.

The flaps removed from the abdomen & thighs were on a table.

The bed clothing at the right corner was saturated with blood, & on the floor beneath was a pool of blood covering about 2 feet square. The wall by the right side of the bed & in a line with the neck was marked by blood which had struck it in a number of separate splashes.

Postmortem Examination.

The face was gashed in all directions the nose, cheeks, eyebrows & ears being partly removed. The lips were blanched & cut by several oblique incisions running obliqyely down to the chin. There were also numerous cits extending irregularly across all the features.

The neck was cut through the skin & other tissue right down to the vertebrae the 5th & 6th being deeply notched. The skin cuts in the front of the neck showed distinct ecchymosis.

The air passage was cut through at the lower part of the larynx through the cricoid cartilage.

Both breast were removed by more or less circular incisions, the muscles down to the ribs being attached to the breasts. The intercostals between the 4 5 & 6 ribs were cut through & the contents of the thorax visible through the openings.

The skin & tissues of the abdomen from the costal arch to the pubes were removed in three large flaps. The right thigh was denuded in front to the bone, the flap of skin, including the external organs of generation & part of the right buttock. The left thigh was stripped of skin, fascia & muscles as far as the knee.

The left calf showed a long gash through skin & tissues to the deep muscles & reaching past the knee to 5 ins above the ankle.

Both arms & forearms had extensive & jagged wounds.

The right thumb showed a small superfivial incision about 1 in long, with extravasation of blood in the skin & there were several abrasions on the back of the hand moreover showing the same condition.

On opening the thorax it was found that the right lung was minimally adherent by old firm adhesions. The lower part of the lung was broken & torn away.

The left lung was intact; It was adherent at the apex & there were a few adhesions over the side. In the substances of the long were several nodules of sondolidation.

The Pericardium was open below & the Heart absent.

Whether they were committed by Jack the Ripper or not, the Whitechapel murders did not begin on August 31, 1888 with the murder of Mary Ann Nichols nor did they end with Mary Jane Kelly's on November 9, 1888. Most of these other murders were not considered part of the Ripper's work, because they don't match the Modus Operandi (MO) of the five considered universally by almost all Ripperologist as true Ripper victims.

Frederick Bailey Deeming - Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Bailey_Deeming

Frederick Bailey Deeming - Was he Jack the Ripper?:
Posted: Jan 15, 2010
http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/frederick-bailey-deeming-was-he-jack-the-ripper-1730465.html
"For many years now, speculation has been rife about who exactly was 'Jack the Ripper'. Suspects range from John Pizer, a Jewish shoemaker to Sir William Gull, the Royal Physician. Even Queen Victoria's grandson Albert Victor was not above suspicion, although this was probably just too ridiculous to contemplate, despite his well-known visits to the East End of London... "

MORE INFO:
Walter Sickert - Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Sickert

Casebook: Jack the Ripper - Walter Sickert:
Posted: Jan 15, 2010
http://www.casebook.org/suspects/sickert.html
"Walter Sickert had been tangentially implicated in the Ripper crimes as early as the 1970s, with the release of the now infamous 'Royal Conspiracy' theory. But it wasn't until the early 1990s, with the release of Jean Overton Fuller's Sickert and the Ripper Crimes, that the peculiar artist became a Ripper suspect in his own right. More recently, Patricia Cornwell has claimed to have found DNA evidence linking Sickert to at least one 'Ripper letter'... "

The Art Of Murder:
By Wolf Vanderlinden
http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-artofmurder.html
"Yet another suggestion made is that Walter Sickert, the painter, was Jack the Ripper. The reason for Sickert being suspected is that he was believed to have made sketches and paintings of the Ripper crimes... "

Casebook: Jack the Ripper
http://www.casebook.org/