On the 24th of September, the closing day for the inquest into the death of Annie Chapman. A rather worrying event occurred. An unknown author sent a letter to Sir Charles Warren, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The police however didn't take this missive seriously. Indeed, crank letters were becoming a fairly common thing. The significance of this letter, however, is that it was a precursor to hundreds of such letters that would bring the police investigation into the Jack the Ripper Murders close to meltdown. The letter bore a LONDON. S. E postmark and was headed "on her majesty's service." It read:-
Dear Sir
I do wish to give myself up. I am in misery with a nightmare. I am the man who committed all these murders in the last six months...I am a horse slaughterer...I have found the woman I wanted, that is Chapman and I did what I called, but if anyone comes I will surrender.
The letter contained two illustrations, one showing a coffin and the other showing a knife, both of which were drawn in heavy black ink. Beneath the knife the letter's author had written:-
...this is the knife that I did these murders with. It is a small handle with a large long blade sharp on both sides.
The Morning Post published the brief account of Thomas Eades's inquest testimony on Monday, 24th September 1888:-
The inquest on the body of Mary Anne Nichols, 47, who was found murdered in Buck's-row, Whitechapel, early on the morning of the 31st August, was resumed on Saturday afternoon before Mr Wynne Baxter, the district coroner, at the Working Lads' Institute, Whitechapel.
The only further evidence taken was that of Thomas Eades, the signalman, who had previously deposed to having seen a man carrying a knife near the scene of the murder.
Eades now testified that, since last giving evidence, he had identified John James, of Hackney, as the man whom he had seen with the knife.
The Coroner observed that the man in question was a harmless lunatic, and then proceeded to sum up."
On 27th September 1888, Central News Agency of London received a letter. The "Dear Boss" letter was written in red ink, it was two pages long and contains several spelling and punctuation errors. The overall motivation of the author was evidently to mock investigative efforts and to allude to future murders. The letter itself reads:
Dear Boss,
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work, the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now? I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good Luck. Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name
PS Wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it. No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now. ha ha.