Whitechapel murders
1800s East End of London serial murders / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Whitechapel murders is the name for a number of murders which happened in the Whitechapel district of London, between 1888 and 1891. The district lies in what is called the East End of London. Over time, up to 11 murders have been counted as "Whitechapel murders". They happened between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. None of the murders have been resolved.
Some, or all of the murders have been attributed to an unidentified serial killer called Jack the Ripper. At the time when the murders happened, people living in the area were poor.
Most, if not all, of the victims—Emma Elizabeth Smith, Martha Tabram, Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, Mary Jane Kelly, Rose Mylett, Alice McKenzie, Frances Coles, and an unidentified woman—were prostitutes. Smith was sexually assaulted and robbed by a gang. Tabram was stabbed 39 times. Nichols, Chapman, Stride, Eddowes, Kelly, McKenzie and Coles had their throats cut. Eddowes and Stride were murdered on the same night, within approximately an hour and less than a mile apart; their murders are known as the "double event". This was a phrase in a postcard sent to the press by someone who claimed to be the Ripper. The bodies of Nichols, Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly had abdominal mutilations. Mylett was strangled. The body of the unidentified woman was dismembered, but the exact cause of her death is unclear.
The Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, and private organisations such as the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee were actively involved in the search for the person or people who committed the murders. There were several enquiries, and several people were arrested. In the end, the people who committed the crimes were not found. The murders were never solved. The Whitechapel murders drew attention to the poor living conditions in the East End slums, which were improved later. The enduring mystery of who committed the crimes has captured public imagination to the present day.