Fergus Mason - Exposing Jack the Stripper: A Biography of the Worst Serial Killer Youve Probably Never Heard Of

Absolute Crime Presents:

Exposing Jack the Stripper

A Biography of the Worst Serial Killer Youve Probably Never Heard Of

By Fergus Mason

Absolute Crime Books

www.absolutecrime.com

2013. All Rights Reserved.

Cover Image Nejron Photo - Fotolia.com

Table of Contents

Absolute Crime publishes only the best true crime literature. Our focus is on the crimes that you've probably never heard of, but you are fascinated to read more about. With each engaging and gripping story, we try to let readers relive moments in history that some people have tried to forget.

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Jack the Stripper? Youre having a laugh, right?

I could understand the librarians confusion. If Id asked for information about Jack the Ripper Id have been on solid ground; everyone has heard of the mysterious killer who stalked Londons Whitechapel district in 1888, committing a series of five increasingly atrocious mutilation murders that stopped as suddenly and mysteriously as it had begun. The Ripper was never caught. Despite hundreds of books and academic papers on the subject his identity still isnt known a century and a quarter after his final crime. That hasnt stopped people from speculating, of course; there are now more than a hundred theories about who was behind the crimes and why. Ripperology is still big business, with a ready market for any new and interesting look at the notorious crimes. Conspiracy theorists have had a field day, especially with the mysterious graffiti that announced, The Juwes are the ones who will not be blamed for nothing. Was it the work of an illiterate anti-Semite or a coded warning from a Freemason?

I wasnt researching Jack the Ripper though. This time I was looking for information about a less well-known but equally ruthless killer, who between 1964 and 1965 left the nude bodies of six prostitutes scattered round Hammersmith. Two previous murders were probably his work too, and theres a real possibility that he had started killing more than 40 years earlier. This maniac preferred to strangle rather than slash, but he killed with the same single-minded determination as the notorious Ripper. Like his almost-namesake there is speculation about his identity and a few suspects, but nobody was ever arrested and theres no hard evidence either way.

Jack the Stripper never achieved the fame of the 19 th century killer, but he hasnt been completely forgotten. Over the decades since his mysterious killing spree ended several researchers have looked into the case, and some of them have made intriguing suggestions about his identity. Unless some new piece of evidence comes to light and that doesnt seem likely well never know for sure who he was. All we can be certain of is what he did.

Of course theres nothing all that remarkable about a serial killer who stalks prostitutes. Its a sad fact that ladies of negotiable affection make easy targets because their profession demands that they go off alone with men they dont know, and the law doesnt always pay their deaths the attention it should. Six or even eight isnt even that high a death toll for a serial killer. Instead of remarking that Jack the Stripper hasnt been completely forgotten you could wonder why hes remembered at all. In fact there are several reasons why the case continues to fascinate people. London is one of the worlds oldest and greatest cities; murder is something usually associated with its slums, and when nude bodies start turning up in respectable neighborhoods or floating down the Thames people tend to take notice. The brutal nature of the deaths helps, and of course theres always an element of mystery about serial killers who evaded capture. The Stripper case also has hints of a bigger picture, of connections between the sordid business conducted by street prostitutes and the glamorous upper reaches of London society. It even touches on a scandal that extended into the British government.

For all its brutality and squalor the story of Jack the Stripper is a fascinating one. Researching it brought a new understanding of 1960s London and the dark currents that flowed beneath its surface. Reading about it may have the same effect, so lets dive in to those currents and see where they lead. And dont be surprised when you turn the page - the story begins forty years earlier and hundreds of miles away, in rural Wales.

Fred Burnell was frantic with worry. Early the day before his 8-year-old daughter Freda had left home to run an errand to the local store, and hadnt come home. A visit to Mortimers Grain Store had confirmed that shed been there shed been the first customer in fact, turning up at five after nine, then leaving at quarter past. Where had she gone then? The young shop assistant told Fred he didnt know. The store was located on Somerset Street, a residential road lined with small, neat row houses built from brick and gray local stone. Abertillery had grown quickly over the last 30 years as workers flooded in to the new coalmines from a large village of 10,000 in 1891 it was now a tightly packed town of nearly 40,000. Despite the rapid expansion it was still a close community, though. The hard, dangerous life of the men working down in the pits brought families together, and prompted people to look out for their neighbors; nobody knew when theyd need support because a husband was injured or trapped below ground, so it was natural for people to look out for each other. If any of the residents down Somerset Street had seen Freda theyd have got word to Burnell, and most likely walked her straight home.

Burnell spent six hours searching the streets for his daughter, but as the afternoon wore on and the sun dropped lower in the sky he admitted defeat and went to the police to report her missing. It wasnt long before the local force were out on the streets, knocking on doors and asking questions. A wave of concern swept through Abertillery and search parties were quickly organized. It was getting late, though, and the weather was cold. The search began well after three oclock, and by quarter past five the sun had set. The searchers stayed out until midnight before giving up in the face of the darkness and weather. It was a long night for Fred Burnell; he had no idea where his daughter was, and the thought of a small child perhaps wandering lost in the bitter weather must have been torture for him. The searchers were worried too; at first light they were back out on the hills around the town.

It wasnt the police or the search parties who found Freda, though. Just before sunrise a collier, making the morning coal delivery, saw a bundle of rags on the lane behind Duke Street. That wasnt too unusual, but something made him take a closer look. That was a decision he almost instantly regretted.

The bundle of rags was the body of Freda Burnell, and shed clearly been the victim of a savage attack. The police quickly concluded that shed been raped and murdered, and a doctor concluded that shed died not long after her disappearance. The Abertillery police were used to keeping order in the sometimes tough streets of a mining town, but an atrocity like this alarmed them; they called for help from Scotland Yard, and a team of London detectives arrived to join the investigation.