Sherlock Holmes and the Hunt for Jack the Ripper

Kelly Gerard

Description

Many people have asked why the paths of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper never crossed, since the two men were contemporaries in London in 1888? There have even been some scurrilous suggestions that Holmes was himself the Ripper. The paths of the two men did indeed cross. Holmes and Watson knew precisely who the real Ripper was and even where he lived. They also knew exactly what happened to him. If you have the stomach for it read on and all will be revealed!

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 06 février 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781780925639
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HUNT FOR JACK THE RIPPER
Written and Illustrated by
Gerard Kelly





Publisher Information
F i rst edition published in 2014 by MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive, London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.com
Digital edition converted and distributed in 2014 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2014 Gerard Kelly
The right of Gerard Kelly to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not of MX Publishing.
Cover design by www.staunch.com



Dedication
These stories are dedicated to the two women in my life. My wife Marlene, for her endless forbearance and countless cups of coffee, and my daughter, Antonia, for her encouragement, typing, proof-reading etc. My thanks are due also to friends and colleagues whose experiences have suggested ideas for some of the plots and for their assistance with my research. These friends now appear as characters within the stories themselves.
G. Kelly



Chapter One


The lurid headlines in the Telegraph newspaper assaulted my eyes that morning in early November 1888. THE RIPPER HAS STRUCK AGAIN. This latest murder in Whitechapel brings the total to five unfortunates butchered! I groaned involuntarily when I read the grisly summary of the madman’s handiwork. Holmes was just enjoying his first pipe of the day and on hearing my groan deduced its cause.
‘Has Jack been busy again?’ he asked.
‘I’m afraid so, old fellow, the only saving grace being that this is a single slaying, unlike last month’s double murder. This poor soul was called Mary Kelly. When are they ever going to catch this maniac?’
Holmes shook his head despairingly and put down his pipe. ‘Not any time soon I fear. They are really struggling with this case.’ He came over to my chair and read the headlines over my shoulder. ‘I’ve already offered my services to Inspector Abberline and Chief Inspector John Littlechild, but they have both declined my help. In truth I’m not sure that I could do any better than they are. This fellow is a veritable phantom seemingly able to kill with impunity before disappearing into the mists. I have not told you this, Watson, but I have even spent several nights patrolling the streets and alleyways of Whitechapel myself, armed with my swordstick and dressed as a businessman, in the hope of spotting the fiend, but without any luck. In fact I had to give it up because I was in danger of becoming a suspect myself.’
Holmes re-lit his pipe, which had gone out, settled himself at the table with his notebook and pen and began adding the details of this latest horrific killing to the growing list of the Ripper’s victims. The first had been Mary Ann Nichols, who was killed on the 31 st of August in Bucks Row. She had been disembowelled. The second was Annie Chapman on the 8 th September at the address of 29 Hanbury Street. She had had her uterus cut out amongst other mutilations. The third was Elizabeth Stride. She had been found at 1.00pm on Sunday 30 th September in Dutfields Yard, Berner Street and bore no mutilations. The fourth unfortunate was discovered three-quarters of an hour later in Mitre Square. Her name was Catherine Eddowes. Her uterus and left kidney had been removed and her face had been cut with an inverted ‘V’ shape on each cheek.
Holmes sighed heavily and said, ‘I fear these killings will not be the last, Watson, and the list of suspects is growing in line with the murders. The Daily papers are having a field day especially with the letters mocking the police, purportedly from Jack himself. I’ve been able to see a few of these grisly notes, thanks to Inspector Lestrade, and they appear to have been written by different hands suggesting some at least are not genuine. I’ve also seen the letter that was sent to the Central News Office in London, which is directed to “Dear Boss.” It is dated 25 th September and in it the writer taunts the police and laughs at the notion that he wore a leather apron to protect his clothes from all the blood. As I’m sure you remember, some people have speculated that the killer could be a slaughter-man from an abattoir.’
I nodded ‘As you say, Holmes. It’s a possibility surely?’
He shook his head saying, ‘I very much doubt it. Walking the streets of Whitechapel dressed like that would surely draw attention to himself. I think it could be a respectable-looking businessman as being more likely. Someone to whom these women are drawn because they can charge more for their services.’
I asked, ‘What else did the letter say?’
‘The madman talked about taking away some of his victim’s blood in a ginger beer bottle to write the letter with, but it congealed. He ended up writing it in red ink!’
‘Dear God in heaven! Such depravity is sickening.’
‘Isn’t it just?’
‘So who are the main suspects? Surely they have some?’
Holmes flicked back through his notebook to the earlier entries saying, ‘You can take your pick from Kosminsky, a Polish Jew who is a misogynist with homicidal tendencies. He is reportedly insane. Another suspect is Michael Ostrog, who has an appalling criminal record and is well known for his cruelty to women. Another suspect, whisper it quietly, is none other than the Queen’s own grandson, Prince Albert Victor!’
‘Never, I don’t believe it! Surely that can’t be so!’ I exclaimed.
Holmes nodded seriously. ‘It’s not general knowledge yet, but that’s what I’ve heard.’
‘What is the world coming to?’
Holmes continued, ‘The speculation I’ve been privy to suggests that the Prince may not have wielded the knife personally, but that one of the Royal Surgeons, possibly Dr William Gull, carried out the attack on behalf of the Duke, because the Ripper seems to have at least some rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy.’
‘But why would Dr. Gull need to kill on behalf of the Prince?’
‘One rumour has it that Prince Albert, who has a penchant for the ladies, contracted syphilis from a prostitute and wanted revenge. Another rumour suggests that one such lady became pregnant after a liaison with the Prince and this was all to protect the Royal Family from an illegitimate-child scandal and-or blackmail threats. The multiple killings were an attempt to make it seem the work of a random maniac rather than a single target. A clever red herring!’
‘All this beggars belief, Holmes.’
‘We live in violent times, old fellow.’



Chapter Two
Later that morning Mrs Hudson knocked and entered with a letter for Holmes. ‘Thank you, Mrs Hudson,’ Holmes said as he took the envelope from her. He sat down, opened it and read its contents.


‘Pah!’ He exclaimed as he tossed the letter on the table. ‘I should have expected something like that. It will probably be the first of many such cranks!’
‘Why what does it say?’
Holmes passed me the letter saying; ‘Here read it for yourself.’
I picked up the letter and read, My Dear Mr Holmes, I have heard that you are an exceptionally gifted private dete