Goulston Street: The Quest for Jack the Ripper

Product Information

Walter Dew later remarked that the graffito was one of many pieces of writing in the East End that could have been blamed on the murderer, though he did not believe any of them were genuine [13]. It may also have been a piece of anti-semitic graffiti, of which there was much in the area at that time. Taken at face-value, the message does appear to be accusing or exonerating the Jews from something, the double meaning created by the use of the double-negative - are the Jews to be blamed for something or not? And if so, what? Condition: Halse was a witness to the GSG. To me, he is the best witness that was there due to one important factor. Of all the people who had the opportunity to assess the GSG, he and he alone mentions its ‘freshness’ and, not to forget, its size. Exactly what is ‘fresh’ in regard to graffiti? Remember the rain that had fallen that night; not only would any other graffiti that might have been around been affected, but the description of ‘fresh’ is not how an average graffiti or one irrelevant would be described. ‘Fresh’ is current, newly placed, not oxidizing from light, not smeared from shoulders or knees or by hands in an attempt to erase it. Halse is, to my mind, the most observant of the witnesses known to have seen the GSG and, to me, the only ‘expert’ on the GSG, if that title can be given to any of the police present that night. Letter from Charles Warren to Godfrey Lushington, Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, 6 November 1888, HO 144/221/A49301C, quoted in Begg, p. 197 and Marriott, p. 159

Daniel Halse suggested a compromise whereby only the top line, - "The Juwes are" - would be erased. Aldgate (Metropolitan, Circle);Aldgate East (Hammersmith & City, District);Bethnal Green Rail (London Overground);Whitechapel (District, Hammersmith & City, London Overground) Chrisp Street Market (Monday to Saturday) You must book your one hour free session using the RingGo app or calling the number on the sign plate (32 spaces) Petticoat Lane Street Food (Mondays to Fridays)I beg to report that on the morning of the 30th Sept. last, my attention was called to some writing on the wall of the entrance to some dwellings at No. 108 Goulston Street, Whitechapel which consisted of the following words: "The Juews are not [the word 'not' being deleted] the men that will not be blamed for nothing", and knowing in consequence of suspicion having fallen upon a Jew named 'John Pizer' alias 'Leather Apron' having committed a murder in Hanbury Street a short time previously, a strong feeling existed against the Jews generally, and as the Building upon which the writing was found was situated in the midst of a locality inhabited principally by that Sect, I was apprehensive that if the writing were left it would be the means of causing a riot and therefore considered it desirable that it should be removed having in view the fact that it was in such a position that it would have been rubbed by persons passing in & out of the Building." [9] Police Commissioner Charles Warren The efforts and actions of the police and Sir Charles Warren, albeit considerate of potential altercations, were done out of overreaction and were only safety measures - nothing more. Soon, officers of the Metropolitan Police were gathering around the doorway and were gazing at the graffito with feelings of great trepidation. THE POLICE CONCERNS A further speculation is that the message was left here, irrespective of lighting or distance, because the building housed a lot of Jews and the message is assumed to say ‘Jews’ in its unusual and varied spellings. This may be true also. I’m not sure if there were any other buildings that were predominantly Jewish en route from Mitre Square, but there may well have been. Nevertheless, it’s as ‘good’ a reason to think that it was placed at the Wentworth as any. I beg to report that on the morning of 30th Sept. last my attention was called to some writing on the wall of the entrance to some dwellings No.108 Goulston Street Whitechapel which consisted of the following words "The Juews are not [the word 'not' deleted] the men that will not be blamed for nothing", and knowing that in consequence of a suspicion having fallen upon a Jew named 'John Pizer' alias 'Leather Apron' having comitted a murder in Hanbury Street a short time previously a strong feeling ['ag' deleted] existed against the Jews generally and as the buildings upon which the writing was found was situated in the midst of a locality inhabited principally by that sect. I was apprehensive that if the writing were left it would be the means of causing a riot and therefore considered it desirable that it should be removed having in view the fact that it was in such a position that it would have been rubbed by the shoulders of persons passing in & out of the building. Had only a portion of the writing been removed the context would have remained. An Inspector was present by my directions with a sponge for the purpose of removing the writing when the Commissioner arrived on the scene" [10].

A Home Office minute sheet (30th October 1888) stated that the word Jews was spelt 'Jewes' as opposed to 'Juwes'. [6] The actual wording was under dispute from the very start due to the fact it was erased before it could be photographed. As with almost everything Ripper-related in the Whitechapel Murders, divisions even among those who agree that the GSG is valid are evident. A majority of people in the pro-GSG camp believe that this 12 word message blames the Jews of the East End for something: job displacement, Klezmer music blasting at 2am, socialists and anarchists, foreigners speaking a foreign language, different looking; the list goes on. In any event, it’s for something that they are blamed. Recently, Mr Robert House added another explanation, which was featured in the latest Ripperologist, issue 58. I recommend purchasing a copy of that issue and reading Mr House’s fine story on Aaron Kosminski for his views.

WARREN JUSTIFIES HIS ACTIONS

Since other clues or bits of evidence are rare as hen’s teeth in the Whitechapel Murder skein, the possibility that a written message would finally occur after 5 possible murders by the Ripper before another tangible clue was found then or in subsequent years is far-fetched. But, if the apron solves the mystery of why the killer was able to escape without anyone noticing any bloodstains, it throws up another puzzle in that its presence in that particular doorway suggests that he lingered in the immediate vicinity of his crime for much longer than he actually needed to. Bethnal Green is perhaps better known for its on-going association with boxing, but it is also a major local shopping area and an important social meeting place for the community. Also, that anti–Semitic feelings were high and the misplaced idea that the murderer was Jewish was common. A blame culture had evolved and the idea that some people wanted to ‘voice’ their anger is not an improbable one.

It is a prerogative that many people take, that the GSG isn’t that important. A common-sense assessment says that if the police went to that much trouble about it, it meant something. The police were there - and none of us was.He had now murdered twice in less than an hour and was, no doubt, well aware that the area would soon be teeming with police officers, each one of them intent on hunting him down and catching him. Those that do believe it is a relevant clue connect it to multiple theories. This reasoning fits in with the narrative of a conniving, scheming killer who purposefully taunted police. The most famous interpretation, originated by Stephen Knight, is that the graffito was a puzzle-piece in the royal conspiracy. “Juwes” was a not a misspelling of “Jews” but rather a reference to Masonic canon. Another is that the Ripper was not Jewish, but wrote an anti-semitic message to throw police off his trail. It isn’t too much of a stretch to think his hatred wasn’t just directed toward women, but toward the neighborhood immigrants as well. No other London borough has such a choice of vibrant, diverse and contrasting street markets. Each one is an open space event that gives you a genuine taste and flavour of east London. We know, for example, that at the moment that Catherine Eddowes was leading her murderer-to-be into Mitre Square, three City Detectives, Daniel Halse, Robert Outram and Edward Marriot, were busily orchestrating plain clothes patrols along the City's eastern fringe.