jack the ripper's, comings and goings; hide in plain site

jack the ripper's, comings and goings; hide in plain site

fiction
edward w pritchard

It is one of our continuing fascinations with the past how Jack the Ripper was able to come and go undetected to and from his crime scenes back in crowded Whitechapel in Victorian London at the end of the nineteenth century. Many theories abound among Ripperologists to intrigue our curiosity including just plain luck. We wouldn't be so interested if Jack had been duly caught and executed for his heinous crimes.

Here's one more explanation from your author, a flight of fantasy of course so please don't take the game too seriously.

 Jack the ripper's, comings and goings; hide in plain site

At the sound of the shrill whistle Officer Murphy raced through the dark streets towards the thudding of a night stick. In his minds eye Murphy veteran cop saw another bloody pile of a woman crumpled against the side of a building at the far end of his beat here in Whitecastle. The Ripper must have claimed another victim and it was on his beat again. He would be subject to more criticism from his Captain.

Racing Murphy, heart pounding, for Officer Murphy was not young or svelte, he swerved to avoid a deformed handicapped man slowly limping toward him. Murphy just missed the old man in his haste and glanced with relief at an old woman watching the near collision through the curtains of her home a few yards to his right on the narrow street as he hurried toward the blasting police whistle.

The old man lowered his eyes away from the policeman as he slowly continued on away from his latest victim. Jack clutched his coat with his good hand to hide his bloody apron from the officer's eyes but once again he had passed through the streets of White Chaple unnoticed after one of his episodes. No one noticed a handicapped person in Victorian London.
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