Essays Sample on Jack The Ripper

Life in England during the late 1800’s was not easy predominately for those who were poor, orphaned and/or women. Young girls who had no prospects to marry well or acquire proper feminine jobs had no other choice but to become prostitutes for money. This survival strategy was not without its risks especially during the reign of infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. Starting in the year 1888, 5 murders occurred, spanning from early August to late November. The victims of these tragedies were all women and all prostitutes living in the district of Whitechapel, London. All 5 killings had similarities between them where the victims' throats were slit, and their bodies mutilated except for one occurrence where the body was left less violated. These crimes were the work of a deranged serial killer only known to the world by their tag name, Jack the Ripper. This name only appeared after a taunting letter was signed and sent to a news agency supposedly from the killer themselves. This letter mostly referred to as the “dear boss” letter was written in red ink to symbolize blood and signed at the bottom with the words “Yours truly, Jack the Ripper.” This piece of evidence has been examined thousands of times and professionals such as Ripperologists still have not been able to determine the real identity of the assailant. The most prevailing theory is that these murders were the works of a certain man named Joseph Barnett. There are many reasons as to why he fits the profile, and this will all be explained through circumstantial evidence and psychological speculations. 

Joseph Barnett's Life Story 

Joseph Barnett was born on May 25th in 1858 and grew up in Whitechapel, London, and its surrounding areas. Life for Barnett and his family was average considering they were commoners and mostly depended on their father's income. When Joe was 6 years old his father passed away leaving him and his three older brothers in the care of their mother. Unfortunately, their mother abandoned all four children, giving responsibility to the eldest to take care of the family. As Barnett grew up, his older brother Daniel began to work at a fishing port in Billingsgate Market. In 1871, Joseph finally got his fish porter license and by 1878 he started to work there in Billingsgate himself. This job, however, only lasted about a decade, where he eventually sought employment as a horse slaughterer and construction worker soon after. When Joseph was 30 years old, he began dating a woman whose name was Mary Jane Kelly. He found her in a local pub on April 8th, 1887, and quickly grew interest in the young lassie, despite her being a prostitute. The couple remained together for a few years and even began living together in many different areas of Whitechapel. The reason for this was because Joseph and Mary were both drunks and would often cause trouble when intoxicated, leaving no choice for the owner but to evict them. In terms of Joseph Barnett's physical appearance, he was 5’7 and had a fair complexion considering he was from Ireland. He also had a medium build, blue eyes, and a mustache. It was not until November 29th, 1926, where Joseph Barnett became ill from Edema and acute Bronchitis and passed away at the age of 68. His remains still lay in Stepney, England to this day. 

Evidence that suggests Joseph Barnett as Jack the Ripper  

Jack the Rippers case has fumbled many great minds due to the lack of physical evidence, thusly, Ripperologists have been creating theories based on circumstantial indications. Such theories pin the blame on Joseph Barnett as the killer during the Whitechapel murders. There are numerous linkages between Barnett and the Ripper, one of which being the fact that he harbored a strong dislike towards prostitutes. As mentioned before, Joseph was in a relationship with a woman named Mary Jane Kelly. She happened to be a prostitute and one of the 5 victims during Jack the Rippers killing spree. Most stories suggest that he started killing prostitutes in order to scare Mary Jane Kelly off the streets since he thought he could financially take care of her himself. In a brief moment in time his plan was proving to be successful until he lost his job. Joseph's loss of income ultimately made Mary revert to prostitution. According to Frankie Marcus “He hated prostitutes and constantly tried to convince Kelly to stop soliciting. However, after he lost his job, he could not stop her because it was her only source of income.” After many pleadings to Mary, it is believed that he finally cracked and killed the poor woman out of frustration. Due to the fact that he made constant complaints towards Mary’s lifestyle only made him realize that his love for her was unappreciated. This is perhaps the cause for her death and why she was mutilated much more compared to the other 4 victims. It also explains why the murders had stopped right after Mary was killed. The second piece of evidence that connects Joseph to Jack the Ripper is the fact that he fits the physical description of the killer. Many witnesses during the time of the murders mentioned seeing a man with all 5 victims that seemed to be 30 years old, 5’7 and held a medium build, fair complexion and a mustache. These characteristics all describe Joseph Barnett perfectly and it would be irrational to say this is not suspicious. The third linkage that connects Joseph as the killer is his job experience. As stated above, Joe worked as a fish porter back in 1878 and held a decade of experience. He likely knew how to process seafood and most importantly knew how to filet a fish. To properly prepare a fish one most own and know how to use a special type of knife purposely larger than a normal kitchen knife. According to the autopsy reports, all 5 victims had their throats slit using a large, bladed weapon. The throats were also slit from left to right to avoid blood splashes onto the murderer. Considering that Joseph had access to a large, bladed weapon for his job and knew how to cut someone to avoid a mess explains how he was able to murder the Canonical 5. The last piece of evidence that pinpoints Joseph as Jack the Ripper is based on the mystery of Kelly’s locked door. In 1888 Mary Jane Kelly was working her rounds of soliciting and eventually went back to her lodging late at night with her door locked. At around 10:45 am her landlord’s assistant found her mutilated body and called the police. When the police arrived on scene, they were confused about how the murder occurred because the door was locked. The only reasonable explanation to this mystery is that the murderer was someone Mary knew and had a key to the home. It is quite possible that Joseph Barnett had a key to Kelly's lodging in view of their relationship.