5 comments about Prisoner 1167 the Madman Who Was Jack the Ripper: The Madman Who Was Jack the Ripper.

1. Tully theorizes that Jack is really James(John)Kelly, an inmate of the Broadmoor, commited for murdering his wife by stabbing her in the neck. The notable fact is that he escaped from that facility in 1888 prior to the first of the Whitechapel murders. Here is a true madman, a paranoid who deeply distrusts women, has a history of a violent attack in early Ripper style, and is on the loose in London at precisely the correct time. Tully's case is bolstered by the very strange actions of the constabulary, whose attempts to recapture Kelly were half-hearted at best; orders being given, for instance, that if identified Kelly was not to be arrested(???). Unfortunately, there is little beyond these coincidences to make the case. As usual many questions are raised, but answers are in limited supply. Still, I recommend this book for its very plausible argument and excellent style.



2. Tully theorizes that Jack is really James(John)Kelly, an inmate of the Broadmoor, commited for murdering his wife by stabbing her in the neck. The notable fact is that he escaped from that facility in 1888 prior to the first of the Whitechapel murders. Here is a true madman, a paranoid who deeply distrusts women, has a history of a violent attack in early Ripper style, and is on the loose in London at precisely the correct time. Tully's case is bolstered by the very strange actions of the constabulary, whose attempts to recapture Kelly were half-hearted at best; orders being given, for instance, that if identified Kelly was not to be arrested(???). Unfortunately, there is little beyond these coincidences to make the case. As usual many questions are raised, but answers are in limited supply. Still, I recommend this book for its very plausible argument and excellent style.



3. If your a definite Ripper buff this book is worth reading. It presents interesting facts, as to who just might be the Ripper. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in looking into the mind of a very psychotic man!



4. While author James Tully presents a rational and logical argument for James Kelly as Jack the Ripper, most of Tully's arguments are based on circumstancial evidence, inductive reasoning, and details which easily could be merely coincidental. That's not to say the arguments fail to persuade -- in fact, Tully presents a great deal to consider. However, for this story to gain acceptance as the definitive solution, a great many more unanswered questions and possible alternative explanations would need resolved. It's food for thought he's trying to construct as a full explanatory meal. I'd recommend borrowing it from the library before buying it, if you are considering adding it to your collection.



5. There is so much mystery and unknowns when dealing with Jack the Ripper that nearly any theory should at least be listened to before criticism is made. In this turn of suspects, James Tully proposes one James Kelly of being Jack the Ripper apparently on the basis that Kelly killed his wife, Srah Brider, by stabbing her in the throat and then cutting it open. He was tried for murder but got off on insanity charges and placed in Broadmoor, a mental institute. Kelly then escapes from Broadmoor a few years later and lives out quite a long life travelling the world before willingly returning to Broadmoor to die. That's pretty much the first three chapters of this book. This is the last we hear of James Kelly more-or-less until the final chapter.
   
   From there, Tully takes us on a trip through the Ripper Murders, of which he includes Martha Tabram, "The Canonical 5", Alice McKenzie, and Francis Coles but he then excludes Liz Stride from the "5" suspecting her pimp Michael Kidney killed her. Tully also suggests that Mary Jane Kelly may possibly have been James Kelly's sister-in-law who was living in secret from her family. Tully describes the murders but goes into much more detail regarding the death inquests of the coroners and the testimonies of 'witnesses' of the victims. Tully then wraps up his book with a chapter entitled "The Cover-Up" in which through self speculation and a bit of conspiracy, the author places James Kelly as the Ripper with fairly vague circumstancial evidence at best. This seems largely based on some file about Kelly being sealed until 2030 AD. There is also an appendix chapter on "Things to Ponder" in regards to some of the events.
   
   While intriguing and worth reading, I'm not truly convinced of anything from these arguments. There's little to no evidence supporting these claims. Unfortunately, the text tends to drag on and I became uninspired while reading it. It's a decent text dealing with a mid-level suspect but there's really not much supporting it at this point other than conjecture.

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