Position:Home>History> Who were Jack the rippers victims?????

Since he was never caught, we can never know for sure how many women fell victim to the Ripper!.
The generally accepted number is five!.

Mary Ann Nichols known as "Polly"!.
She was found just before four in the morning Friday, August 31, 1888, it was dark and seemingly deserted!.
Identification would not be easy!. All she had on her was a comb, a broken mirror and a handkerchief!. The Lambeth Workhouse mark was on her petticoats!. There were no identifying marks on her other inexpensive and well-worn clothes!. She had a black straw hat with black velvet trim!.
The woman was approximately five feet two inches tall with brown graying hair, brown eyes and several missing front teeth!.
But later, as news of the murder spread around Whitechapel, the police learned of a woman named "Polly," who lived in a lodging house at 18 Thrawl Street!. Eventually, a woman from the Lambeth Workhouse identified the victim as Mary Ann Nichols, age 42!. The next day her father and her husband identified her body!.
Polly had been the daughter of a locksmith and had married William Nichols, a printer's machinist!. They had five children!. Her drinking had caused their marriage to break up!. For the most part, Polly had been living off her meager earnings as a prostitute!. She still had a very serious drinking problem!. Every once in awhile, she would try to get her life back together, but it never worked out!. She was a sad, destitute woman, but one that most people liked and pitied!.
http://www!.trutv!.com/library/crime/seria!.!.!.

Annie Chapman known as "Dark Annie" -
Just before two in the morning on Saturday, September 8, a slightly drunken Annie was turned out of her lodging house to earn money for her bed!. Later that morning, she was found several hundred yards away in the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields!.
Annie Chapman, known to her friends as "Dark Annie," was a pathetic woman!. She was essentially homeless, living at common lodging houses when she had the money for a night's lodging, otherwise roaming the streets in search of clients to earn a little money for drink, shelter and food!.
She was 47 when she died, a homeless prostitute!. But her life had been much different in 1869, when she was married to John Chapman, a coachman!. Of the three children they had, one died of meningitis and another was crippled!. The stress of illness and the heavy drinking of both husband and wife caused the breakup of their marriage!. Things became much worse for Annie when John died and she lost the small financial security his allowance had provided her!. The emotional shock of his death was just as bad as the financial loss and she never recovered from either!.
Suffering from depression and alcoholism, she did crochet work and sold flowers!. Eventually she turned to prostitution, despite her plain features, missing teeth, and plump figure!. For the most part, she was very easy going!. However, a week before her death, she got into a fight with a woman over a piece of soap and Annie was struck on the left eye and on her chest!.
On Friday, September 7, 1888, Annie was told her friend that she was feeling sick!. Unknown to her, she was suffering from tuberculosis!. "I must pull myself together and get some money or I shall have no lodgings," she told her friend Amelia!.
http://www!.trutv!.com/library/crime/seria!.!.!.

Elizabeth Stride known as "Long Liz"!.
Early on Sunday morning on the 30th September a 45 year old Swedish woman known as Elizabeth Stride (born Elisabeth Gustafsdotter) was found in the yard of 40 Berner Street (now Henriques Street) off Commercial Road!.
The dead woman was approximately five feet two inches tall with a very light complexion and dark brown curly hair!. She was dressed predominantly in black, with a red rose decorating her jacket!. Nothing to identify her nor anything of value was found in her pocket!.
After a few red herrings, she was identified as Elizabeth Stride, who was born in 1843 in Sweden!. She had most likely come to England as a domestic worker!. She had made up a story that she was a survivor of the Princess Alice boating disaster that had occurred in 1878, claiming that her husband and two children had drowned!. This story was useful in getting charity from the Swedish Church in London, and in generally arousing sympathy for her!. The real story is that her husband, John Stride, was a survivor of the Thames River tragedy, but he had died later in the poorhouse!.
She lived with a laborer named Michael Kidney for three years before her death!. She was a well-liked woman who people nicknamed "Long Liz!." While she may have occasionally prostituted herself, for the most part she earned a living by doing sewing or cleaning work!. Once in a while, she became drunk and boisterous, an event noted more than once in the magistrate court!.
She left her lodging house in the early evening and did not tell anyone where she was going!. She had a small amount of money in her pocket that she had earned by cleaning rooms!. At the time she left the lodging house, there was no rose on her jacket!.
http://www!.trutv!.com/library/crime/seria!.!.!.

Catharine Eddowes known as Kate
She was the second victim of the night of the "Double Event" (Sunday, 30th September, 1888)!.
Catharine Eddowes, called Kate by all who knew her, was a very friendly and happy woman, known for her good spirits and singing!. She, like the other victims, had a periodic drinking problem, which led to quarrels with her companions and family!.
Kate was born in 1842!. Her parents died when she was young and the household was dispersed!. When she was 16, she fell in love with Thomas Conway and went to live with him as his common-law wife!. They lived together some 20 years and produced three children!. Conway's physical abuse and Kate's drinking caused the couple to break up in 1880!. The next year, she met John Kelly and remained his lover for the rest of her life!. Her friends were adamant that Kate was not a prostitute, but there is some reason to believe that she did occasionally prostitute herself, perhaps when under the influence of alcohol!.
The evening before her death, Kate told Kelly she was going to visit her daughter to borrow some money!. Kelly warned her about the Whitechapel killer and told her to come back early!. "Don't you fear for me!. I'll take care of myself and I shan't fall into his hands," she reassured him!.
Kate never got to her daughter's house, but she did find some money - enough to get stinking drunk and land in the jail at the Bishopsgate Street Police Station!. She slept off her over indulgence until 12:30 a!.m!., when she asked to be allowed to go!. Shortly afterwards, Constable Hutt let her go!. She asked him what time it was and he told her it was just about one o'clock!.
"I shall get a damned fine hiding when I get home then," she told him!.
"And serve you right," Hutt told her!. "You have no right to get drunk!."
Mitre Square was a mere eight-minute walk away!.
http://www!.trutv!.com/library/crime/seria!.!.!.

Mary Jane Kelly
Murdered on Friday 9th November, 1888!.
There had been no murder for a month and the streetwalkers again began to ply their trade in force!. One such woman was a good-looking young Irish girl by the name of Mary Kelly!. Police officer Walter Dew knew her by sight!. "She was usually in the company of two or three of her kind, fairly neatly dressed and invariably wearing a clean white apron, but no hat!."
Mary had a lot on her mind at the beginning of November!. She was several weeks behind in her rent and her lover, Joe Barnett, was unemployed!. She rented a first floor room in Miller's Court in the back of Dorset Street!.
Mary was born in Limerick and had lived in Wales!. When she was 21 years old, she came to London and worked in a brothel!. One of her clients was sufficiently taken by her to have her accompany him to France, but the relationship did not work out and she returned a couple of weeks later!. Being an attractive woman, her various lovers supported her so that she did not have to live solely by prostitution!.
In 1887, she met Joe Barnett, a respectable market porter, and lived with him at various locations!. Every once and awhile, they would drink up the rent money and get evicted!. Finally they ended up at 13 Miller's Court!. Mary did not have many relationships and the one she had with Joe was a solid one!. They lived together until they had an argument and he moved out!. Since he did not have any work, she had been forced to return to prostitution to survive!.
The cause of the argument was Mary's generosity in allowing a homeless prostitute to stay with them at Miller's Court and Mary's returning to prostitution to earn money!. But this was more of a lover's spat than a break-up because they got together Thursday night, November 8, and he apologized for not having any money to give her!.
People described her as "tall and pretty, and as fair as a lily, a very pleasant girl who seemed to be on good terms with everybody!." One of her acquaintances said she was abusive when drunk, but "one of the most decent and nicest girls you could meet when she was sober!." Another acquaintance said Mary was "5 feet 7 inches in height, and of rather stout build, with blue eyes and a very fine head of hair, which reached nearly to her waist!."
http://www!.trutv!.com/library/crime/seria!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Hi Amy!.
A site which I found interesting in that it dealt with the women and not JTR is as follows;
The five victims of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is believed to be the most famous serial killer of all time!. Most know that he selected prostitutes as his victims and that he used a sharp !.!.!.
www!.essortment!.com/all/victimsjackrip
I hope this is of help !.
You know the case is still open as he (JTR) was never found or brought to Justice!.
Cathorio!.
Amy you should also check out the Police files on the case,thes are available at;
www!.met!.police!.uk/history/rippe!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Polly Nichols, mother of 5, separated from husband, turned to prostitution - date of death - August 31, 1888!.
Annie Chapman, separated from husband, also turned to prostitution - date of death - September 8, 1888
Elizabeth Stride, separated from partner, worked as a domestic laborer and supplemented her income with occasional prostitution - date of death - September 29, 1888
Catherine Eddowes, also separated from partner, turned to prostitution - date of death - September 30, 1888!.
Mary Kelly, again, also a prostitute - date of death - November 8, 1888!.

Obviously the prostitution was what all these women had in common, it was reported also that they were "down-on their-luck" whether it was from the economic situation of the times or simply bad luck with their mates and children - a few of them were mothers, whether they still had their children at the times of death, I think is unknown!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Polly Nichols 31/08/1888 born London
Annie Chapman 08/09/1888 born London
Liz Stride 30/09/1888 born Sweden
Kathrine Eddowes 30/09/1888 Born Wolverhampton
Mary Jane Kelly 09/11/1888

they were all ladies of the night and where killed at weekendsWww@QuestionHome@Com

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Link with photos!.

http://www!.casebook!.org/victims/Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The bungled, the botched, the expendable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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they were prostitutesWww@QuestionHome@Com

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