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Postcard presented by Grand Auctions London loosely attributed to Jack the Ripper.
London’s Grand Auctions house has recently revealed that one of the most unusual auctions is set to take place. The item on sale is a 19th-century postcard which, according to local historians, might have been written by the infamous Jack the Ripper. So far, all evidence points towards the postcard’s authenticity.
Jack, the Ripper Postcard, Donated by Former Constable to Auction House
As far as Victorian-era curiosities go, the latest item featured on Grand Auctions’ website must be, by far, the most unusual item sold by London establishment.
Measuring 2.75 by 25 inches, the postcard was addressed to the “Hight Street in Ealing Police Sergeant” and appears to have been written in fountain pen by a semi-literate individual.
The postcard, which remained in the Ealing Police Station’s archive since the 29th of November 1888, contains a blood-curdling message, vaguely attributed at that time to Jack the Ripper or to a copy-cat serial killer.
The message reads:
Beware there [sic!] two women I want here they are bastards, and I mean to have them my knife is still in good order it is a students [sic!] knife and I hope you liked the kidney. I am Jack the Ripper.
Many Victorian London historians and forensic experts have doubted the authenticity of the Ealing Police Station note, arguing that Jack the Ripper’s crimes abruptly ceased on the 9th of November, making this the work of someone who admired the murderer’s work.
However, as Jonathan Riley, a Victorian London history expert, pointed out, there’s just not enough evidence to prove or disprove the letter authenticity. One of Riley’s observations were that the mystifying postcard contained a subtle reference to Jack the Ripper’s “From Hell” letter – a sinister document that had half of a human kidney attached.
Conclusion
More than that, Riley argued that everything from the author’s handwriting to the blatant grammatical inconsistencies show that this might very well be the last note written by the madman who terrorized the Whitechapel district between August and November 1888.
Image source: Wikipedia
