What can bring the fire to the eyes of a murder? Well, there are lots of reasons. But no one knows for sure why, London’s 1888 killer killed at least five women. The killer is known as Jack the Ripper. He roamed the streets of London, stilling the throats of five prostitutes. Why did he it, nobody knows, But what people really want to know is, who was Jack the Ripper? Because his identity was never determined, and why he did the murders has been one mystery many people want to solve.

Has Jack killed before the 1880’s? No one really knows for sure really. According to Jack-the-Ripper.org, they say “It is generally accepted today that Jack the Ripper had five victims. But the Whitechapel Murder Files, under the generis heading of which the Jack the Ripper murders are included, actually have eleven murders on it” (Jack-the-Ripper.org).What they’re saying, is that Jack the Ripper could have killed more than five before the 1880’s. But, they also claim that he could have killed less than five. Who knows exactly how many women he killed, but it seems the only person that knows, is Jack the Ripper himself.

On Tuesday, August 7, 1888, Martha Tabram was found dead outside. But there was no evidence to who or what has done this deadly deed. Some say she was the first victim of Jack the Ripper but others say nothing at all. As time went on, four more women were found with their throats slit and bodies ripped opened. Four out of five were over 40. The fifth one was only 25.

But the scene of the crime wasn’t the only time Jack showed his game of play. He would send letters to the police and doctors. Sometimes there would be a part of a body from one of his victims. Were they sent to laugh at the failure of the police or a useless clue just to scare the nation even more?

Letters were normally sent out to family and friends for enjoyment or comfort of a lost. But this letter was sent to the police to mock them and scare the nation out of their wits. This letter was sent out by who they believe to be Jack the Ripper. The letter said, “Dear, Boss, I keep hearing the police have caught me but they won’t fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on w****s and shant quit ripping them til I so get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my job and want to start again. You will soon hear from me my funny little games. I saved some the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I can’t use it. Red ink is enough I hope ha. Ha… Yours truly, Jack the Ripper” (Casebook.org/Jack the Ripper). What “Jack” is trying to say, is that he would not stop killing until he is thrown in jail or killed himself. Were his words true? Or did he stop before he passed away?

More letters were sent out, but not all of them were just letters. One letter that was sent out was a bottle with a note attached to it. Inside was bottle was half of human kidney preserved in wine. The note that was attached to it said that Jack (the Ripper) had fried and eaten the other half of the kidney. The most disgusting part was that he said he enjoyed it.

Was his motivation, hated or love? This mystery has never been solved but there are many theories why Jack did what he did. Some say the Ripper did out of hatred of women because many of them were prostitutes. Others say that this “monster” killed for love. But what kind of twisted person would kill for love? Well, Jack the Ripper’s kind of course.

James Stephen set himself as a suspect for writing a poem about his hatred for women. Stephen (James) wrote “If all the harm that women have done, were put in a bottle and rolled into one, earth would not be hold it, the sky could not enfold it, it could not be lighted nor warmed by the sun. Such masses of evil, would puzzle the devil, and keep him in fuel while time’s wheels run” (The Mystery Library: Jack the Ripper, by Natalie M. Rosinsky).

In Natalie M. Rosinsky’s book, The Mystery Library: Jack the Ripper, she writes, “Some of the books written about Jack the claim to have solved the mystery of his identity. Yet the debate about the real identity of this brutal killer goes on… The passage of time only seems to increase the many mysteries that surround that monstrous figure of evil, terrible Jack the Ripper” (Natalie M.). I think two ways of this quote. One, I think if we were to find his true identity, would his story still fascinate people? And would people still make money off of his murders? Like book writers and movie directors. Two, would it actually matter to people? Unless they’re related to his victims.

Jack the Ripper may have been an evil being, but many other murders try to copy his work. But because of DNA, they were caught. That’s another reason why Jack was never caught. Because nobody knew about DNA around that time.

The mystery of Jack the Ripper’s identity remains unknown. But his story continues to fascinate people of many ages. Jack murders weren’t a clean cut or a bullet to the head. He strangled his victims’, slit their throats and ripped their bodies open. So the next time you listen to the radio, keep an ear out. You never know if Jack is ready for round two.