The idea of a separate detective department (CID) to investigate crimes was still a fairly recent idea when the Whitechapel Murders happened (indeed, the Metropolitan Police itself had only existed for 60 years).
At first, the local H Division CID that covered the Whitechapel area investigated, but after the death of Polly Nichols, senor officers were sent from Scotland yard to help, including the best-known detective in the case, Frederick Abeline. The City of London Police (a separate force) became involved with the Eddowes murder, as it was on their patch.
The investigation made very little progress, and there was a great public outcry as well as press coverage and political pressure. The Met’s Commissioner, Sir Charles Warren, eventually appointed officers over the head of Abeline to try to solve the crimes.
There were also vigilante groups of East End citizens patrolling the streets. They did this to try to find suspects, but although various people were accused, no-one was ever caught. A police surgeon, Thomas Bond, was asked to describe the type of person the killer was – an early attempt at offender profiling, but Bond dismissed the idea the murderer had any medical knowledge, either as a butcher or even as a slaughterman. He described Jack as a solitary man with attacks of erotic and homicidal tendencies.
LETTERS ‘FROM HELL’
The police and newspapers were flooded with hundreds of letters offering advice or suggesting suspects.
But there were also letters supposedly from the killer himself.
3 are famous:
Dear Boss
Dated September 25th, it was sent to the Central News Agency, who passed it on to the police. It was dismissed as a hoax at first until its threat to “clip the ladys ears off” was put together with the fact Catherine Eddowes’ ears were badly cut by her killer.
The Postcard
Dated October 1st, and again sent to the Central News Agency. It mentioned “a double event this time,” referring to the Stride and Eddowes killings on the same night. It was signed “Saucy Jacky,” and the handwriting was similar to the “Dear Boss” letter.
From Hell
Sent to George Luck, the leader of the main Vigilance Committee, the letter came with an old box containing half a kidney. Eddowes had had one kidney removed, and the letter writer said the other half of the kidney he sent, he had fried and eaten the other half. A doctor confirmed it was a left human kidney, but could not confirm it was the one Eddowes had lost.
The letter was in a different handwriting to the other two letters.