#james maybrick
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My top 10 Jack The Ripper suspects
Jacob Levy
David Cohen
Hyam Hyams
Aaron Kosminski
Montague John Druit
Royal Conspiracy/Prince Albert Victor
Walter Sickert
Francis Tumblety
Dr John Williams
Thomas Bond
Runnerups:
Charles Allen Lechmere William Henry Bury George Chapman Frederick Bailey Deeming James Kelly Joseph Barnett James Maybrick
Bonus theories.
I believe it was a doctor that worked at the Whitechapel Workhouse Infirmary. All of the women were recently treated there before they were murdered.
Other than that, I DO still think the Royal connection is possible, if not the Royals, than a very Upper classman who took pleasure in controlling the poor with fear and punishing women.
#Jack The Ripper#Serial Killers#Ripperology#Jack The Ripper Suspects#Jacob Levy#David Cohen#Hyam Hyams#Aaron Kosminski#Montague John Druitt#Albert Victor#Prince Albert Victor#Walter Sickert#Francis Tumblety#Dr John Williams#Thomas Bond#Charles Allen Lechmere#William Henry Bury#George Chapman#Frederick Bailey Deeming#James Kelly#Joseph Barnett#James Maybrick
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42. Did She Kill Him?, by Kate Colquhoun
Owned?: No, library Page count: 346 My summary: Liverpool, 1889. James Maybrick dies after a long illness, his wife Florence by his side. But is this death all it seems? His brothers suspect Florence of murdering him - it's a known secret that she committed adultery, and her marriage was already all but over. Florence maintains her innocence, despite the opinions of the world. But with the revelations that James was a hypochondriac who regularly took arsenic as medicine, the waters become a lot more muddled. So what actually happened to James Maybrick? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:
This case is an absolutely fascinating one. I first found out about it in a very roundabout way - the book Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem draws inspiration from Florence Maybrick for its main antagonist, as well as the history of Jack the Ripper. It baffles the modern mind to hear that in the late 1800s, there were people who regularly took arsenic as a form of medicine despite, you know, it being a deadly poison, but Victorian medicine left a lot to be desired. As did Victorian morality and treatment of women. Poor Florence Maybrick spent fifteen years in prison for a crime she most likely didn't actually commit, and all because she was judged by the moral attitudes of the time. Her status as middle-class and her relative youth might have been the only things that saved her from the noose, but even so, she spent fifteen years in prison, emigrated to America, never saw her children again, and died alone and penniless. Her tale is a tragic one, of injustice done to someone who likely deserved none of it.
Case for the prosecution: Florence Maybrick had been having an affair, had argued with and openly rebelled against her husband, had bought flypapers to soak the arsenic out of them, was seen putting suspicious powders into her husband's meat juice (ew), and stood in theory to gain from his death. Case for the defense: James Maybrick was addicted to arsenic, may have requested that his wife dose the bottle, the bottle was never drunk from, the cause of death was uncertain and not always consistent with arsenic poisoning and, most damning of all, the doctors involved in James Maybrick's care didn't suspect poison until his brothers brought it up. The point is, the evidence was murky enough that Florence couldn't and shouldn't have been convicted on it. So why was she? This book suggests Victorian morality. She had admitted to adultery and, while her husband was also guilty of the same crime, her having an affair was seen as proof she was guilty because she didn't live up to the lofty goals of Victorian morality. Wives are meant to be domestic, caring, loving, devoted. Florence complicated that by being imperfect. But that doesn't mean she was a killer. This book is an excellent summary of the case, written in a more proselike style but with an extensive bibliography, covering everything that happened behind the walls of the Maybrick house - at least, as far as that can be known. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in these sorts of true crime stories!
Next up, something is killing the childrenâŠ
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#jack the ripper#whitechapel murders#circa 1888#ripper poll#victorian#victorian history#ripperology#true crime#true crime meme#stupid ripper theories#ripper suspects
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Murder and Mysteries - Four Hour True Crime and Mystery Stories
 News of the Times Episode 283 | 1550's - 1911Â
Welcome to an extended special history compilation and true cime documentary  - a review of cases where the crimes remained unsolved for years or where doubt remains as to who the murderer was.  Â
Our first case is the famous Sawney Sean cannibalistic family that existed in Scotland for over 25 years! Â The isolated family waylaid hapless travellers, killed them, robbed them and then ate them. Â The crimes were finally resolved by King James VI!Â
Our second story looks at the famous east London child vanishings over several years.  Many taking place on the same street! Â
Our third story looks at the still unsolved Thames torso murders that took place around the same time as the ripper killings and were located only a few miles away. Â As mutilated headless bodies began washing up from the Thames, panic ensued!Â
Our fourth story looks at the infamous James Maybrick case.  His death occurred in 1889.  There were some who believed he was Jack the Ripper.  As for his very painful death â did she, or didnât she?  A famous case to this day. Â
Our fifth case involves a housemaid and the primary suspect, a highly respectable church elder.  Rose was also found to be pregnant.  Her horrifically mutilated body, with attempts to burn the body after death, was incredibly shocking in its day. Â
Our sixth case takes place in Lancaster Castle in 1911. Â The family who act as caretakers of the castle are all dying one by one. Â Who is killing them?Â
Our last episode recounts three families cursed with implications to this day. 03:56:40:09 Four hours of crimes, mysteries and stories is todayâs history compilation special of Murders and Mysteries.
 Hosted by Robin Coles.Â
#youtube#crime documentary#truecrimestories#truecrime#historicaltruecrime#historicalcrimedocumentary#victorianmurders#historicalcrimestories#victoriancrimestories#newsofthetimes
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The Jewel in the Crown - ITV - January 9, 1984 - April 3, 1984
Period Drama (14 episodes)
Running Time: 60 minutes
Stars:
Peggy Ashcroft as Barbara Batchelor
Janet Henfrey as Edwina Crane
Derrick Branche as Ahmed Kasim
Charles Dance as Sgt Guy Perron
Geraldine James as Sarah Layton
Rachel Kempson as Lady Manners
Art Malik as Hari Kumar
Wendy Morgan as Susan Layton
Judy Parfitt as Mildred Layton
Tim Pigott-Smith as Supt./Capt/Maj/Lt Col Ronald Merrick
Eric Porter as Count Dmitri Bronowsky
Susan Wooldridge as Daphne Manners
Ralph Arliss as Capt. Samuels
Geoffrey Beevers as Capt Kevin Coley
James Bree as Maj/Lt Col Arthur Grace
Jeremy Child as Robin White
Warren Clarke as Cpl "Sophie" Dixon
Rowena Cooper as Connie White
Anna Cropper as Nicky Paynton
Fabia Drake as Mabel Layton
Nicholas Farrell as Edward "Teddie" Bingham
Matyelok Gibbs as Sister Ludmila Smith
Carol Gillies as Clarissa Peplow
Rennee Goddard as Dr Anna Klaus
Jonathan Haley and Nicholas Haley as Edward Bingham Jr
Saeed Jaffrey as Ahmed Ali Gaffur Kasim Bahadur, the Nawab of Mirat
Karan Kapoor as Colin Lindsey
Rashid Karapiet as Judge Menen
Kamini Kaushal as Shalini Sengupta
Rosemary Leach as Fenella "Fenny" Grace
David Leland as Capt Leonard Purvis
Nicholas Le Prevost as Capt Nigel Rowan
Marne Maitland as Pandit Baba
Jamila Massey as Maharanee Aimee
Zia Mohyeddin as Mohammad Ali Kasim
Salmaan Peerzada as Sayed Kasim
Om Puri as Mr de Souza
Stephen Riddle as Capt Dicky Beauvais
Norman Rutherford as Edgar Maybrick
Dev Sagoo as S.V. Vidyasagar
Zohra Sehgal as Lady Lili Chatterjee
Frederick Treves as Lt Col John Layton
Stuart Wilson as Capt James Clark
Leslie Grantham as Signals Sergeant
#The Jewel in the Crown#TV#Period Drama#ITV#1984#1980's#Tim Pigott-Smith#Susan Wooldridge#Art Malik#Charles Dance#Geraldine James
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The Case of the Choleric Cotton Broker
What I liked about it: there is a reference to the "intimacy of their relations" about Moriarty and Moran. And they do get some interaction and the way Moriarty exerts control over Moran and Moran has genuine admiration for him is good. And I agree Moriarty probably has met with Mycroft (at least I assume it's Mycroft narrating this) in one of his clubs.
What I didn't like about it: it's from Mycroft's (presumably) POV and there's too much stuff about serving one's country and the queen/monarchy and the "glorious system of justice" and all that shit, which is extremely grating. Also this seems to say James Maybrick was Jack the Ripper? But he just wasn't. And to be honest I didn't actually follow the story and what it was about or what Moriarty was up to and it wasn't actually very interesting to me, probably because we're presumably supposed to be on Mycroft's side and like it being from his POV and I just... am not and don't. Apparently Mycroft beat Moriarty at more than chess though so... that sucks.
Was Moran in: yes, a little bit
Would I read it again: maybe but really there are only a few little bits of it I actually liked
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The Last of his Kind
What I liked about it: nothing
What I didn't like about it: I have no idea what this one was about, I haven't got any interest in *checks end notes* the last autocratic sultan of the Ottoman Empire. I've already forgotten it all and I only read it again yesterday which shows I didn't care about it at all. I didn't understand any of it really. Mostly I think it felt like the author really wanted to write something about that topic and just shoehorned Moriarty into it to make it fit the anthology. Moriarty somehow or other getting one over on the guy wasn't enough to save the story for me or even make it memorable to me sorry.
Was Moran in it: no, he wasn't even mentioned
Would I read it again: no
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Mrs. Maybrick's Own Story: My Fifteen Lost Years
In 1889, Florence Maybrick was convicted of the murder of her husband, Liverpool cotton merchant James Maybrick, by arsenic poisoning. Days before her execution, her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. She served 15 years in Woking and Aylesbury prisons before finally being freed.
But did Florence really kill her husband? James, a bit of a hypochondriac, habitually took arsenic for its supposed medicinal properties. Even on his deathbed, he begged his wife to put the powder in his food. Arguably, Florence was actually convicted of infidelityâsomething men (including her husband) could get away with, but women could not.
Speaking of James Maybrick: if that name sounds familiar, you may be thinking of the theory that he was actually Jack the Ripper, which stems from the publication in 1993 of a diary of dubious provenance. Florence Maybrick, meanwhile, actually did write her own story, which you can read here.
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Almost A Thousand Years - 1700/1800 | Hisirdoux Casperan
Plot: Â Youâve known Hisirdoux Casperan for almost a thousand years. Â Youâve hated him for almost a thousand years. Â And for almost a thousand years, youâve been cursed to feel each others pain. Â But somewhere in that time, things changed. Â [Hisirdoux Casperan x Mostly Gender Neutral but Probably Female Presenting Based on How Historical Men Treat Them!Reader]
Word Count: 3,898
Warnings: Â jack the ripper, reader is called a whore and a wench
A/N:Â tis my longest chapter yet!
Back | Next
You hid away for most of the eighteenth century.
You healed when you could, but what happened to Douxie scared you a little more than youâd like to admit.
So you hid.
You found ways to entertain yourself. Â You read more, painted a little, continued your medical practice, and learned more about medicine whenever the knowledge became available. Â You continued to keep tabs on other immortals. Â It was pretty boring except for that time the Americans revolted. Â You had to admit it was fun to keep tabs on the scrappy rebellion. Â You couldnât say it out loud as you still lived in England, but you gave a little cheer every time they fought off the British. Â You didnât like authority. Â Neither did they.
On the other side of the continent, Douxie did the same things he always did. Â Music, magic, work for Merlin. Â He also read the book youâd given him. Â He liked it.
It was a century of hiding, waiting, and having nothing much to do. Â The next century would be the exact opposite.Â
--
Jack the Ripper was a dick.
You really didnât like him.
Douxie didnât like him either.
And Archie didnât like him.
So, like in every good piece of media that has a chapter in the nineteenth century, you protagonists teamed up to take down Jack the Ripper. Â It was super effective!
You met up with your partners in the fog-filled streets of the White Chapel district soon after the second murder.  In your hands, you held a newspaper covering the recent events.  You approached the wizard and his familiar, but they didnât see you.  They were caught in a conversation with someone youâd never seen before, a stocky man dressed in a dark overcoat and hat.  The stranger hadnât noticed you either. Â
Silently, you hid in an alley between two nearby buildings. Â You couldnât hear them, but from the strangerâs body language, he seemed a bit defensive, maybe even a little angry. Â You sincerely hoped Douxie wasnât doing anything stupid.
About a minute later, the man stormed off, leaving Douxie and Archie behind. Â They still hadnât noticed you, so you took the opportunity to sneak up on them.
âHey!â
âAaaaahhhh, jeez (Y/N)! Â Donât do that! Â Thereâs a killer on the loose!â
âAnd heâs only killed prostitutes so far, so you should be fine. Â Unless thereâs something you arenât telling me?â you joked, raising an eyebrow.
He gave you a small shove, too small to be malicious, âVery funny. Â Have you learned anything new?â
âMhmm, but first,â you turned to Archie, giving him a pat on the head, âHey Arch, how are you?â
âIâm fine, thank you for asking,â
âThatâs good! Â Thatâs good, anyway, you know they think itâs a doctor, but they received a letter signed âJack the Ripper,ââ
âVery fun nickname,â
âIndeed, but it still isnât much to go off of, the police already doubt itâ
â(Y/N), remind me again what your sources are?â Â the familiar was right to be suspicious, but you knew your sources were solid.
âIâve told you Arch, a forensic doctor, heâs a friend of mine and he works with the police,â
âAnd how do you know you can trust him?â
âI donât, but theyâre publishing the letter soon, so youâll see it then. Â You guys got anything?â
âNot much,â
âHuh. Â That isnât great,â you took a moment before speaking again, âBy the way, who was that man you were talking to? Â He seemed angry,â
âOh, him?  Heâs just a resident of this area.  Iâve been talking to him for a while, I thought he might know something, but every time I even mention it he gets, wellâŠâ
âLike that?â
âYes, like that,â
You looked out the way the man had gone, âYou think heâs a suspect?â
âOh yeah, absolutely,â
Archie nodded in agreement.
âWell then,â you said, returning the eyes to the face of your accomplices, âKeep an eye on him. Â See you next Thursday?â
âSounds good,â
By next Thursday, another girl was dead.
You met with your team in a (very) shady pub to discuss this development. Â Thanks to some connections, youâd snagged a private room where no one else could hear your detective work.
âGod DAMMIT, guys, how did we miss this?â  you said, pacing.  Your hands were on your hips, eyes fixed on the floor.  You seriously could not figure out how you missed this. Â
On the wall behind you, youâd attached some photos and newspaper clippings to the wall, red yarn connecting them. Â You were very ahead of your time.
âI really donât know,â Douxie was sitting, upside-down, in a chair across from you. Â He threw the ball of yarn up in the air, letting it fall, and catching it over and over again. Archie didnât answer, he was focused too hard on the yarn.
You stopped pacing and glared at your conspiracy wall.  You followed the red string with your finger.  It lead nowhere.  You groaned and ran your fingers through your hair, something that Douxie found alarmingly attractive. Â
Ever since you saved his life in the sixteen hundreds, heâd developed a bit of a soft spot for you. Â It wasnât something he was proud of. Â But it was fine, youâd developed a soft spot for him too.
âHey, itâll be alright, love,â Â he said, sitting up properly, âWeâll find this monster, so donât worry yourself too much,â
You took a deep breath, leaning against your crime wall, âThanks Doux. Â I appreciate it,â
Your voice was slightly sarcastic, but you both smiled still. Â Archie frowned, the yarn wasnât moving anymore.
âSo,â you said, turning again to examine the mess of photos and yarn, âHe isnât an official suspect, but I think this guy, this James Maybrick, seems a little suspicious,â you pointed at his photo, âHeâs going to be at this ball thing on Friday. Â If we go, we can ask him if he plans on traveling, he lives in Liverpool, and-â
âIâm sorry, he lives where?â
âLiverpool, Arch, pay attention-â
â(Y/N), why do you think heâs coming all the way out to White Chapel to murder these women?â
âWell it isnât his area, that makes him less of a suspect, and all of the murders have been on Saturdays and Sundays, which gives him time to travel,â
âYou might be onto something,â Douxie said, standing and letting the yarn fall to the ground where Archie chased it around, thoroughly distracted, âWe can go check it out, but how do we get in?â
You bit your lip, deep in thought, âMy doctor friend, he knows the hostess. Â He might be able to get us in,â
âFantastic!â
âThereâs just one thing,â
âYes?â
âIâm pretty sure youâll have to pretend to be my fiance,â
There was a moment of silence while Douxie considered this. Â
You tried to explain yourself, âI-Itâs not my first choice either, but high society doesnât approve of-â
âIâll do it,â
âAnd I know itâs inconvenient, but-â
â(Y/N)?â
âYes?â
âI said Iâll do it,â
It was your time to consider, and you considered yourself super lucky to have an accomplice like Douxie.
âOh my god, thank you!â you exclaimed, throwing your arms around his neck, âThank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,â
You couldnât see Douxieâs face, so he had no idea that he blushed before wrapping his arms around you softly.
âNo problem (Y/N), no problem,â
--
Two days later, you were wearing fancy clothes, and freaking out a little.
This was nothing compared to Douxie who was freaking out a lot. Â Mostly because you looked absolutely stunning, but also because there was a possible murderer inside the building. Â You know, typical stuff.
The two of you stood outside the manor, looking up at the vast estate. Â It was beautiful but intimidating. Â You turned to your partner in crime-solving, âYou ready for this?â
He nodded.
You closed your eyes, swallowed back your anxiety, and linked your arm with his.
âLetâs do it,â
The manor was, simply put, dazzling.  The size of it reminded you of the smaller cathedrals during the sixteenth century.  The floors were marble, the ceiling decorated with a mural, just like the cathedrals you now reminisced.  The room was lit with a large chandelier, the warm light covered the whole room in a glow the colour of honey.  Columns, the same marble as the floor, stood strong around the perimeter.  On one side of the space, an orchestra played.  The center was full of people dancing.  Some people stood at the side of the room speaking, others just observing everything else. It was a crazy party, but only by Victorian standards. Â
The sheer amount of activity made you panic a little. Â As if Douxie could sense your anxiety, he found one of your hands and squeezed it reassuringly. Â You smiled a little, once again thankful for such an amazing partner in crime.
The two of you made your way around the dance floor, checking faces, looking for your suspect. Â You didnât see him. Â You and Douxie made a full circle around the room, not seeing your guy. Â You were about to suggest finding a higher viewpoint when the hostess of the party stopped you.
She was a plump, elegant woman, draped in the finest of silks.  Her hair shone, and her eyes sparkled.  She was perfectly gorgeous, and perfectly in your way.
âAh, fuzzbuckets,â
âOh, my dear (Y/N)! Â It is so good to see you, darling!â
âItâs good to see you as well, my Lady,â you returned, bowing slightly. Â Douxie followed your lead.
ââTis a pity the good doctor couldnât be with us! Â He works so hard, you would think he would come out and dance for an evening! Â Just to relax!â Â The woman laughed as if wishing the doctor was here was the funniest thing on the planet. Â Maybe it was to her Victorian sensibilities.
You laughed an appropriate amount, plastering on a fake smile, and biting your tongue at the irony. Â This was the least relaxed youâd been all century.
When the Lady stopped laughing, she noticed Doxie, âOh, (Y/N), dear, you must tell me who this dashing young gentleman is! Â How in heaven did you find such a match?â
âMy Lady, this is my fiance, Mr. Casperan,â
âItâs lovely to meet you fair Lady, and might I say that the moon and stars dull in comparison to your eyes; even a goddess of beauty could not hold a candle to your visage,â
You tried to keep cool, but you felt your eyes widen a bit.  You had never heard Douxie speak like that before.  You werenât sure how it made you feel yet, but clearly, the Lady enjoyed it.  A blush covered her face as she gushed over the wizard for another two minutes.  You spent that time subtly searching the crowd for Maybrick.
Clearly, you were not as subtle as you thought.
âOh, dear, I see your partner is eyeing the dance floor,â the lady said, her face still painted with a blush. Â Her words called you to attention.
âAh, yes, my apologies my Lady,â
âNo worries at all dear child, now go! Â Dance the night away!â
âThank you,â you said, once again bowing.
âIt was wonderful speaking with you, my Lady,â Douxie said, following your actions before leading you to the mass of dancing guests.
âSheâs watching us,â Douxie whispered to you through clenched teeth, âCan you dance?â
âNot super well, but enough to survive,â
âJust follow my lead,â
Douxie could dance pretty damn well, something you werenât too surprised by. Â Heâd spent a lot of time learning music throughout the centuries, youâ would've been a bit surprised if he hadnât known how. Â He was so good, in fact, that you were almost certain he was making you a better dancer just by being near you. Â Youâd be lying if you said this wasnât the most fun youâd had in a while.
âSo, whereâd you learn to flirt like that?â Â you asked, your voice low so that no one else could hear you.
âIâve picked some things up over the years,â he said, spinning you out and then back in again.
âI have to say, I was quite impressed. Â I didnât see that coming,â
He faked a gasp, âWhy Iâm offended! Â You donât think I can flirt?â
âWell, I didnât until tonight.  But I stand corrected,â he dipped you, âYou can flirt extremely well Hisirdoux Casperan,â
âThank you, (Y/N) (L/N),â
You both smiled continuing the dance, scanning the crowd for the face of the killer. Â And in between that, just staring at each other.
You almost regretted finding the suspect.
You hated to admit that a small part of you had hoped to just dance with Douxie for the next few hours, pretending that you were a couple and that you werenât magic, and you werenât immortal, and you hadnât seen pain and suffering the world over, and he hadnât been tortured two centuries before. Â You just wanted to dance.
But you saw him.
And the good of the humans came before the things you wanted.
âDoux, I see him,â
âWhere?â
âTo your left and back behind you. Â Donât look at him. Â Weâll get off the dance floor, and Iâll question him,â
âAre you sure?â Â Douxie thought about elaborating. Â About telling you that he didnât want you to get hurt and that he too, wanted to keep dancing.Â
But he didnât. Â And you were sure.
So, you left the dance floor and made your way to the suspect. Â You made sure Douxie stayed far enough behind you for his presence to be non-threatening, and made your approach.Â
âWonderful party isnât it SirâŠ?â  you waited for him to give you his name.
âMaybrick, Mr. Maybrick,â
âMr. Maybrick. Â A lovely name,â internally, you cursed God for giving Douxie all of the charm and leaving you none.
âMay I ask where youâre from Mr. Maybrick?â Â
âIâm from around here, Liverpool. Â May I ask who's asking?â
âI-â
â(Y/N), dear!  Where have you put that lovely boy of yours!  I have some friends he simply must meet!âÂ
You could not believe that the hostess was interrupting you yet again.  This time, Maybrick actually ran from you.  You cursed under your breath.  The Lady was far enough away that you could pretend not to hear her.  You could still catch the suspect, you just had to run a little.  In the outfit you were wearing, it would be next to impossible, but you really didnât want to talk to the hostess again, so you gestured for Douxie to follow, and you chased after Maybrick.
You ran through the ballroom, dodging patrons and maneuvering around dancers.  It felt almost like a fairytale; Cinderella if the princess had to chase down a dangerous serial killer instead of just flee the ball. Â
The suspect ran out the front doors, and you followed him, Douxie close behind. Â The night air was cool on your skin, a nice contrast to the warmth of the ballroom. Â You lost a shoe, and your hair was slowly turning into more and more of a mess, but you didnât care, you wanted to catch this guy.
You did not catch that guy.Â
A horse-drawn carriage was waiting for him at the end of the lane. Â There was no way you could compete with that. Â Not unless Archie would shapeshift into a horse for the sake of catching a possible criminal.
A black stallion pulled up beside you.
It was Archie, shapeshifted into a horse for the sake of catching a possible criminal. Â You manifested your hot girl mystery-solving arc.
âGet on!â Â both Douxie and Archie exclaimed, Douxie offering you a hand up. Â You took it, jumping onto Archieâs back, wrapping your arms around the wizard's waist, and riding after the carriage.
The night was dark, and the carriage moved fast. Â Archie kept up pretty well for a familiar with two people on his back. Â He went so fast that all you could do was cling to Douxie for dear life as the dark world blurred around you. Â It was not for a lack of trying, but eventually, you lost them.
âYou did good Arch, you did good,â
âThank you, Archie,â you said, forehead buried in Douxieâs back.
âI appreciate the thanks, but it isnât over yet. Â We left all of our stuff back at the manor, so we should return,â
âThatâs probably a good idea,â
The journey back showed you how far youâd gone. Â Needless to say, you were super proud of Archie. Â Youâd have to remind yourself to get him some fish later.
When you arrived back at the manor, the party was still going. Â You could hear the music from the outside. Â You dismounted Archie and leaned against his side.
âAll of this,â you groaned out, âfor nothing,â
âWell it wasnât exactly for nothing,â Douxie said, stretching his arms above his head, âMaybrick ran from us, thatâs suspicious. Â I think we can officially call him a suspect. Â Here,â he threw your missing shoe your way, âYou dropped this,â
You smiled, leaning on Archie for support as you slipped it back on, âThanks,â
âMy pleasure,â
You laughed. Â The stars above you caught your eye. Â They were so beautiful tonight. Â The music was nice too. Â Everything was so peaceful.
It reminded you of another night, centuries ago, when youâd been allowed to rant and rave, and the wizard just listened to you.
âHey, Douxie?â Â
âYes, love?â
You hesitated, trying to think of something to say. Â Eventually, you came up with, âWeâre still enemies after this, right?â
He laughed a little. Â It sounded kind of sad, âIf you want us to be,â
At that moment, you didnât know what you wanted.
Thatâs a lie, you wanted to kiss Douxie.
But you hadnât figured it out just yet, so, for now, you just stared at his lips, wondering what that feeling was, and listening to the song end.
âWe should head back,â
âI guess we should,â
Neither of you were satisfied with this outcome.
--
You wouldnât be satisfied until you caught the killer, or as it turned out, killers.
Youâd been back at the pub, obsessing over the crime wall, tracing the red yarn over and over again. Â Doux and Archie were starting to worry about your health. Â Then you cracked the code.
âWhat if,â you said, turning from the wall, âThereâs more than one,â
âMore than one?â
âYeah, more than one killer. Â Thereâs more than one person involved here,â
The wizard and his familiar exchanged a look. Â Maybe you were sleep-deprived and in need of a nap, but maybe you were onto something, âGo on,â
âThink about it, weâve got multiple leads, some doctors, some live in the area, some have the motive, some are just suspicious, but none of them have everything they need to commit murder. Â What if theyâre working together?â
âKeep talking,â
âLook, here,â you said, pointing at a photo of a suspect, âJohnson Druitt, he lives in the white chapel area and has the anatomical knowledge,â you moved to another photo, this one a sketch, âBarnett, his roommate works the streets, heâs in love with her and we know he hates her job. Â If he killed those other women to scare her, he has a motive,â you moved on again, âAnd Maybrick,â Â you stopped, trying to piece together his role in this grand conspiracy.
âHeâd have the funds to cover it up, plus the interest in the case,â
You spun around to face the wizard, âDouxie, youâre brilliant!â
You took a step back from the wall, taking in your work, âSo, what do we do now?â
âSimple,â Douxie said, resting an elbow on your shoulder, âWe go after him,â
--
You didnât mind being bait. Â Really, you didnât. Â But you did find it boring.
Youâd been walking around this general area for two hours now, this disguise was uncomfortable, and you just wanted something else to do. Â Then your wish came true!
Two men approached you from the front, both short in stature with well-kept moustaches.  You hid a smile, the three killer theory proving itself correct.  You walked forward, your peripheral vision focused on the men. Â
The three of you kept walking.
You passed between them.
âLovely night, isnât it?â
They stopped, you continued on.
âExcuse me, dearie?â
âYes?â  you purred, turning to them. Â
Then you were grabbed from behind. Â Fortunately, you expected that little trick, grabbing the stranger and flipping him over your body. Â The man landed on the pavement with a thud. Â You grinned as the three men looked at you, faces full of shock. Â Unfortunately, it wore off, and the three advanced.
The first one threw a decent punch, but you dodged, forcing him to punch one of his partners. Â You swept the legs out from under the third.
The first two had recovered and were coming at you again, this time with blades.  It was this moment when you noticed the blood on their coats.  It wasnât theirs, or yours for that matter.  Yep, these were definitely your guys. Â
The first blade missed you, the second one just grazed your side. Â You bit down a cry of pain, sincerely hoping that blade was clean. Â You could see Douxie emerge from his hiding place; clearly, heâd felt the sting of the metal too.
But you didnât have time to focus on Douxie, you had to fight. Â
You threw a few punches of your own, knocking the duo back into the street and closer to the wizard.
âGah, you wENCH!!â one of them exclaimed.
âKill the whore!!â Â
You could see the rage in their faces, but that wasnât as important as the fact that you could see their faces. Â Maybrick and Druitt. Â Your theory was right! Â Your excitement fell away as they advanced.
Then they both fell into limbo. Â
The portal down glowed blue around them. Â Douxie stood behind the gateway, looking very proud of himself.
You would have laughed at their misfortune and Douxâs pride if you hadnât been grabbed from behind again.
You cried out in surprise, catching the attention of the wizard.
â(Y/N)!â
âDonât come any closer!â you felt the cold of a blade on your throat. Â This wouldnât end well.
âCome on now, donât make any rash decisions,â Douxieâs hands were raised in surrender, his eyes never leaving yours.
âIâll kill the wench! Â Iâll do it!â
âHey, donât-â
âMy Mary is dead! Â Thereâs nothing left! Â Iâll kill her!â
âWait, who's dead?â
âMy girl,â the man sobbed, his grasp on you weakening, âMy Mary Kelly, Iâve lost her! Â Sheâs gone!â
You may have felt bad for this guy if he hadnât been absolutely insane. Â You took his distracted state as a chance and broke from his hold, pushing yourself away from him.
âDouxie! Â Now!â
The portal to limbo opened under the man. Â He had no time to react as he fell into the other dimension.
You looked down into the gateway, a blue pool in the middle of a dull cobblestone street. Â You sighed with relief as the blue magic sealed itself shut, leaving the night dark again.
âNice work,â
âThanks,â
Lights came on in the windows around you. Â In the distance, you heard shouting.
âWe should get out of here,â
âGood idea. Â See you next century?â
âOh, absolutely. Â Say goodbye to Arch for me,â
âWill do,â
And you slipped away into the night, excited by this latest adventure, but still wanting more.
#hisirdoux x reader#hisirdoux casperan x reader#douxie x reader#douxie imagine#hisirdoux imagine#almost a thousand years#jack the ripper#fluff#victorian era#fake dating#aaty#hisirdoux casperan#hisirdoux#douxie#toa hisirdoux#toa douxie
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Ripper suspect: James Maybrick
Ripper suspect: James Maybrick
Remember back when we were discussing Montague John Druitt and we learned itâs bad luck to have died shortly after the Ripper murders were âfinishedâ? James Maybrick, a Liverpool cotton merchant, had some of that same luck, except âdiedâ doesnât quite fit here. His wife was convicted of his murder and sentenced to death. Florence Chandler was 18 when she met 42-year-old Maybrick on a sea voyageïżœïżœïżœ
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Bare Bones {Theory 1} â Pope Heyward â
description: Pippa Cantu has always been a littleâŠstrange. With a knack for knowing everything there is to know about every conspiracy, every mystery, and every weird happening, she doesnât have much time (or desire) for friends. But when her chemistry lab partner asks her to join him and his friends on a hunt for the Royal Merchant, she just canât say no.
Theory 1 summary: Pippa meets Pope and gets a little closer than she would have liked.Â
word count - 3.9k
warnings: swearing
a/n: thank you for being here! I am already in love with Pippa and I would die for her, so I hope that you all enjoy this story!! Much love.Â
                           ***
Pippa flinched when the school bell rang. Keeping her head down, she ducked into her first class and found the seat farthest in the back. She had always hated the public school system in Maine, and even from her first period on her first day of school, she knew she was going to hate Kildare High just as much.Â
Who in their right mind makes someone take Chemistry Lab at 8 oïżœïżœïżœclock in the fucking morning?Â
Students started to fill in the seats around her, some glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes and others greeting each other with giggles and hugs and smiles. Pippa scoffed and lowered her head to her arms. All she wanted to do was get through this day and then the next day and then the next. Thatâs how time passed for her as of late. Nothing else mattered except getting through to the night.Â
Someone slid into the chair across from her, but Pippa didnât take notice of them. She didnât care. She wasnât here to make friends. In fact, she was here to do the exact opposite.Â
âHi,â the person said. Pippa still refused to look up. âIâm Pope.âÂ
Pippa forced a split-second smile, glancing at him.Â
The final bell rang and the boy in front of her, who kept his smile despite her coldness, turned toward the teacher. Pippa scoffed again and leaned forward to rest her chin against her arms. The boy, Pope, was glued to the teacher as she spoke in a cheery, overly excited voice. Pippa couldnât care less what she had to say. Until the dreaded words came out of her mouth. She said those two words that Pippa feared the most when she found out she was taking Chem Lab on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 8 AM.Â
Lab partners.Â
âShit,â Pippa groaned, sitting up but letting her head hang. Pope seemed eager to hear who his partner would be.Â
The teacher started rattling off names, none of which Pippa recognized. Of course she wouldnât. She had spent this entire summer hiding away in her grandmaâs second-hand store, avoiding repeated human interaction at all costs. Some people were vocally happy about their assigned lab partners, others were less so. Pippa waited for her name anxiously, dreading the idea of spending an entire year with one single person as her partner.Â
âPhillipa Cantu and Pope Heyward at table- Ah, the two of you are already back there.â The teacher, Mrs. Stedfield smiled sweetly but Pippa just closed her eyes and sent a quiet prayer for her nerves.Â
âYouâve got to be shitting me,â she whispered under her breath as Pope turned to face her with a wide grin.Â
âPhillipa, huh?â He said, leaning against his elbow and raising an eyebrow. Pippa could see this as an attempt to flirt, a poor one. Whoever told him that this was a good idea was a dumbass.Â
âPippa,â she said shortly. âNo one calls me Phillipa.âÂ
âWell, Pippa,â he said her name with a partial grin. âIâm very excited to be your lab partner.âÂ
She hid a groan behind an attempted smile and clenched teeth.Â
This was going to be a long year.Â
                             ***
Pippa didnât have much to say about Pope, but there was one thing for certain, he was determined.Â
It didnât take him long to figure out that Pippa wasnât to keen on small talk, so he always talked about what they were studying in class. She liked him a lot more when he was talking about science because it was something he actually seemed passionate about. But every time she caught herself smiling or even almost laughing at one of his stupid jokes, Pippa would remind herself why she was here.Â
Donât get attached. Itâs not worth it. Itâs never worth it.Â
But he was getting too close. He kept asking questions, kept pushing her harder to break through the walls she had made for herself. And Pippa couldnât have that.Â
âSo, what do you do when youâre not working or at school?â Pope asked from behind a titration tube. Pippa glanced up at him, but he was focused on what he was doing. He wasnât really listening.Â
âI heard that the government replaced all of the birds with drones,â Pippa said, testing the waters. She glanced up at Pope but he didnât say anything, didnât even look away from what he was currently doing. âOne of the origin stories of werewolves was just a really hairy man who stole and ate children in Europe.âÂ
âHmm. Really?âÂ
Pippa could tell Pope wasnât listening to what she was saying, just responding absently. With a smile, she continued.Â
âUp until the 1800s, people in Germany thought drinking fresh blood from executed criminals could cure epilepsy.âÂ
Still no response. Pippaâs smile grew wider.Â
From that moment on, every time Pope asked her a question, she would respond with one of her many random facts or theories. He never listened. Pippa started using it on others too. As soon as she got into a conversation, she somehow turned it into one of her crazy stories. It usually made everyone keep their distance. No one really wanted to talk to the crazy conspiracy theory girl who seemed way too interested in HH Holmes and the death of Princess Diana.Â
âI like your outfit,â Pope said one day. Pippa glanced down at what she was wearing; an oversized hoody and a loose pair of pants. Nothing extraordinary, but he hadnât even looked hard enough to really see what she was wearing.Â
âThanks,â she said, setting her bag down on the ground. âBack to Jack the Ripper, Iâm pretty sure Mary Kellyâs boyfriend manipulated James Maybrick, you know, the rich guy with the drug problem?âÂ
âUh-huh.âÂ
âYeah, so Joseph manipulated Maybrick into thinking he was the Ripper so if the cops came knocking on Josephâs door, he could pin it on Maybrick. Maybrick got it all muddled up in his druggie head and started to believe he was Ripper, so he wrote the diary. It all fits.âÂ
âSure. Did you do the homework last night?âÂ
âOh, yeah.â Pippa pulled out her notebook and handed it to Pope.Â
âThanks. My friend tore out a page and used it for a blunt.âÂ
âSome friend,â Pippa grumbled.Â
âHeâs great.â Popeâs voice was tight. âIâm sure youâd like him.âÂ
Pippa rolled her eyes. She had two guesses which friend he was talking about; John Routledge, who everyone insisted calling John B but that was the most annoying shit Pippa had ever heard, or JJ Maybank, who was most likely the homework stealing thief. Both had hit on her once before in a time of desperation, but one mention of Area 51 or the Bermuda Triangle and they were gone.Â
It was too easy. A girl opens her mouth and starts talking about the things sheâs passionate about and most guys scatter. If Pope had the opportunity, she imagined he would leave to.Â
For the briefest of a moment, the idea pained her.Â
âSomething tells me I really wouldnât like your friend.âÂ
It was March and the air was starting to get hot. Pippa hated the heat, not because it was uncomfortable, but because it meant taking off her protective layer. It was rare to see Pippa without her sweatshirt, and for good reason. She didnât feel safe without it.Â
The Bunsen burners didnât help. Of course they were using them today, the hottest day of the year so far. Pippa could feel the sweat beading down the back of her neck as she stammered her way through a theory about aliens and the Giant Heads of Easter Island and their bodies.Â
âHey, you good?â Pope asked, stopping half-way through writing something down. Pippa struggled to nod. âWhy donât you just take off your sweater?âÂ
Pippa tightened her jaw. How could she tell a boy that she wasnât wearing anything underneath? But just from the shift her eyes, Pope seemed to understand. He turned off the Bunsen burner and pulled off his goggles.Â
âI have an extra shirt,â Pope said, reaching for his backpack.Â
âItâs fine,â Pippa said through her teeth.Â
âPippa, come on.â He pulled the t-shirt out of his backpack and shoved it into her hands before she could protest. âCanât have my partner fainting on me, now can I?âÂ
The half-smile on his face was sincere. Pippa narrowed her eyes but left to go to the bathroom anyway. There was an ounce of relief as she pulled her sweatshirt off of her body. It felt like she could finally breathe. She pulled Popeâs t-shirt on over her head and her stomach twisted into knots. She hated seeing her arms. Something about it felt so unsafe.Â
But Popeâs shirt was big on her and it was at least baggy in the way she liked, so she thought she was just going to have to put with it.Â
There was a blush on her cheeks when she walked into the Chemistry lab. Pope had his goggles on when she returned, having gone right back to the lab they were doing. He didnât look up at her as she came back and she was grateful for it.Â
âHere, can you write this down for me?â He asked, hovering a stick over the fire. The fire burned green.Â
âSweet,â Pippa said with a smile. She scribbled down what she could, not noticing as Pope looked away from the fire to admire how she looked in his shirt. As soon as she looked back up, he turned his face away. âYou wanna hear about how Amelia Airheart sent an SOS message after she went missing but it was ignored because they didnât think she could survive?âÂ
âSure.âÂ
                            ***
Pippa was sitting in the library, bobbing her head to the music that blasted through her earbuds. Her computer sat in front of her, a thousand and one tabs open at once. Two notebooks and a few more research books lay out around her. A color-coded selection of pens and highlighters was scattered about. The table where she worked was an absolute mess, but it made sense to her.Â
She was so consumed by an article and her music that she didnât see Pope sit down in front of her. Her foot tapped against the leg of her chair while she chewed on a pen cap, eyes scanning the page. It wasnât until she tore her gaze from the screen to scribble something in one of her notebooks that she saw Pope sitting there.Â
The pen cap fell out of her mouth with a gasp and a jolt of her body. Pippa flicked an earbud out of her ear.Â
âShit, Pope!â she hissed before taking a calming breath. He seemed unphased by her shock, a book of his own resting in his lap.Â
âWhat are you listening to?â He asked, turning the page in his book. Pippa felt a lump form in her throat.Â
âNothing.âÂ
âI can hear it from here. What is it?âÂ
âWhat do you care?âÂ
Pope smiled at her and gave a quiet laugh.Â
âItâs just music, Pippa. Not like Iâm asking for your life story or anything.â Pippa rolled her eyes before sliding her phone across the table for him to see. âHmm.â
Pippa snatched her phone back, her cheeks brushed red and her eyebrows pinched together.Â
âHmm, what?âÂ
âNever pegged you for the One Direction type.âÂ
âItâs called versatility, Heyward. Look it up.â Pippa huffed and leaned back in her chair. âIs there a reason youâre gracing me with your presence today?âÂ
âWe gotta work on that final project at some point. Came over to talk to you about it, but I didnât want to interrupt.âÂ
Pippa shook off her hostility and gave a shrug of her shoulders. She capped her pen and lowered the screen of her computer.Â
âNothing important.âÂ
âAliens?âÂ
â1500s shipwreck full of gold.â
âAh.â Pope let the moment wear on for a few silent seconds before he leaned his arms against the table. Pippa crossed her arms. âThis is a pretty big project, so I think we should start soon.âÂ
âOkay.âÂ
âMaybe we should swap numbers so we can link up.â
âLink up?â Pippa raised an eyebrow. All the coolness fell from around Pope instantly and his eyes widened.Â
âI just mean...well, for the sake of the project...shit, no, I just meanâŠ.we have to get together at some point-âÂ
âRelax, Pope.â Pippa let out a quiet laugh and scribbled her number onto the corner of a notebook and tore it out, sliding it across the table to Pope. âFor emergencies only. Everything else we do face to face, capiche?âÂ
âWhat, are you on witness protection or something?â Pope joked as his eyes scanned the string of numbers on the paper. Her handwriting was shit. God, he hoped he could read it well enough to text the right person.Â
The look on Pippaâs face didnât affirm or deny his question. At this rate, Pope wouldnât be surprised if she was.Â
âCan we meet after school today?â he asked. âIâve got to help my dad with some stuff tomorrow and Friday.âÂ
âSure,â Pippa said, before leaning back and stretching her arms above her head. Diving headfirst into her theories left her back aching, even if it was only for a free period like today.Â
She stretched her arms high up enough to reveal a small sliver of her stomach, but something caught Popeâs eyes.Â
âWoah, is that a tattoo?â He asked, a grin growing on his face. Pippa dropped her arms and her eyes widened.Â
Shit.Â
There was no lying her way out of this one. She was just going to have to run with it. Forcing a smile, Pippa lifted the edge of her sweatshirt and showed him the whole thing. The roman numeral ten was etched in black ink into her skin just under her belly button and a little bit to the left. It seemed like odd placement to Pope.Â
âWhatâs it mean?â he asked.Â
âX marks the spot,â she said with a half-grin. âHad to get something to represent my obsession, ya know.âÂ
Pope nodded his head slowly, but a voice in his head told him there was something deeper than that.Â
âMy best friend Kie, sheâs got like three of them,â he said. Pippa lowered her shirt. âA dolphin, a wave, and something else, I donât remember.âÂ
Pippa felt her smile turn into something real. She watched the way Popeâs face lit up when he talked about her, Kie. It wasnât the first time. On the rare occasion that he actually tried to hold a conversation with Pippa, he would often talk about this girl. Pippa didnât know a whole bunch about her, but whoever she was, she made Pope very happy.Â
But that smile on Pippaâs face was starting to feel too comfortable. Talking to Pope as a whole was starting to feel too comfortable.Â
Pippa let her smile fall and she started to shut her books.Â
âI have History,â she said, slamming her laptop all the way shut. âCanât be late.âÂ
She had the books and notebooks packed up in a blink of an eye and before Pope could even say goodbye, she was gone.Â
                               ***
âA crystal pyramid in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, can you believe it?â Pippa shook her head slowly. She let herself laugh, looking down at her bowl of cereal. âAnyway, what do you want-â
âAre you going to the school dance?â Pope asked suddenly, turning away from their project and toward Pippa. She sat cross-legged on his counter, a bowl of cereal in her hand. The spoon was halfway to her mouth when she froze, her lips parting ever so slightly.Â
âOh, um, no.â She set the spoon back in the bowl. She struggled to meet Popeâs eyes. She could feel the question burning inside of him but she refused to let him ask it. âIâve got...shit to do that day.âÂ
âWhat kind of shit?â he asked, looking back at the project. âConspiracy shit? Alien shit? Cult shit? Or wait, let me guess, murder shit?âÂ
Pippa let out a strained laugh.Â
âUnfortunately, no. Just...personal shit.âÂ
Pope hummed quietly to himself. Pippa cringed. He was disappointed, upset, hurt. Something somewhere in between.Â
âSo, the project.âÂ
âRight.â Pippa slid off the counter, setting her bowl down and stepping closer to Pope, but not too close.Â
The front door swung open suddenly. Pope spun around and Pippa dropped to the ground, feeling her heart tighten in her chest painfully, her lungs dropping into her stomach.Â
âMom!â Pope smiled as Mrs. Heyward walked in through the door.Â
âHey, Sweetie. Whereâs that friend of yours?âÂ
Pippa was still on the ground, her eyes squeezed shut. Her heart pounded in her ears and her fingers curled against the tile beneath her. She just had to stand up and smile, that was all. It was just Popeâs mom. She was safe.Â
Letting out a struggling breath, Pippa pushed herself up onto her feet.Â
âSlipped,â she said simply, attempting to smile at Mrs. Heyward.Â
âHappens to everyone.â Mrs. Heyward handed a bag of groceries off to her son and approached Pippa, her arms open for a hug.Â
âMom,â Pope said. âSheâs not into hugs.âÂ
Mrs. Heyward stopped in her tracks, but her smile never once faltered.Â
âThatâs okay. Itâs not for everyone. Iâm Popeâs mom. Weâre glad to have you here.â Pippa could feel her breath growing short, the squeezing her chest never once letting up as she tightened her hands into fists. Adrenaline ran through her. She tried to cover it up with a smile. âWould you like to stay for dinner?âÂ
Pippa gave a quick shake of her head.Â
âNo, I should be getting home.â She tried not to run for the door. âText me, Pope.â
Plucking her purse off the ground and shoving her feet into her shoes, Pippa barely heard Pope or Mrs. Heyward give their goodbyes as she raced outside.Â
âThat was strange,â Mrs. Heyward said, setting her things on the counter.Â
âYeah.â Pope let out a deep sigh. âSheâs strange person.âÂ
âPope Heyward.â Mrs. Heyward gave Popeâs shoulder a light pinch. âDonât ever say that about a girl.âÂ
âI donât think she would take it as an insult.â Popeâs gaze shifted toward the door, his eyes lingering.Â
Had she known that he wanted to ask her to the dance? Was that why she ran away so fast? Or was it something else? Something about her that he didnât yet know that made her scurry away?Â
Pope wondered if she would ever let him find out.Â
                                ***
âWell, look at that, Heyward.â Pippa grinned as she slapped their final report onto their lab table. âThatâs an A for us.âÂ
Pope took the paper and admired the big, red letter. A smile broke out across his face.Â
âGod, youâre such a nerd,â Pippa laughed, sitting on her stool and giving herself a small push so the chair swiveled around in a circle.Â
âIâm the nerd?â Pope asked, mock offended as he put the paper back onto the table.Â
âYouâre on the Mathletics team,â Pippa said. âIâm pretty sure you qualify as a nerd.âÂ
Pope felt a small laugh shake through him. He watched Pippa look up at the clock and sigh.Â
âLast class together,â Pope said. His lips twitched as he rested his arms against the table. Whatever feeling was in Pippaâs eyes faded and she let out a scoff.Â
âYou sound like weâre dying once that clock strikes 9:30. Itâs just summer,â she said.Â
âBut we donât know if weâll have classes together next year or not,â he said. Pippa sighed again, but it was smaller. She tried to hide it as she brushed her hand against her nose.Â
âThatâs the way the dice fall sometimes.âÂ
âWe could hang during the summer though, right?â He didnât care if he sounded desperate.Â
âMaybe.â But her answer was clear by the way her gaze fell to the floor. She wasnât interested in hanging out over the summertime. Pope just wished she would tell him why.Â
The bell overhead rang. Pippa took her time pulling her backpack onto her shoulders. Pope stayed where he was. She offered something to him.Â
âForgot to give this back,â she said, refusing to look at him. In her hands was his t-shirt, the one he had given her all the way back in March. âThatâs my bad.âÂ
Pope looked at the shirt and pulled it from her hands.Â
âDonât take it personal,â she said and let out a heavy breath. âItâs better this way. Yeah, itâs better.âÂ
With that, Pippa fell into the stream of kids leaving the classroom, disappearing almost instantly.Â
                              ***
Pope fiddled with the phone in his hand. His thumb hovered over the call button on her contact. He hadnât seen her since that last day of school, actively avoiding the secondhand shop where she worked with her grandmother.Â
âWhat are you waiting for?â JJ groaned. âJust call her, dude!âÂ
Pope glowered at his friend and pressed the button while his irritation was still strong enough to overcome his fear.Â
The line rang once, twice, three times. The fear returned. She wasnât going to pick up. She would see his contact on her phone and ignore him. He was sure of it.
âHey, Pope, waddup?â Pope smiled at the sound of her voice. She sounded so normal, as if they had just spoken yesterday and not an entire month ago.Â
âHi, Pippa, how are you?âÂ
âPretty good. How are you?âÂ
âIâm doing good.âÂ
âCut the shit,â JJ hissed, throwing a pebble at Popeâs head. Pope swatted his arm in JJâs direction, sneering.Â
âI have a question for you.âÂ
âClearly.â He could hear her hesitant laugh from the other side.Â
âYouâre not asking her on a date, man!â John B was impatiently waiting from the side, his hands on his hips. Kie took a step toward him and Pope met her gaze. There was encouragement beneath her eyes, and she gave him a small nod.Â
âPippa, what do you know about the Royal Merchant?âÂ
He could hear her breath hitch in her throat as she fell silent.Â
âI know a shit ton about the Royal Merchant. Why?âÂ
There was excitement in her voice, her thirst for adventure radiating through the phone.Â
âMy friends and I need your help. Can you meet us at the Wreck?âÂ
âIâll be there in ten minutes.â He could hear her shuffling around her room.Â
âSee you there. Bye-âÂ
The line went dead. Pope breathed out through his nose, pulling the phone away from his ear.Â
âSo?â Kie asked, taking another step closer.Â
âSheâs meeting us at the Wreck in ten,â Pope said, turning to his friends. John B clapped his hands together and started toward the van.Â
âTo the Wreck then,â Kie said. She put a hand on Popeâs shoulder and smiled. His stomach flipped. âGood job.âÂ
âI donât see why we need this chick anyway,â JJ huffed as they headed toward the van.
âI doubt sheâll even want a cut of the gold at all,â Pope told his friend.Â
âBullshit. No way sheâd do this for free.âÂ
âIâm serious.âÂ
âYou have the weirdest friends, Pope,â JJ said with a roll of his eyes.Â
âYouâre my friend, dumbass.âÂ
âHis point stands,â John B interrupted, a never faltering smile on his face. âLetâs go get that gold.âÂ
                             ~~~
tagging -Â @simonsblueeâ, @parkerpetertingleâ, @diverrdownâ, @ponyboys-sunsetsâ, @outerbanksbro, @kikifromtheblockâ, @sunflowerbeccaâ
if you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know! â€
#pope heyward#pope obx#pope outer banks#pope fic#pope imagine#outer banks#obx#jj maybank#jj obx#kie carrera#kie obx#john b routledge#john b obx
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Evidence
Aaron Kosminski
Jacob Levy
James Maybrick
Thomas Cutbush
Montague John Druitt
Francis Tumblety
Walter Sickert
Hyam Hyams
Joseph Barnett
George Chapman
David Cohen
Royal Conspiracy
#Jack The Ripper#History#Serial Killers#Riperology#Jack The Ripper Suspects#Aaron Kosminski#Jacob Levy#James Maybrick#Thomas Hayne Cutbush#Thomas Cutbush#Montague John Druitt#Francis Tumblety#Walter Sickert#Hyam Hyams#Joseph Barnett#George Chapman#David Cohen#Albert Victor#William Gull#Sir William Gull#Prince Albert Victor
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MegoldĂłdhat a rejtĂ©ly, fellebben a fĂĄtyol HasfelmetszĆ Jack kilĂ©tĂ©rĆl
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MegoldĂłdhat a rejtĂ©ly, fellebben a fĂĄtyol HasfelmetszĆ Jack kilĂ©tĂ©rĆl
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Egy viktoriĂĄnus kori naplĂł valĂłdi bizonyĂtĂ©kot tartalmaz, Ă©s fellebbenti a fĂĄtylat HasfelmetszĆ Jack kilĂ©tĂ©rĆlâŠ[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_single_image image=â140494âł img_size=â800Ă600âł add_caption=âyesâ alignment=âcenterâ onclick=âlink_imageâ css=â.vc_custom_1502727834126background-image: url(https://www.zarojel.hu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/small_header_bg-1.png?id=4336) !important;background-position: 0 0 !important;background-repeat: repeat !important;â][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
A tanĂșsĂĄgtevĆ egy naplĂł
A brit bƱnözĆi törtĂ©nelem egyik legmegfejhetetlenebb titka, HasfelmetszĆ Jack (Jack the Ripper) titokzatos alakja. A potenciĂĄlis gyanĂșsĂtottak listĂĄja hosszĂș volt. Ăm Ășgy tƱnik HasfelmetszĆ Jack valĂłdi szemĂ©lyazonossĂĄga vĂ©gĂŒl megerĆsĂtĂ©st nyert, miutĂĄn a kutatĂłk azt ĂĄllĂtjĂĄk, hogy sikerĂŒlt bebizonyĂtaniuk egy eddig hitelessĂ©gĂ©ben vitatott viktoriĂĄnus naplĂł eredetisĂ©gĂ©t.
A naplĂłt valĂłjĂĄban mĂĄr hĂșsz Ă©vvel ezelĆtt felfedeztĂ©k. VilĂĄgszerte megdöbbenĂ©st keltett egy korĂĄbban ismeretlen emlĂ©kirat felfedezĂ©se, melyet egy liverpool-i pamutkereskedĆ, James Maybrick Ărt. A kĂ©ziratban Maybrick bevallotta öt nĆ brutĂĄlis meggyilkolĂĄsĂĄt a londoni East End-en, valamint egy manchesteri prostituĂĄlt Ă©letĂ©nek kioltĂĄsĂĄt is. A naplĂłt a következĆkĂ©ppen Ărta alĂĄ:
âAzt a nevem Ărom, amit mindenki ismer, Ăgy a törtĂ©nelem mondja majd el, hogy mit tehet a szerelem egy szĂŒletett Ășriemberrel. Ădvözlettel, Jack The Ripperâ.
NĂ©hĂĄny hĂłnappal azutĂĄn, hogy rĂĄbukkantak a naplĂłra a HasfelmetszĆ Jack szakĂ©rtĆk alapos elemzĂ©snek vetettĂ©k alĂĄ a naplĂłt, Ă©s megkĂ©rdĆjeleztĂ©k a hitelessĂ©gĂ©t.
Hosszasan vizsgåltåk a kézirat hitelességét
A naplĂł több kĂ©zen is keresztĂŒlment. ElĆször egy liverpool-i fĂ©mhulladĂ©k-kereskedĆhöz, Mike Barrett-hez kerĂŒlt, aki azt ĂĄllĂtotta, hogy a csalĂĄd barĂĄtja, egy Tony Devereux nevƱ fĂ©rfi adta neki. Sajnos Devereux nem sokkal kĂ©sĆbb meghalt, Ăgy a naplĂł valĂłdi eredetĂ©t soha nem magyarĂĄzta meg teljes mĂ©rtĂ©kben. Ăgy több szempontbĂłl is az a gyanĂș erĆsödött meg, hogy egyszerƱen egy jĂłl kidolgozott hamisĂtvĂĄnyrĂłl van csak szĂł.
A kutatĂłk â akiket elsĆsorban Bruce Robinson, a Thenail & I filmkritikus ĂrĂłja Ă©s rendezĆje vezetett â Ă©veket töltöttek azzal, hogy vĂ©gre olyan bizonyĂtĂ©kokat talĂĄljanak, amelyek igazoljĂĄk, hogy a naplĂł valĂłdi. A kutatĂĄsrĂłl szĂłlĂł könyvben azt ĂĄllĂtjĂĄk, hogy a vitatott emlĂ©kiratot Maybrick korĂĄbbi liverpooli hĂĄzĂĄban fedeztĂ©k fel. Ezzel ismĂ©t a figyelem közĂ©ppontjĂĄba ĂĄllĂtottĂĄk a törtĂ©nelem leghĂrhedtebb sorozatgyilkosakĂ©nt ismert HasfelmetszĆ Jack titokzatos alakjĂĄt. Robert Smith 1993-ban megjelentette az eredeti naplĂłt. A kutatĂĄsrĂłl szĂłlĂł Ășj könyvĂ©ben pedig leĂrta, hogy Ășgy vĂ©li, Barrett Ă©s azok, akik ĂĄtadtĂĄk neki a dokumentumot, szĂĄndĂ©kosan titokban tartottĂĄk ezt a döntĆ bizonyĂtĂ©kot, mert fĂ©ltek a bĂŒntetĆeljĂĄrĂĄstĂłl.
Smith azt mondta: âAmikor a naplĂł elĆször megjelent, Mike Barrett nem volt hajlandĂł kielĂ©gĂtĆ magyarĂĄzatot adni arrĂłl, honnan szĂĄrmazik. MiutĂĄn alapos kutatĂĄsokat folytattunk, fĆleg Bruce Robinson vezetĂ©sĂ©vel, olyan nyomvonalat követĂŒnk, amely közvetlenĂŒl Maybrick otthonĂĄba vezet. â
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Ki volt James Maybrick?
A gazdag kereskedĆ 1889-ben hunyt el, egy Ă©vvel a Whitechapel-gyilkossĂĄgok utĂĄn. Egy nagy Ă©pĂŒletben Ă©lt, amelyet Battlecrease hĂĄznak hĂvtak. A hĂĄz  Aigburth-ben, annak Merseyside elnevezĂ©sƱ kĂŒlvĂĄrosĂĄban ĂĄllt.
1992-ben egy helyi villanyszerelĆ vĂĄllalkozĂĄs, a Portus & Rhodes Ltd. dolgozott az ingatlanon, kĂŒlönbözĆ felĂșjĂtĂĄsokat vĂ©grehajtva. A cĂ©g munkĂĄsai közĂ© tartozott hĂĄrom helyi fĂ©rfi volt, Arthur Rigby, James Coufopoulos Ă©s Eddie Lyons. Lyons rendszeresen jĂĄrt az anfield-i The Saddle Inn kocsmĂĄba, ahol Barrett is gyakori vendĂ©g volt. A Portus & Rhodes-tĂłl szerzett idĆpontok szerint Rigby Ă©s Coufopoulos 1992. mĂĄrcius 9-Ă©n reggelĂ©n dolgoztak. MĂ©g aznap Barrett felkereste Doreen Montgomery londoni irodalmi ĂŒgynököt, a következĆ kĂ©rdĂ©ssel: âNĂĄlam van hasfelmetszĆ jack naplĂłja. Ărdekli?â
Robert Smith âHasfelmetszĆ Jackâ-kutatĂł szerint Barrett jellegzetes, helyi figura volt, aki mindig azzal vĂĄgott fel, hogy egyszer ĂrĂł lesz. EzĂ©rt, amikor a hĂĄzban a villanyszerelĆk megtalĂĄltak ezt a könyvet, Ășgy vĂ©ltĂ©k, Ć az az ember, aki kĂ©pes lenne eladni egy kiadĂłnak. âAz igazsĂĄg az volt, hogy Barrett egyetlen jelentĆs irodalmi eredmĂ©nye az volt, hogy idĆnkĂ©nt rejtvĂ©nyeket Ărt egy TV-s gyermekmƱsornak, Look-In-nakâ- mondta Smith. Majd Ăgy folytatta: âBarrett rendkĂvĂŒl fĂ©ktelen termĂ©szetƱ volt. MĂĄr az, hogy csak lĂĄtta, vagy hallott a naplĂł vĂ©gĂ©n lĂ©vĆ alĂĄĂrĂĄsrĂłl, elĂ©g lett volna ahhoz, hogy felvegye a telefont. Nem volt jĂł ĂrĂłi vĂ©nĂĄval megĂĄldva, Ă©s az a gondolat, hogy ilyen kifinomult Ă©s hiteles hamisĂtĂĄst kĂ©pes elĆĂĄllĂtani, nem elkĂ©pzelhetĆ.â
Sokan mĂ©g most sem hiszik, hogy fĂ©ny derĂŒlt HasfelmetszĆ Jack szemĂ©lyazonossĂĄgĂĄra
Amikor a naplĂłt közzĂ©tettĂ©k, a vĂ©lemĂ©nyek megoszlottak a hitelessĂ©gĂ©rĆl. NĂ©hĂĄnyan azt mondtĂĄk, hogy a benne szereplĆ rĂ©szleteket csak a gyilkos tudhatta. MĂĄsok pedig azt sugalltĂĄk, hogy ez egyszerƱen egy kifinomult hamisĂtĂĄs volt.A dolgokat mĂ©g bonyolultabbĂĄ tettĂ©k 1995-ben, amikor Barrett alĂĄĂrt egy eskĂŒ alatt tett nyilatkozatot, amelyben azt ĂĄllĂtotta, hogy Ć talĂĄlta ki az egĂ©szet. KĂ©sĆbb visszavonta a vallomĂĄsĂĄt.
ĂllĂtĂłlagos munkatĂĄrsai, Rigby , Coufopoulos Ă©s Lyon  fura mĂłdon mind tagadtĂĄk, hogy jelen voltak a könyv felfedezĂ©sekor. Mindezek folyamĂĄn Smith sohasem ingott meg abban a hitĂ©ben, hogy a dokumentum valĂłdi.âSoha nem voltam kĂ©tsĂ©ges, hogy a naplĂł egy valĂłdi, 1888-1889-ben Ărt dokumentumâ- magyarĂĄzta. âAz Ășj Ă©s vitathatatlan bizonyĂtĂ©k, hogy 1992. mĂĄrcius 9-Ă©n a naplĂłt megtalĂĄltĂĄk annak a szobĂĄnak a padlĂłlapjai alatt, amely 1889-ben James Maybrick hĂĄlĂłszobĂĄja volt. Ugyanezen a napon pedig egy londoni irodalmi ĂŒgynöknek kĂnĂĄltĂĄk fel. Ezek a tĂ©nyek felĂŒlĂrnak mindent, ami megkĂ©rdĆjeleznĂ© a hitelessĂ©get. â VĂ©gezetĂŒl ezt mondta a kutatĂł: âmindebbĆl következik, hogy James Maybrick volt a naplĂł legelkĂ©pzelhetĆbb ĂrĂłja. Hogy Ć volt-e HasfelmetszĆ Jack? Most Ć az elsĆszĂĄmĂș gyanĂșsĂtott. Ăm HasfelmetszĆ Jack szemĂ©lyazonossĂĄgĂĄval kapcsolatos vitĂĄk legalĂĄbb egy Ă©vszĂĄzadon ĂĄt tartani fognak majd.â[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Suspects
1. Montague Johnson Druitt, He lived with his cousin, a doctor, near the scenes of the murders and he had an interest in surgery. He was found dead with in 4 weeks of the last murder.
2. Michael Ostrog, a Russian doctor and a criminal. He stayed in an asylum before the murders.
3. Aaron Kosminski, a resident of WhiteChapel, lived in an asylum after the last of the murders. He hated women, and loathed prostitutes. His description was given at the scene of the double murders.
4. Jill the Ripper. It would have been easy for a women to be the murderer because everyone else was looking for a man. She could have been a midwife, which would explain the knowledge of the human body and blood on her clothes.
5. Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, he was known to have walked the areas where the women were murdered. He contracted Syphilis which drove him to insanity.
6. Walter Sickert, because an author thought he was the Ripper. He referenced the Ripper in some of his paintings, and the victims.
7. Joseph Barnett, A man who lived with Mary Kelly. It is said that he may have lived in around 10 different places in East London. Â He worked as a fish porter, and was obsessed with his roommate, going as far to call her his âwifeâ. He heavily disliked the fact that she was a prostitute and may have murdered the first victims to scare Mary from the streets. When Barnett lost his job, Mary went back out onto the streets to make ends meet, causing many fights between the roommates. Their last fight started with Mary bringing home two prostitutes for unknown reasons, and the fight got violent. Barnett moved out and 10 days later Mary was found dead in her apartment. The apartment was locked and undisturbed other than Maryâs gruesome body. Barnett would have know how to pick the lock and get in. He was also well known throughout the world of prostitutes, making it easy to get close to them to kill them. He also matched the alleged appearance of Jack. The final clue is that some of Barnett's friends would call him âJackâ. The murders stopped after Mary, as Barnett wouldn't have any other reason to kill.
8. James Maybrick is the final suspect. He was an upper class cotton merchant and lived in an estate called âThe Battlecrease Houseâ in Liverpool. All the murders happened on the weekends, when Maybrick would have time and the ability to travel. His most damning piece of evidence is a passage written in his personal journal, found in the floorboards of his house.
âI give my name that all know of me, so history do tell, what love can do to a gentleman born.
Yours truly, JACK THE RIPPER.â
The journal also contained intimate details of the killings. The man who found the journal once claimed that he had written the journal, though he later recanted this. The journal has been tested and is from the Ripper era. Also found was a pocket watch containing the initials of the 5 victims and the phrase, ââI am Jackâ, and âJ Maybrickâ. Testing suggests that the scratching of the pocket watch was not done in modern times.
These last two are the strongest cases for the murders of the 5 prostitutes in WhiteChapel, London.
Who do you think did it?
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87. Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, by Peter Ackroyd
Owned?: Yes Page count: 282 My summary: In Victorian London, a killer stalks the night. Known as the Limehouse Golem, he preys on the outcasts of society, striking from the dark and mutilating his victims. Meanwhile, a young woman named Elizabeth Cree is about to be executed for murdering her husband. What is the history behind these two stories, and what secrets do their key players hide? My rating: 5/5 My commentary:Â
Oh hey, one of my favourites. I first came across this book via its movie adaption, The Limehouse Golem, in 2016 when it first came out. I love the movie, so when I found out it was based on a book, I tracked it down. And it did not disappoint. Itâs a dark, gothic character study of a killer based very obviously on Jack the Ripper, and itâs incredibly gripping and really effective in what it sets out to do and the story it wants to tell. Iâd absolutely recommend it to fans of the genre.
Also, warning! Please go find out the book or movie before clicking the readmore, Iâm gonna spoil everything very candidly below. Also also warning for discussion of violence, gore, anti-sex worker sentiment, and anti-semitism.
So the first thing that intrigues me about this novel is the interplay between fiction and history. The titular Dan Leno was a real person, a music hall performer in the late Victorian period, and the novel is peppered with allusions to his life and career. Joining him from reality are major characters George Gissing, novelist and owner of an impressive moustache, and Karl Marx, who I assume needs no introduction. Itâs to the point where I wonder why Ackroyd didnât just go the whole hog and use the actual Ripper - though, granted, we donât know who the Ripper actually was, and while the Golem killings arenât solved in-universe, the reader knows the culprit. And, indeed, the other half of this drama is only one step removed from reality. The novel opens with the execution of Elizabeth Cree, for the murder of her husband; she is clearly based on Florence Maybrick, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her husband, James, despite the evidence showing her as potentially innocent. And James Maybrick was allegedly the author of a diary proving that he was, in fact, Jack the Ripper, while throughout this novel, we see extracts from John Creeâs diary of him performing the Golem killings.
This strong basis that the novel has in history means that it in a lot of places reads more as non-fiction than fiction - and indeed, some chapters are written in the kind of dry, third person informational perspective of a history book, peppered with extracts from firsthand sources like the transcript of Elizabethâs trial, or John Creeâs diary. Itâs an unusual style used to great effect, although sometimes I do have to wonder about its usage in scenes like Dan Leno helping a pregnant woman who just turns out to be Charlie Chaplinâs mother. That felt a bit heavy-handed. But, as far as my limited knowledge of the era and participants goes, itâs well-researched, drawing on a lot of real history to give it this pseudo-educational air.
One might assume that the novel is about the mystery of who is the Limehouse Golem, and indeed thatâs the way the movie chooses to portray the story, but with John Creeâs diary entries explicit about his activities, the tension quickly moves from the who to the why, and this is in fact more what the novel is about. A running theme through the novel is a particular work of Thomas de Quinceyâs, an essay titled On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts. Iâll get back to that in a bit, just know for now that this idea of the theatre of murder is prevalent. So too is the how of these murders - who was killed, and how did the Golem do it? We see this in Creeâs diary, and here is a notable departure from history. The Ripperâs victims were all women and sex workers, while the Golem kills a couple of sex workers, but also a Jewish scholar and a poor family. (The scholarâs murder is what gives the Golem a name, as he was reading a book about the Jewish idea of the Golem at the time of his murder, and the Golem showed interest in the idea...by putting his severed penis on the book. Yeah, it gets gory.) The idea is brought up that the Golemâs victims in some way represent Londonâs underclass, in a way - the poor, the outcast, the âotherâ in various ways.
All this said, when Elizabeth Cree reveals that, no, she is in fact the Limehouse Golem, it feels like a slam from left field, but itâs foreshadowed excellently throughout. I knew it was Elizabeth from the outset from the movie (and I guessed it was her partway through my first viewing) so I was able on my first read to see the subtle (and less subtle) threads leading up to her revelation. The novel does a very good job of building up Elizabeth as a character - not least because we get her first-person narrative about her life interspersed throughout. Sheâs had a hard life, suffering under a domineering religious mother as a child, facing sexual assault and poverty, but finding a new life on the stage and in the music hall. Sheâs a fascinating character to learn about, incredibly sympathetic but also, you know, an unrepentant murderer. We really get to feel why she does the things she does - outside of the Golem murders, she also kills her mother, men who assault her, people who got in her way. And yet she murders innocents, because...well, to put on a show.
Murder and theatre are contrasted and compared constantly throughout the novel. Remember that de Quincey essay? Itâs a satirical essay on the aesthetic appreciation of murder, and one Elizabeth seems to take literally. Notably, the killing of the poor family is directly inspired by it, as the family live on the site of the real-life Ratcliffe Highway murders, and Elizabeth wishes to restage them. Constantly in the diary she wrote as her husband, she compares the act of murder to stagecraft - she âwaits in the wingsâ as she lurks the streets, she finds âactorsâ to âplay partsâ in her gory spectacles, she dresses in male âcostumeâ to enact the murders. You see this in her regular life, too; when playing the murderer in a play based on the real-life Red Barn murders, she almost kills Dan by accident, getting too into the role. Her relationship to Dan is also interesting - she clearly idolises him, not seeing how frustrated he is at the limits of his comic roles, and yet by the end she shares the same frustrations when her husband doesnât finish the play he is to be writing to her satisfaction and she cannot break into âseriousâ acting as she wishes. Sheâs an intriguing character, and a delight to read about...if you delight in gruesome bloody murder, that is.
Iâll stop now - thereâs so much I could say about this book, but this is the stuff that immediately jumped out at me. Suffice it to say, I definitely recommend it!
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Mary Ann Cotton (1832-1873)
Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the Black Widow, was an English serial killer who was convicted of and hanged for the murder of her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. It is believed that she murdered 3 of her 4 husbands in order to collect their insurance policies, as well as many others. She could have killed as many as 21 people, including 11 of her 13 children. Her methods included arsenic poisoning, which would cause gastric pain and rapid decline in health, leading to death. Mary Ann Robinson was born on October 31, 1832 at Low Moorsley (now part of Sunderland) to Michael Robinson, a colliery sinker (coal miner) and Margaret. Her sister, Margaret, was born in 1834 but lived only a few short months and her brother Robert was born in 1835. When Mary Ann was 8 years old her parents moved the family to Murton, County Durham. During her trial, The Northern Echo published an article featuring an interview with Mary Annâs Sunday school teacher, who described her as âa most exemplary and regular attenderâ, âa girl of innocent disposition and average intelligenceâ and âdistinguished for her particularly clean and tidy appearance.â Soon after the family moved Mary Annâs father fell down 150ft down a mineshaft and died in February 1842 â his body was delivered to her mother in a sack marked with âProperty of the South Hetton Coal Companyâ. Because the minerâs cottage the family lived in was tied to Michaelâs job the widow and her children would have been evicted, but Margaret married George Stott, also a miner. At age 16 Mary Ann left home to work as a nurse in the nearby village of South Hetton, in the home of Edward Potter, a manager at the Murton coal mine. After all 3 children had been sent to boarding school, Mary Ann returned to her stepfatherâs home and trained as a dressmaker.
At the age of 20 Mary Ann married William Mowbray, a colliery labourer. The couple moved to South West England where it is reported they had 4 or 5 children that died young. This is hard to prove or disprove as the births werenât registered (this wasnât legally required until 1874). The only recorded birth was a daughter named Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856. William and Mary Ann moved back to North East England where William worked as a fireman on a steam vessel sailing from Sunderland, then as a colliery foreman. A second daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858 but Margaret Jane died in 1860. Another daughter, whom the couple also named Margaret Jane, was born in 1861 followed by a son, John Robert William in 1863 â but he died a year later from gastric fever. William Mowbray died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. William and the coupleâs children had their lives insured by the British and Prudential Insurance office and Mary Ann received ÂŁ35 upon Williamâs death (ÂŁ3,071 now) and ÂŁ2 5s for John Robert Williamâs death. Soon after Mowbrayâs death Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she began a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. During this period, Mary Annâs 3-year-old daughter Margaret Jane died of typhus fever, leaving just one living out of the 9 she had given birth to. Mary Ann returned to Sunderland and began working at the Sunderland Infirmary, House of Recovery for the Cure of Contagious Fever, Dispensary and Humane Society, sending her surviving child Isabella to live with her mother. One of her patients at this time was engineer George Ward. The couple married at St Peterâs Church, Monkwearmouth on August 28 1865 but Ward continued suffering ill health and died on October 20 1866 after a long battle with paralysis and intestinal problems. Â The cause of death on his death certificate was listed as English cholera and typhoid. The attending physician gave evidence that Ward had been very ill but was surprised that his death was so sudden. Again, Mary Ann managed to collect insurance money for her husbandâs death.
James Robinson, a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, had recently lost his wife Hannah and hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. 1 month later when Jamesâ baby, John, died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and Mary Ann fell pregnant. Shortly afterwards, Mary Annâs mother became ill with hepatitis so she went to see her in Seaham Harbour, County Durham. Her mother began to recover from the hepatitis but began to complain of stomach pains. Margaret died at the age of 54 in the spring of 1867, 9 days after Mary Ann arrived. In 1867 Mary Annâs stepfather George Stott married his widowed neighbour, Hannah Paley. Mary Annâs daughter Isabella (William Mowbrayâs daughter) was brought back to the Robinson household and soon developed intense stomach pains and died, as did 2 of Robinsonâs children, Elizabeth and James. All 3 children were buried in the same week. Mary Ann was given life insurance of ÂŁ5 10s 6d for Isabella. Robinson and Mary Ann married at St Michaelâs, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. Their first child, Margaret Isabella, was born in November of that year but became ill and died in February 1868. Their 2nd child, George, was born on 18 June 1869. Robinson was becoming suspicious of his wifeâs insistence that he get his life insured and discovered that she had debts amounting to ÂŁ60 and had stolen ÂŁ50 that she was supposed to have put in the bank. He also discovered that Mary Ann had been forcing his older children to pawn their household valuables and threw her out, keeping custody of their son George.
At this point Mary Ann was desperate and living on the streets â until her friend Margaret Cotton introduced her to her brother, Frederick, a pitman and recent widower who lived in Walbottle, Northumberland, who had lost 2 of his 4 kids. Margaret had been acting as mother to the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles, but in late March of 1870 she died from an undetermined stomach condition, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. She was soon pregnant for the 12th time. Cotton and Mary Ann married, bigamously, on September 17, 1870 at St Andrewâs, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Their son Robert was born in early 1871. Not long after, Mary Ann learned that Joseph Nattrass, her former lover, was living 48km away in the village of West Auckland and was no longer married. She rekindled the old romance and persuaded her new family to move near him to carry on an affair. Frederick Cotton Sr. died in December 1870 from âgastric feverâ. Insurance was paid out for his life. After Frederick died, Nattrass became Mary Annâs lodger. She began working as a nurse to an excise officer who was recovering from smallpox, John Quick-Manning. It wasnât long until Mary Ann became pregnant with her thirteenth child. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert died soon after. Then Nattrass fell ill with gastric fever and died just after he had rewritten his will in Mary Annâs favour. The insurance policy on Charles (who was still alive) still awaited collection. Her downfall came when Thomas Riley, a parish official, asked Mary Ann to help nurse a woman with smallpox. She complained that Charles Edward, the last surviving Cotton boy, was in the way and asked Riley to commit him to the workhouse. Riley, who was also West Aucklandâs assistant coroner, said she would need to go with him. She told Riley that Charles was sickly, adding: âI wonât be troubled long. Heâll go like all the rest of the Cottons.â 5 days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy was dead. Riley went to the village police and managed to convince the doctor to delay writing the death certificate until an investigation could be done. The first place Mary Ann went after Charlesâ death wasnât the doctor, but the insurance office. There, she found that she would not be paid anything until a death certificate was issued. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. Mary Ann claimed that she used arrowroot to relieve his illness and said Riley had made accusations against her because she had rejected his advances. The local newspapers heard the story and discovered that Mary Ann had moved around the country and had lost 3 husbands, a lover, a friend, her mother, and 11 children, all of whom had died of âstomach complaints.â Rumours gave way to suspicion and investigation â Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples and tests showed they contained arsenic. He told the police who arrested Mary Ann and secured an exhumation order for Charlesâ body. Mary Ann was charged with his murder, but the trial was delayed until after the delivery of her 13th and final child in Durham Gaol on January 10 1873, whom she named Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton.
Mary Ann Cottonâs trial started on March 5, 1873 â the delay was caused by a problem in the prosecution counsel selection. At first a Mr Aspinwall was considered but the Attorney General, Sir John Duke Coleridge, whose decision it was, chose his friend Charles Russell instead. Russell being chosen over Aspinwall led to a question in the House of Commons, but it was accepted and Russell conducted the prosecution. The Cotton case was the first of several famous poison cases he would be involved in during his career, including those of Adelaide Bartlett and Florence Maybrick. The defence was in the hands of Mr Thomas Campbell Foster, who argued that Charles had died from inhaling arsenic that was used as a dye in the wallpaper at the Cotton home. The doctor testified that there was no other power, only liquid, in the chemistâs shop, on the same shelf as the arsenic â the chemist himself claimed that there were in fact other powders. Campbell Foster argued that it was possible the chemist had mistaken the arsenic powder for bismuth powder (a diarrhoea treatment), when making a bottle for Cotton, because he had been distracted by talking to others. The jury retired for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. On March 20 The Times correspondent reported: âAfter conviction the wretched woman exhibited strong emotion but this gave place in a few hours to her habitual cold, reserved demeanour and while she harbours a strong conviction that the royal clemency will be extended towards her, she staunchly asserts her innocence of the crime that she has been convicted of.â Numerous petitions were presented to the Home Secretary but it was no use. Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24 1873 by William Calcraft â she died, not from her neck breaking, but by strangulation caused by the rope being too short.
#mary ann cotton#black widow#county durham#sunderland#arsenic#stomach#executed#serial killer#murder#coal miner
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âą sick bastard Dr. Thomas Cream
âą Lewis Carroll solely because of the wildly stupid Jack the Ripper suspect theories and no other reason
âą James Maybrick
âą Paul Mueller (aka the man from the train)
âą Harry Allen not because he deserves it or anything but because he was just down to fight everyone and I respect that sir it would be an honour to be defeated by you in combat
Historical figures I wanna fist fight:
âą Plato
âą Freud
âą Benjamin Franklin just for that self-improvement journaling bullshit
âą Does Aldous Huxley count as historical I mean he died in 1963 sure but he wrote Brave New World so he deserves to be kicked in the teeth
âą Joseph Swetnam
âą Alexander Hamilton because while there are founding fathers who were definitely Worse than him I think it would be pretty fun like heâs always ready to throw down and youâre guaranteed to Not Die if thereâs pistols involved yâknow
âą Columbus, Cortes, etc.
âą also John Smith specifically
âą Milton Friedman
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