The Gilded Gentleman history podcast takes listeners on a cultural and social journey into mansions, salons, dining rooms, libraries, and theaters including the worlds above as well as below stairs of America’s Gilded Age, France’s Belle Epoque, and late Victorian and Edwardian England. The host is Carl Raymond. A fascinating episode that true crime fans will enjoy is about Jack the Ripper. Historian Richard Jones analyzes the Jack the Ripper case and he gives his opinion on possible suspects. The incredible facts and stories he tells will fascinate you!
In the beginning of the episode, Richard Jones describes the White Chapel district (where the murders took place) during the 1880s. There was extreme poverty in the area. Workhouses were common and people did anything in their means to survive. There was a slaughterhouse in the White Chapel district, which made the sight of blood common that may have helped the murderer travel through the city undetected.
Raymond and Jones talk about the “canonical five” who were the five victims of Jack the Ripper. Jones describes how most of these women were married and had children but suffered from alcoholism. They squandered money to feed their addiction and resorted to prostitution for their survival. This unfortunately made them victims of the serial killer.
The perpetrator of these murders was given the name Jack the Ripper as a result of a letter that was mailed to the press and signed with the name “Jack the Ripper.” In the letter, crime scenes are described and the author claimed responsibility for the murders. However, as described in the episode, Jones is skeptical that Jack the Ripper is the killer’s actual name. He believes the perpetrator was too secretive to contact the press.
Jones and Raymond analyze theories of who Jack the Ripper was. One theory is that he was a member of the Royal Family and another is that he immigrated to America. Jones is skeptical of all the conspiracy theories and it is interesting to hear him debunk them one by one. He believes we will never know who the real Jack the Ripper was.
The Gilded Gentleman: Jack the Ripper is incredibly well researched and interesting. Jones and Raymond thoroughly examine the Jack the Ripper case and provide expert analysis. True crime fans and historians will love this podcast!
In The Gilded Gentleman: Jack the Ripper there are graphic descriptions of murder and crime scenes. This podcast episode is for mature audiences only.
Books about Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper: Letters From Hell by Stewart Evans
Jack The Ripper: Illustrated by Gary Reed (ebook)
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Jack the Ripper: Quest for a Killer by T.J. Trow (ebook)
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian. He is currently reading The March by E.L. Doctorow.