The Life And Crimes Of Francis Tumblety - Jack The Ripper Suspect.
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Published 2022-03-20
In this video, which is presented in connection with author and Tumblety expert Michael L. Hawley, we trace his life from his birth in Ireland in 1833, through to his fledgling career as an "Indian herb doctor" - in which pursuit he was extremely successful and, as a result became very wealthy - and on to England where, throughout the 1870s, his name appeared regularly in the newspapers.
Having looked at his career in England, we assess his character, taking an in depth look at some of the controversies he was involved in, first in Liverpool and then in Birmingham.
The story then follows him into the autumn of 1888, when, at some stage, he managed to get himself arrested on suspicion of complicity in the Jack the Ripper atrocities.
Using his own words from various interviews that he gave in the wake of his arrest, we ponder why it was that he was suspected. We then reveal that the police, lacking any concrete evidence to prosecute him for the crimes, opted to charge him with several counts of gross indecency.
He was bailed to appear at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey) in December, 1888, but he skipped bail and fled to America, by way of France.
Here, his arrest was widely reported in the American newspapers. albeit the British newspapers remained strangely silent about his arrest.
Police officers of the NYPD kept him under surveillance during his time in New York, and it was reported that several English detectives had followed him across the Atlantic, supposedly, so the press claimed, in connection with his being Jack the Ripper.
We assess the case both for and against him, and reveal how, having faded from memory as a suspect, interest in him was re-ignited when a letter, written by a retired Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector John Littlechild, named him as a likely suspect.
Having discussed his viability as a suspect, we follow him through his latter years until his death at St John's Hospital St. Louis, in May 1903.
The video presents an in depth biography of, and a detailed analysis of one of the most eccentric suspects ever to be linked with the Whitechapel murders.
All Comments (21)
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This guy was not Jack the Ripper, but he was one heck of a character. Very entertaining video. Thank you.
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One thing I’m convinced of is the ripper had masterful knowledge of the Whitechapel area. I don’t think it was an American who had only had brief experience of it. He’s worth looking into though.
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How in the world could Tumblety remain inconspicuous with that gigantic mustache?
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His surname sounds like something Charles Dickens would have come up with
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Even with the high bar you always set, this video is something special! Fascinating, and so much information that was new to me.
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This video was the best documentary on Dr. Tumblety that I have seen. I am glad that you pointed out that Tumblety died here my hometown of Saint Louis. Here is another historical tid-bit about Tumblety. The funeral home where he was embalmed and prepared for burial was located on Saint Louis' Grand Avenue; across the street from old Sportsman's Park. This was our ballpark; prior to Busch Stadium.
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This is a quality presentation. I've always seen Tumblety as one of three main suspects. Why on earth are we not able to access the Scotland Yard arrest brief? Well done.
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It’s always a pleasure to take part of your immense knowledge about the case Mr. Jones, but this was extraordinarily interesting. It was also wonderful to hear Mr. Harley’s expertise regarding this particular suspect. I learned quite a few new things tonight. I often read claims that The Ripper was a sadistic killer, but was he though? The Ripper, to my knowledge, never tortured his victims, but rather killed them quite swiftly and only desecrated the bodies post mortem. Sadism is defined as the infliction of suffering for sexual gratification. A sadist will inflict pain on someone in order to see a terrified victim’s reaction. Tormenting a victim is a way for sadists to bolster their egos and self worth. Having complete control over a helpless person makes them God-like in their own twisted worlds. But did the Ripper really do any of that? He seemed to have done his deeds very quickly, mainly in the dark, and at least with no apparent sexual gratification. The only exception possibly being the Mary Kelly murder, of which we know far to little about to say anything for certain. George Bagster Phillips believed that Kelly had been killed by a slash to the throat and the mutilations were performed afterward. Is that the actions by a sadistic killer? He had her indoors, by himself, and Phillips suggested that the extensive mutilations would have taken two hours to perform. Yet he didn’t keep her alive, though he could have. From my point of view all this suggests that he had an ulterior motive rather than sadism.
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This was a good tutorial for those of us who aren't ripperologists or sleuths. It brought into perspective all the vague descriptions of Tumblety which have been mentioned in less specific ripper discussions. Maybe he and Lechmere shared grisly duties.
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Thanks for this- I really enjoy Michael Hawley's book The Ripper's Haunts. My own suspect is Lechmere, but Tumblety is a fascinating character outside of the JtR stuff. He's one of the most colorful and eccentric haracters of the 19th century. I'd love to see a movie or Netflix show made about his life.
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Very informative video, well done
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There is so much rubbish on YouTube it is wonderful to come across a detailed, balanced and well researched item such as this. Submitted as a thesis this would get you a first.
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An excellent and very well researched and documented video. Thank you.
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He actually DOES look allot like the suspect in the sketch of the man last seen with Mary Kelley just before she was miudered!
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Loved the video mate well done could you do one about James Kelly?
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This is the best documentary on Tumblety I have heard. Will be listening to more. So much information that I haven't heard and loved the whole tone of it. I used to think it was Tumblety but as more questions came up I changed my mind. I think it would be a local man and if any I suspect lechmere.
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Could it be out of all these suspects we know that not one of them is Jack. What are the odds. Enjoyed the video.🙂
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What a character! This is the most compehensive set of information on the subject I've seen. Presented with Sir Richard Jones' outstanding quality, it might turn into the script for a really good film.
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Tumblety has always been my favorite contender for Jack the Ripper - if only because of his rabid hatred of women! I heard he kept a large cupboard in the US, full of medical jars containing woman's wombs and sexual organs saying "This is where women belong"! Horrid character!
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Very informative 👍👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 well done
