Hi Chris (and all),
Really glad that you liked my work! I'm recording a lot again these days and having an enormous amount of fun. Maybe you could mention my Jack The Ripper track in your magazine and include a link? I don't mention any particular candidate as the ripper in the track so I think a lot of people would enjoy it...and it might help me to sell a few of the 500 copies of the album I'm currently SLEEPING with! HA HA HA HA
Thanks so much for the link! I am really excited about this piece of news! Don't you think it just adds to the debate, the mystery and magic of the Maybrick and the diary saga? I agree with you this time though, that without further investigation (and a thorough examination of all the items) that the whole thing is highly suspicious and could easily have been posted by someone just to 'wind people up'. Thinking 'outside the envelope' for a moment however there are a number of points about the story that COULD make perfect sense. Mike Barratt was I believe at one time a scrap metal dealer was he not? It would not be outlandish to therefore accept that he might easily be well known to local builders/house clearance/electricians/
van men etc. The idea that some or a lot of Maybricks furniture could still be in the 'Liverpool area' is also perfectly feasible. I mean back in 1889 people didn't have the ability to travel/transport goods long distances as easily as they do today, so likelihood suggests that a lot of the Maybricks furniture from Battlecrease would have been sold to 'locals'. I also like the idea that the diary and pocket watch could have been found together and 'sold for cash' at the same time. this would explain rather neatly their seemingly untimely 'discovery' not far apart from each other. The story also suggests that perhaps the 'refurbishers' found the items but did not report this to the owner of the house itself, choosing instead (dishonestly) to sell them for what they could get. However, before we get carried away here, you have to also think that IF such people HAD found items like this that they would have at least READ the diary before parting with it. If they had done so, they would soon have discovered that the diary appeared to be that of JACK THE RIPPER! With such knowledge is it really likely that they would have accepted a mere £20 as their ill gotten gains? I do like the fact though that the bag has the words J.M. JACK written on it. Not only does it mirror the diary explanation of how the name was chosen, it also mirrors (for me at least) the psychology of the diarist. By this I mean that part of the thrill of being JACK was to make him feel so much CLEVERER than everybody else. 'Leaving clues' was just one of the ways that he liked to do this. The Goulston Street Graffitto, The Red Leather Cigarette Case, The inscription in his OWN pocket watch (or even his wifes pocket watch) and of course the diary itself. What thrill would Maybrick have got KNOWING that his wife was continually carrying with her EVIDENCE that could potentially hang him. How James would have laughed to know that the pocket watch might be on the bedside table when Florrie was with 'The Whoring Master'. It would all have been a very dangerous game, but a THRILLING ONE and his continuing luck in getting away with it all so far would, I believe, have driven him to taking bigger and bigger risks. All killers harbour a secret desire to be caught, isn't that what they say Chris? Some because the decent side of them wants to stop but cant and others simply because they crave RECOGNITION for what they have done. James Maybrick was a man that had lived in the shadow of his brother Michael all of his life and it is the depiction of a love/ hate relationship between the diarist and a 'Michael' that, if like me you believe the writer was James Maybrick, provides him with a MOTIVE for the JTR killings!
Interesting Stuff!!
Over to you lot!
Love
Tony.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by SteH
Bookmarks