Jack the Ripper: Case Study

Lesson 5: A Look at the Maybrick Diary

The Diary's Contents

If the Maybrick diary is a forgery, it is a very detailed and planned one along the caliber of the Hitler Diaries. The diary is well-written and convincing. Within its pages, the five murders attributed to Jack the Ripper are chronicled in gory detail. Furthermore, according to experts, the author appears to fit the profile of a serial killer who is suffering a gradual decline into madness.

The writing alternates between serious thought and deranged ramblings. Handwriting experts believe the diary was written by someone violent, sexually deviant and possibly schizophrenic. This has led some experts to ask the question--would a hoaxer be that good?

Though some experts feel that the handwriting and certain phrases in the diary are not in keeping with the Victorian era in which it was supposed to have been written, the actual content of the diary corresponds with the dates of Maybrick's trips to London. If Maybrick was Jack the Ripper, it is believed that Florie's infidelity set off the Ripper crimes, and that they were a reaction to her unfaithfulness.

Even though Maybrick himself did not keep his marriage vows, there existed at the time a double standard that made a woman's wandering more scandalous. If Maybrick was the killer, it would mean that he led a double life in a place over 200 miles away from his main residence. However, his lover or second wife lived in the same area the Ripper frequented.

This means Maybrick would have been familiar with the Ripper's territory, and makes the idea he committed the crimes more plausible. Assuming the diary is authentic and Maybrick was Jack the Ripper, the final entry of the diary was made on May 3rd when he last visited his doctor. On May 11, 1889, Maybrick died. The Ripper murders also ended that same year.

Some passages in the diary as well as aspects of Maybrick's life appear to have uncanny links to the Ripper crimes. The simplest link, which may be coincidence, is that the first two letters of James Maybrick's first name and the last two letters of his last name combine to form the name Jack. Also, the vague forming of the letter M appeared at some of the crime scenes, namely on the wall in Mary Kelly's bedroom. The mysterious M could stand for Maybrick.

The writing on the wall found after the murder of Catherine Eddowes was explained in the diary as being a private joke, instead of reading "The Juwes are the men that shall not be blamed for nothing," the writing actually read, "The James are the men that shall not be blamed for nothing." The words " ha, ha" appear in the diary and also appear in one of the Ripper letters.

Though most of the diary is consistent with the details of the Ripper murders, some accounts appear to have been taken from newspaper articles written at the time rather than the actual murder, as some of the details are slightly different, especially concerning the murder of Mary Kelly. This might be the most important bit of evidence to indicate the journal could be a hoax.

The source for this lesson was The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper.

Essay, "The Diary of the Ripper" by Shirely Harrison, page 204-227