The Legend of Jack the Ripper

Ch21: We have our guy?

I looked for his records before being a surgeon for the police department. He was once a soldier and participated in the Prussian War. After returning from the Prussian War, in 1867, Bond set up practice in Westminster and was appointed Surgeon to Metropolitan A division. Ironically, his house was also close to the police headquarters. And his wife was the daughter of Chief Justice, and altogether, he was deeply rooted with the police and their investigation into the Ripper murders. So he could very well know where the police are patrolling and what their shifts are.

Dr. Bond was an experienced hunter, and there is a part of hunting where the carcass is gutted similar to what the Ripper had done with his victims. Interestingly, he actively took part in stag hunts. And used to travel in and out of the city quite often.

But none of this proves his motive for the crime.

However, there's one thing that may push him off the charts, he was actively involved with the London Lock Hospital while he was in his early stage.

The London Lock Hospital was a specialized hospital for treating venereal disease in women, specifically prostitutes and it was said to have inhumanly tortured many women on account of venereal disease. Specifically, women of lower social stature. And i believe that the victims or at least some of them had a connection from there.

It was the type of place that were horrible for their sheer torture and abuse of their patients.According to one account of a victim of such terror,

"It is men, only men, from the first to the last that we have to do with! To please a man I did wrong at first, and then I was flung about from man to man. Men police lay hands on us. By men, we are examined, handled, and doctored. In the hospital, it is a man again who makes prayers and reads the Bible for us. We are held up before magistrates who are men, and we never get out of the hands of men till we die!"

One can only imagine what sorts of troubles these ladies had to pass through. And if I am not wrong, Dr. Thomas Bond may have known many of them, especially the ripper Victims.

On 25th October 1888, Robert Anderson asked Dr. Thomas Bond to examine the case, and he sent him copies of inquest from the murders of Poly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes. But he only replied to the letter on 10th November 1888, a day after the Ripper completed his final ritual murder.

Another interesting fact is that he was exposed to similar murders from early days, especially with the case of Julia Martha Thomas and Kate Webster. Surely he wasn't new to this world.

Hutchinson, a witness on the murder of Mary Kelly described Kelly's client as a man approximately of height 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a pale complexion, dark eyes, and eyelashes, a small mustache, and dark hair. He was dressed in a long, dark coat with a collar and cuffs adorned with astrakhan over a short, black jacket. He wore light pants, a dark vest, and a black felt hat. He wore boots and gaiters with white buttons. On his vest, he had a very thick gold chain. He wore a black tie with a horseshoe pin. His appearance was respectable, and he "walked very sharp."Reportedly, Dr. Bond liked to be dressed neatly. He casually liked to wear coats and hats. He also had a moustache. Because of his military background, his style of appearance was respectable and sharp.

Being a military person and an experienced surgeon with a keen interest in hunting. He could easily stalk and sneak up on any unsuspecting victim and subdue her and kill her without much difficulty. And the mutilations or organ removal would be a pretty easy task for a guy of his stature.

Being the son in law of Chief Justice and a police surgeon, he could avoid suspicion, and this could act as his alibi. He could walk past any resident or police without raising any concerns regarding his behaviour or whereabouts at such late hours.

Most importantly, he knew the area well and could hide away in plain sight. Just like a hunter.

But by the time I was putting my case together, it was too late. The ripper killings stopped, and so did the suspect.