Posterity has stepped over the bodies of his victims to get to Jack the Ripper. Here are their stories, pieced together from inquest evidence and public sources including the census and workhouse records. Only one was a downright prostitute. Fascinating individually, collectively they illuminate the lives of London's underclass - stories of broken relationships, homelessness and alcoholism compounded by women's disadvantaged status. Rubenhold perhaps overstates her case - the fascination is always with the murderer - but this doesn't detract from a moving story told without a trace of prurience.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 94 Autumn 2019 ) |
