Podcasts History History Unplugged Podcast The Escape of Jack the Ripper: Historys Most Infamous Serial Killer, and the Cover-up to Protect His Identity

The Escape of Jack the Ripper: Historys Most Infamous Serial Killer, and the Cover-up to Protect His Identity

Published: Oct. 19, 2021, 6:20 a.m.

b'He was young, handsome, highly educated in the best English schools, a respected professional, and a first-class amateur athlete. He was also a serial killer, the Victorian equivalent of the modern-day Ted Bundy. His name was Montague Druitt\\u2014also known as \\u201cJack the Ripper.\\u201d

Druitt\\u2019s handiwork included the slaughter of at least five women of ill repute in the East End of London\\u2014an urban hell where women sold themselves for a stale crust of bread. But mysteries still remain about Druit \\u2013 including his thinking behind the murders, the man behind the moniker, and the circumstances behind his demise. Exploring these questions are today\\u2019s guests Jonathan Hainsworth and researcher Christine Ward-Agius, authors of The Escape of Jack the Ripper: The Truth about the Cover-up and His Flight from Justice.

We discuss:

How a blood-stained Druitt was arrested yet bluffed his way to freedom by pretending to be a medical student helping the poor

How Druitt confessed to his cousin, an Anglican priest

How Druitt\\u2019s family placed him in a private, expensive asylum in France, only for him to flee when a nurse blew the whistle

How Druitt\\u2019s identity was concealed by his well-connected friends and family, thus hatching the mystery of Jack the Ripper'