HOW MANY VICTIMS DID JACK THE RIPPER CLAIM?

       One question that has been debated by Ripperologists for years is the exact number of victims killed by the Ripper.  Phillip Sudgen wrote in his The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, "at least four, probably six, just possibly eight."  The fact is that there is not definative answer to this question; there is too much disagreement among Ripperologists. 

     There are, however, five victims that are generally agreed upon; these are known as "the Canonical Five".  The Canonical Five consist of:  Mary Ann Nichols (August 31, 1888), Annie Chapman (September 8, 1888), Elizabeth Stride (September 30, 1888), Catherine Eddowes (September 30, 1888) and Mary Jane Kelly (November 9, 1888).

     Debate among experts still occurs, today, about the actual number of Ripper victims.  The website, Casebook:  Jack the Ripper, displays up to nineteen possible victims.  The reason for this confusion is that no one is really certain of exactly when Jack the Ripper (or JtR) actually began his killing spree.  Some believe that it may have begun with the murder of a prostitute named "Fairy Fay" On December 26, 1887.  In his book The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, Phillip Sudgen shoots this down with the claim that Fairy Fay did not exist and that this story derived out of confusion over a later murder.

     Some students of Ripperology contend that a prostitute named Martha Tabram, murdered on August 7, 1888 was, in fact, the first victim.  Some eliminate Elizabeth Stride as a victim, because her wounds were not as extensive as the other victims.  Others believe that Stride was a victim and that the Ripper was interupted and could not fully carry out his work, so he also murdered Catherine Eddowes, that same night.  There are even some who count Stride and Eddowes as one murder. 

     Of the aforementioned, Tabram and Kelly were the only victims killed indoors.  The appearance and ages of the victims are varied, so this leave nothing to go on--there is no apparent pattern, except that all the victims were prostitutes.

     In the end, the Canonical Five is the most widely accepted victim count, though Tabram ought to be included and should, certainly, not be ruled out as a victim.  This would render Phillip Sudgen's statement "probably six" statement accurate. 

     The greatest difficult in pinpointing the actual number of victims is that the identity of the Ripper remains unknown.  Some Ripper suspects migrated to or from America or elsewhere for either a short time or permanently.  Some suspects were foreigners were visiting in England and eventually returned to their country of origin.  Knowledge of the Ripper's identity would make it easier to track down his activities and learn of other possible victims.  The fact is that we may never have an answer to these questions.