A new book alleges that legendary killer Jack the Ripper was none other than poet Francis Thompson, famous for his poem "The Hound of Heaven."
"Thompson kept a dissecting knife under his coat, and he was taught a rare surgical procedure that was found in the mutilations of more than one of the Ripper victims," said Richard Patterson, an English teacher in Byron Bay, Australia,
according to The Christian Science Monitor.
Patterson said he first realized that Thompson was a likely suspect when he discovered that the man had been a medical doctor before becoming a well-known poet.
"He helped with surgery and is known to have cut up heaps and heaps of cadavers while a student," he explained.
Thompson moved to London in 1885. Three years later, five murdered women were found in Whitechapel district of London’s East End.
After arriving in the big city, Thompson became addicted to opium, and was homeless until he was offered lodgings by a prostitute. He soon began to gain recognition for his writing, and their relationship — which had taken a turn for the romantic — ended.
"The moment he told her he was finally published, she said she was leaving him because the public would not understand their relationship. This was after Thompson's year-long romance with the woman," Patterson said.
Patterson said that before and after the spate of murders, Thompson wrote about stabbing female prostitutes. He theorizes that Thompson was enraged by his breakup, and began to kill prostitutes in anger.
In his news book, "Francis Thompson — A Ripper Suspect," Patterson presents evidence he believes could implicate the poet in the sensational murders. Part of his research took him to the poet's hometown, Preston, as well as the U.S. to review hand-written letters,
the Daily Mail reported.
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