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

History Unplugged Podcast

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—also known as “Jack the Ripper.”
Druitt’s handiwork included the slaughter of at least five women of ill repute in the East End of London—an urban hell where women sold themselves for a stale crust of bread. But mysteries still remain about Druit – including his thinking behind the murders, the man behind the moniker, and the circumstances behind his demise. Exploring these questions are today’s 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’s family placed him in a private, expensive asylum in France, only for him to flee when a nurse blew the whistle
How Druitt’s identity was concealed by his well-connected friends and family, thus hatching the mystery of Jack the Ripper