Why were there so many Jack the Ripper suspects?
I think the best reasons to explain why there were so many Ripper suspects is down to a number of factors: 1) The population density and degree of anonymity in London – With so many people in an area like Whitechapel it would be easy to just to escape from a crime scene unnoticed. In addition to that, all women were or would have been taken for prostitutes. No one was going to think twice about men, even upper-class men leaving from a building after going in there with a lady. Many historians refer to concept of the ‘flaneur’ (as used in Baudelaire’s writings) – This was a man who could traverse the city streets and enjoy its site without anyone flinching at their presence. 2) The primitive methods of detective work and policing – There seemed to be no Sherlock Holmes in reality that were actually able determine who the killer might be and no such thing as finger printing and forensic methods till the 20th century. 3) The Victorians seemed to enjoy a bit of sensationalist scapegoating
