Little is known about the physical appearance of Jack the Ripper, regarded as one of Britain's most notorious serial killers who has captivated the public since his 1888 reign of terror in the streets of London.
That might change after the resurfacing of a walking cane that features what is believed to be the only known composite of Jack the Ripper etched onto the handle.
The carving is of a haggard old man's face, who appears to be glaring out from underneath a long hood, according to images published by the Daily Mail. The cane was given to Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline and his seven officers, who searched for the elusive killer, as a parting gift when they were pulled from the case for failing to make any headway.
For years it was believed that the cane had gone missing, but researchers from the College of Policing rediscovered it buried in archives at Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire. They speculate that the face etched onto the cane's handle is of Abberline's prime suspect: Dr. Alexander Pedachenko, a "lunatic" Russian anarchist who had been living in London at the time the killings of at least five women took place.
The victims — Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly — were believed to have been sex workers. They were hacked to death between Aug. 31 and Nov. 9, 1888.
Jack the Ripper was never caught.
"Finding this cane was an exciting moment for us," said Antony Cash, of the College of Policing, according to The Telegraph. "Jack the Ripper is one of the biggest and most infamous murder cases in our history, and his crimes were significant in paving the way for modern policing and forensics as it caused police to begin experimenting with and developing new techniques as they attempted to try and solve these murders, such as crime scene preservation, profiling, and photography.
"This walking cane is such a fascinating artifact, which represents such a historically significant time in policing, and it’s amazing that we can put it out on display here in Ryton, alongside the original newspaper cuttings, so that our officers can see first-hand how far we’ve advanced in policing since then," he added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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