New exhibition presents evidence on key police suspect
They were the crimes that shocked a nation. The reporting of Jack the Ripper’s murders saw the start of ‘tabloid’ journalism. More than 130 years later and the mystery as to his identity still endures.
Well, a new exhibition at Hastings’ True Crime Museum delves into the shocking past of one of the police’s lead suspects.
Mention his name and the mind conjures up the dimly lit Victorian streets of London’s yesteryear. The serial killer was active in the latter part of 1888 with the murders of the ‘canonical’ five taking place over a three month period in the Whitechapel area.
The Hastings exhibition closely examines the life of one of the prime suspects, George Chapman. He was a person of interest who certainly ticks a lot of boxes. He ran a barbershop in Whitechapel. He was a skilled barber and could perform minor surgery.
‘I think future visitors are going to really enjoy exploring our Era of the Ripper themed area,’ says Hastings True Crime Museum curator, Joel Griggs.
‘We’ve managed to get hold of some truly intriguing exhibits from the Victorian period, many relating to the Ripper case itself. For me, it’s particularly exciting to present four artefacts from the house of Hastings’ Ripper Suspect George Chapman.”
Chapman was questioned in relation to the Ripper murders and his shop was in close proximity to Martha Tabrum’s murder scene.
Prime suspect’s connection to Sussex
Eight years after the serial killer struck fear into the heart of London, Chapman heads to the Sussex seaside town of Hastings where he opens a barbershop in George Street.
He befriends a local chemist (William Davison) and purchases a crystalline salt used to treat indigestion. He mixes a lethal dose into his wife’s brandy and she subsequently dies.
Police were quick to discover the bodies of his two previous wives and Chapman was subsequently hanged on 7th April 1903 at HMP Wandsworth. He was 37 years old.
One of the detectives on the Ripper case was Frederick Abberline. He was certain that Chapman was a key suspect in the investigation.
