Saucy Jacky

The postcard reads:

I was not codding, dear old Boss, when I gave you the tip. You’ll hear about Saucy Jacky’s work tomorrow, a double event. This time, number one squealed a bit and couldn’t finish straight off. I had no time to get ears off for the police. Thanks for keeping the last letter back until I got to work again.

Jack the Ripper

The author of the ‘Saucy Jacky’ postcard,  who claimed to be Jack the Ripper, sent it to the Central News Agency in London. The post office stamped the card and delivered it to the Agency on October 1, 1888.

The postcard claims the first victim, Elizabeth Stride, ‘squealed a bit.’ The card’s author based this claim on the testimony of Israel Swartz, who stated that the woman he saw assaulted screamed three times, but not very loudly. Unfortunately, Israel Swartz’s testimony is dubious and best. 

Catherine Eddowes’ right earlobe was detached, but there was no attempt to sever her ears and send them to the police as the author of the ‘Dear Boss’ letter said he would.

When the card arrived, Scotland Yard and the press were unsure of its authenticity. The production of fake letters attributed to Jack the Ripper had become common, as sober, rational citizens got caught up in the frenzy surrounding Jack the Ripper. Although the postcard contained details of the attacks on Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, which were known to the authorities, the police considered it a hoax. Nevertheless, they produced and published a facsimile, hoping someone would recognise the handwriting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Some researchers have argued the postcard must be from the killer because the Central News Agency received it before details of the Stride and Eddowes killings became widely known. The post office marked the postcard more than 24 hours after the murders occurred, so the hoaxer had ample time to garner the facts, particularly if the hoaxer was a journalist, as the police suspected.

Jack the Ripper did not send the postcard. It was written by a journalist, probably the same man who authored the ‘Dear Boss’ letter.