From Hell letter - Definition

The "From Hell" letter is the name given to a message that is widely considered to be the one most likely to have been authentic writing from the serial killer now known as Jack the Ripper in 1888. It is perhaps noteworthy that its author chose not sign it with that particular pseudonym, unlike the earlier Dear Boss letter, Saucy Jack postcard and their imitators.

Postmarked on 15 October 1888, the letter was received by George Lusk, then head of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, the following day.

The reason this letter stands out more than any other is that it was delivered with a small box containing half of what doctors later determined was a human kidney, preserved in alcohol. One of Catherine Eddowes' kidneys had been removed by the killer. Medical opinion at the time was split on whether the kidney was likely to have been the same as the one taken from Eddowes. Some officials thought the organ could have been acquired by medical students and sent with the letter as part of a hoax.

The text of the letter reads:

From hell.

Mr Lusk,

Sor

I send you half the Kidne I took from one woman and prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a whil longer

signed

Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk

This message, as well as the kidney that accompanied it, have been subsequently lost and are not contained within the Ripper police files. It is possible that one or both was kept by an official as a souvenir of the case.

References

• Casebook: Jack the Ripper article on the Ripper letters (http://www.casebook.org/ripper_letters/)
• Jack the Ripper: Letters From Hell, by Stewart Evans and Keith Skinner, Sutton Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0750925493