I still don't know who done it!

This past weekend marked the annual Jack the Ripper Conference, held for the first time in Knoxville, TN. As someone with a casual interest in the topic, I wasn't sure what to expect from the conference. I was amazed by all of the scholarly, in depth research and presentations that I was exposed to during the conference. There were talks on the misunderstood Dr. Tumblety, on tracking down the man who took the photos of the Ripper's victims, and even an amusing spoof documentary on Ripper research. Attendees were also treated to what appears to be the earliest tourist photo of a Ripper murder site. The keynote speaker was the renowned "Ripperologist" and author Martin Fido. I was sorely disappointed that he didn't bring any of his books along to sell, but I guess books are heavy things if you have to schlep them around yourself (and airports are involved)! It was very enlightening to be around people who are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all aspects of the case. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that many new discoveries are still being made concerning the case. While I'm no further along in my quest to find out "who done it", there is certainly hope that exciting discoveries could be just around the corner!

I was pleased to learn that Ripper Notes, the International Journal for Ripper Studies, is published right in Knoxville! I bought several of the back issues and was impressed with the topics covered and the lovely presentation of the journal. I suppose another subscription is on the horizon, although my poor mailbox is already overflowing!

Here is a very interesting blog post from someone who went on the Jack the Ripper walk in London recently. Lots of great photos!