Pearson On The Teutonic

JACK THE RIPPER.

He Says He Has Arrived in New York and is Prepared To Go To Work.
(Special to THE HERALD - Examiner Dispatch.)

NEW YORK, Dec. 28. - The Herald has received a letter from somebody signing as "Jack The Ripper." His letter to the Herald is as follows:

New York, December 26, 1890.

Dear Mr. Editor: - I have just written to Inspector Byrnes telling him I am over in America and ready for some good work. I arrived in the Teutonic just lately, and on the voyage talked with my fellow passengers about myself. "I wonder where Jack the Ripper is now", said they. "Ah, I wonder", said I. Oh, it was rary sport: I rolled over in my bed at night laughing, fit to die at the thought. I've had a good rest now and finished with Whitechapel. I've been to Paris where I did a little slashing but it wasn't up to much. Then to Vienna and stayed a long time, but didn't do any work. My hand shook too much; I wanted a good long rest and plenty of walking about. Now I'm all right and ready for any amount of goods and I mean to have them. I have studied all my plans carefully, they cannot fail. Look for news of me in a day or two hence somewhere down town. With the compliments of the season. I remain yours. Jack the Ripper

The letter is in red ink evidently without any attempt to disguise the handwriting.

Source: The Salt Lake Herald of Tuesday December, 30, 1890

I was poring over the shipping records of the S.S. Teutonic and other ships from the White Star Line leaving England for New York in December 1890 and found something interesting. A Mr. J.W. Pearson was aboard the S.S. Germanic, which left Liverpool on December 17, 1890. "Teutonic" is another term for the Germanic peoples, so they both mean the same thing. It is also important to note that 4 months after this letter was written, Carrie Brown was murdered in the East River Hotel on the Manhattan waterfront, on April 24, 1891. Her body was mutilated, her abdomen had been cut entirely open and some press reports even stated that her uterus was missing also.

Passenger transcript details
Name: Mr J W PEARSON
Date of departure: 17 December 1890
Port of departure: Liverpool
Passenger destination port: New York, USA
Passenger destination: New York, USA
Date of Birth:
Age:
Marital status: Single
Sex: Male
Occupation:
Passenger recorded on: Page 8 of 9
The following people with the same last name travelled on this voyage: -
R PEARSON Page 8 of 9
Ship: GERMANIC
Official Number:
Master's name: J G Cameron
Steamship Line:
Where bound: New York, USA
Square feet: 4177
Registered tonnage: 3149
Passengers on voyage: 211

Here is another interesting passenger transcript:

passenger transcript details
Name: Mr Alfd PEARSON
Date of departure: 16 July 1890
Port of departure: Liverpool
Passenger destination port: New York, USA
Passenger destination: New York, USA
Date of Birth:
Age: Adult
Marital status: Married
Sex: Male
Occupation: Gentleman
Passenger recorded on: Page 12 of 14

The following people with the same last name travelled on this voyage: -
Mrs PEARSON Page 12 of 14
Ship: BRITTANIC
Official Number:
Master's name: H Davison
Steamship Line:
Where bound: New York, USA
Square feet: 6561
Registered tonnage: 3152
Passengers on voyage: 455

Source: www.findmypast.com