At the time of the horrific London murders, Francis Tumblety was suspected of being Jack the Ripper. He was arrested Nov. 7, 1888 on unrelated charges and released on bail. 

Knowing he was considered a suspect, Tumblety fled back to the U.S. Rumor had it, Scotland Yard tried to extradite him, but police determined “there is no proof of his complicity in the Whitechapel murders, and the crime for which he is under bond in London is not extraditable.” 

It’s unclear why Tumblety was a suspect at all, apart from his previous criminal record and misogyny. He didn’t fit the descriptions of any of the eyewitness testimony, and there was no concrete evidence he had even visited Whitechapel.

Based upon content contributed by Ross Malone and Historic-uk.com. A historian and retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.

Photo credit: tbd, Unsplash