Ghost In The Machine
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2014
- Messages
- 2,521
- Location
- Yorkshire
I doubt it. The passage of time isn't the only issue here. The whole thing with Jack the Ripper is the mystery and legends surrounding it. The Yorkshire Ripper was caught, hence there's no mystery and therefore a very different kind if interest. If JTR had been caught, I seriously doubt there would be any tours, let alone a museum.
Having said that, the mystery alone doesn't explain how the JTR phenomena seems to have melded into the fabric of local and poular legend or gained a foothold in fiction (and therefore its status as a tourist attraction). Looking at the sign above the door, you can see how the character has become almost romanticised; top hat, cape etc. Even the protesters dressed like extras from a school play! It seems that the fabled foggy streets of victorian London and our modern-day misconceptions of what life was like there and then is just more 'Hollywood' than Yorkshire in the 70s. A Bible John tour in Glasgow anyone? Perish the thought!
I can't imagine anyone other than the most ghoulish being interested in visiting locations associated with any other serial killer, but for whatever reason, Jack seems to be different in the public consiousness... Or at least to some / a lot of people. The reasons why aren't clear cut though (No pun intended!)
Yes, I think you're right. The 1888 is an unsolved mystery. Plus, the end of Victorian England - easy to romanticise... In, say, 2077, 1977 Yorkshire might look equally fascinating but the crimes themselves hold very little mystery to us, any more (if you ignore theories that Sutcliffe wasn't acting alone, etc). It's not likely Sutcliffe's crimes will gather more mystery with the passage of time. Although I guess there must be entire forums where folk argue which 'non canonical' murder should be 'in the canon', etc. It's not just that the 1888 murders were unsolved but the mystery surrounding the fact they stopped so abruptly. Add in the lack of forensics, etc. The story is compelling.
I was around in Leeds during Sutcliffe's reign of terror, and women marching to reclaim the night was a very real thing. Somehow I think we took them more seriously than these women.