3. Spring Heeled Jack Gave his name to ‘Jack’ the Ripper
Although violent, Spring Heeled Jack never inflicted physical injuries upon his victims that would have killed them. However, that did not stop locals in the poorer areas of London from associating him with violent crimes. In the 1860’s, Jack became tenuously associated with the murder of Maria Davis, a prostitute from the slums of Jacob Island in Bermondsey. One of Maria’s clients reputedly killed her by pushing her over a bridge into an open Sewer called Folly’s Ditch. Although the coroner recorded a verdict of ‘Death by Misadventure’ and Maria’s death was quite unlike any of Spring Heeled Jack’s normal attacks, the locals maintained he was the culprit.
This association between Spring Heeled Jack and attacks on women lingered. Then the late 1880s, the Whitechapel murders began. As with the Maria Davis case, the only thing the Ripper murder’s had in common with the activities of Spring Heeled Jack was that the victims were women. For Jack may have roughed his victims up and ripped their clothes. However, the physical injuries he inflicted never went beyond a few scratches.
However, in the popular mind, Spring Heeled Jack immediately became associated with the attacks. In fact, the murderer- or someone pretending to be him even began to use his name. One of the earliest letters sent to the Metropolitan police, supposedly from the Ripper himself was signed “Spring Heel Jack: The Whitechapel Murderer.” Soon, the anonymous letter writer was signing himself just ‘Jack.’ This new “Terror of London” traded on not only the name but the reputation of Spring Heeled Jack. And so, Jack the Ripper was born.