10. Some people believed Spring Heeled Jack was, in fact, a group of aristocratic tricksters
However, the matter of Spring Heeled Jack was complicated because no one was certain if they were looking for one man- or a whole group. Some witnesses claimed that Spring Heeled Jack had an accomplice who helped him. After Jane Alsop’s attack, Spring Heeled Jack reputedly dropped his cloak in the lane- and left it behind as he fled the police. However, when the officers went to investigate, the garment had disappeared, leading them to suspect someone had retrieved it for him.
Others, however, believed the attacks were the work of a group rather than one individual. On Sunday, February 25, The Morning Herald’ described the attack on Mr. Ashworth at Commercial Road as being perpetrated by “one of the ‘Spring Heeled Jack’ gang.” Despite being frightened, the servant boy who observed the visitor noted a family crest adorned the visitor’s cloak. This exclusive motif leaned credence to a growing theory that the’ gang’ were aristocrats, getting their kicks from frightening the ordinary people of London.
The letter to the Lord Mayor of London had started this belief in aristocratic involvement when its author, the mysterious “resident of Peckham” described how the attacks began as the result of a wager laid by individuals from “the highest ranks of life.” However, the letter did not suggest those who laid the wager were directly involved in their attacks- only a “mischievous and foolhardy companion.” Rumors began to spread about the identity of that individual.