A Jack the Ripper police file has been found after 136 years by the great-grandson of a detective who investigated the case.
The archive has two photographs of Michael Ostrog, an early suspect for the Victorian serial killer and the only copy in existence of the so-called Saucy Jack postcard the Ripper purportedly sent to the police to taunt them. The original postcard is long-lost, making this facsimile copy the only one.
The archive also contains a copy of the 'Dear Boss' letter, a chilling note sent by the murderer to the police which he signed off as 'Jack the Ripper', which was the first time the name was referenced.
The murderer boasted about killing his female victims and warned police that his knife was 'still nice and sharp'. The original letter is held in the National Archives at Kew and there are only a few copies of it around. And there is a grim photograph of the body of Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols in the morgue.
The file was kept by Inspector Joseph Henry Helson who was serving in the Metropolitan Police when the infamous serial killer murdered five women in Whitechapel in 1888. He worked on the murder of Nichols, an East End prostitute who was the Ripper's first victim.
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Joseph Henry Helson investigated the Jack the Ripper case (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)
The 'Dear Boss' letter (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)She was found with her throat cut and mutilation wounds on her body in Buck's Row, Whitechapel, in the early hours of August 31, 1888. Insp Helson took charge of the investigation and also assisted with enquiries into the killing of Annie Chapman, the Ripper's second victim, eight days later.
His archive has passed down four generations of the Helson family and is now being sold by a relative at Whitton & Laing Auctioneers of Exeter, Devon. It has an estimate of £10,000. The auctioneers say that the previously-unknown collection should spark a bidding war as Ripper relics directly connected to his heinous crimes rarely come up for sale.
A photo card for early suspect Michael Ostrog (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)
A card with information on Michael Ostrog (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)A Whitton & Laing spokesperson said: "For nearly 140 years the Jack the Ripper murders have held an enduring fascination and items directly connected to the crimes very rarely come up for sale. The items all belonged to Inspector Joseph Henry Helson and have been passed down through his family and are currently in the possession of his great grandson.
"Among the items to be sold are a mortuary photo of Mary Nichols which, although faded, seems to differ from the known photo with the camera at a very slightly different angle. There are also two photos of one of the main suspects, Michael Ostrog, with notes to the reverse listing three of his aliases, criminal record and physical appearance.
The police file is now going up for auction (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)"There is also a facsimile copy of both the infamous 'Dear Boss' letter and 'Saucy Jack' postcard which appears to be cut from the broadside printed in 1888 and used by the police in the hope that someone would recognise the handwriting. The original letter and postcard both disappeared, the letter being returned in 1988 and is now in the National Archives at Kew, but the postcard has never been seen again.
"This unique and important collection is to be offered as one lot and is expected to sell for in excess of £10,000. However people should not forget that the victims where real people with real stories and we wouldn't want to think of this murderer as a anti-hero but for the monstrous villain that he was."
Inspector Joseph Henry Helson (centre) and his team (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)Ostrog, a Russian immigrant, was a petty thief and con artist who spent long periods in prison and a mental asylum. But he was quickly ruled out as the Ripper as it emerged that he was in a French prison's mental asylum when the murders took place.
The 'Dear Boss' letter which was dated September 25, 1888, was initially considered a hoax but police decided to take it seriously after the Ripper's fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, was found with part of her right ear severed. The letter contained a promise to 'clip the lady's ears off'.
The collection is expected to make around £10,000 (Whitton & Laing/BNPS)This prompted the police to publish numerous handbills containing duplicates of the letter and postcard signed 'Saucy Jack' in the hope someone would recognise the handwriting. The original letter has apparent bloodstains on it.
Insp Helson retired from the Met Police in 1895 after 26 years of service and returned to his native Devon to work on the railways. He died aged 75 in 1920 and his collection, which includes his handcuffs, is being sold a century on. The vendor, who recently inherited the items, would like them to go to someone who will appreciate them. The sale takes place on March 22.
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