Jack the Ripper Dossier, XVIII – Leather Apron
Welcome to the 18th episode of Richard Walker’s weekly podcast series on Jack the Ripper.
Listening to this episode, it’s like sitting in on a group of detectives focusing on one suspect: Leather Apron, as he was known.
It’s a riveting listen. Some quotes: “this noiseless, malignant terror”, “a lone wolf, targeting prostitutes”, “his ugly, malignant eyes”, “the unfortunates who ply their trade after midnight”, “‘theories, we were almost lost in theories'”.
It’s a fascinating listen, whether you’re a neophyte or somebody like myself (I used to guide the walk) who has some familiarity with the case.
And the usual refrain here, it’s not just what you’re told, it’s how you’re told it. It can’t be said enough in Richard Walker’s case, this is a great storyteller at work. We see the superb craftsmanship of the writer-editor-storyteller in the selection and ordering of detail – every last word is perfect and perfectly placed; and we hear the superb craftsmanship of the entertainer-storyteller in the rustling, dry leaves quality of Richard’s voice and especially in the pacing and cadence of the presentation. This is narration – storytelling – at a very high level. It’s speech with many of the qualities of music.
And, as ever, an important takeaway from the podcast is: “my god, this guy knows his stuff, if I have any questions – either background questions or questions that hug the belt of the subject – I’ve found my guy, this is the man. I’m on the right walk.”
Richard is the actor, adventurer (he sailed across the Pacific in a tiny two-man skiff) and masterful Ripperologist performance artist who’s created a new version of the Ripper Walk. His walk is called Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel. It’s an exclusive VIP Ripper walk (it’s a guaranteed small group tour – the numbers are strictly limited).
The link (just above) will take you to Richard’s much-praised – see all those glowing reviews – walk. But if you’ve wandered away from the link, to find Richard’s VIP, “small group Jack the Ripper tour” do a search for Jack the Ripper on www.walks.com and then click on the one labelled Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel Tour (small group tour).
