Jack The Ripper: Freemason Or Not?

"My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good Luck."

~Jack the Ripper

Over the course of several weeks beginning at the end of August 1888, five women, all prostitutes, were brutally murdered by one of the most notorious serial killers in history--a man known only as Jack the Ripper.  Two months later, as suddenly as the murders began, the crimes stopped, and Jack the Ripper dissappeared into the London fog forever . . . the case never solved.  But there are currently more than a hundred theories on who Jack the Ripper actually was, and in on of those versions, it is alleged that Jack the Ripper was a Freemason!

This theory first surfaced in Stephen Knight's 1976 book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution.  Knight believed that Jack the Ripper was actually Dr. William Gull--Queen Victoria's own physician.  The story goes that the Queen's grandson, Prince Albert Edward had secretly married a hooker by the name of Annie Crook, and they had a child.  As an heir to the throne, Queen Victoria (or possibly the Prime Minister) ordered that everyone who knew about the secret marriage should be eliminated--and Freemason Dr. Gull was the man selected to take care of it.  Interesting story, and Knight based it on a story told by Joseph Sickert--his grandfather was a painter and insider back in the days the murders took place (and oddly enough, his grandfather is also suspecting of being Jack the Ripper according to a couple of the theories).

Jack the Tyler???

The murders themselves supposedly indicated there was a tie to Freemasons--the mutilations of these women were supposed to allude to the Hiram Abiff allegory in the degrees of Freemasonry.  There was also a note written in chalk allegedly erased by Commissioner of Police (and Freemason) Sir Charles Warren to protect the Freemasons scrawled on a wall near one the victims that read:  “The Juwes are the men That Will not be Blamed for nothing.”  According to Knight, this reference to Juwes referred again to the Masonic ritual, and Hiram Abiff's challengers Jubelo, Jubela, and Jubelum (the juwes).

But there are a few problems with this theory.  First of all, Dr. William Gull was not a Freemason.  And another problem is that nobody besides the author Stephen Knight ever called Hiram Abiff's three challengers "Juwes."  And the biggest problem is that Joseph Sickert, the source of Stephen Knight's book, later retracted his story, and called it a hoax--or as he put it "a whooping fib." 

So was Jack the Ripper a Freemason?  Since he was never identified--who knows?  But if he was, I hope they didn't let him be the Tyler . . .

~TEC

A Dark Day In History: Coffee Rationing Began In 1942

Many things were in high demand when America entered into WWII after Pearl Harbor, and to make sure there was enough, many items were rationed, including sugar, butter, gasoline, rubber, meat, etc.

But without a doubt--people weren't very happy when coffee became one of those items in high demand during the war.  The rationing of coffee began in November 1942, in order to make sure our G.I.s fighting in the war had enough.  Roosevelt even gave up his morning cup and switched to milk (or so the story goes.)  Coffee drinking Americans over the age of fifteen could get a pound of coffee every five weeks--that's barely a cup a day. 

There were a lot of tricks to stretch that out--they reused coffee grounds making a watery brew they called "Roosevelt's coffee."  They used less and percolated it longer.  They also mixed the coffee with chicory or a grain based coffee substitute called Postum to stretch the supply out further. 

However, it didn't last long.  Coffee was the first item to come off rationing--the coffee crisis was over by September 1944 although the government jacked the price up on coffee substantially to reduce the demand, and made it well known that if supplies ran short, coffee could very well be rationed again.  But that didn't prove to be necessary. 

I wonder which event during the Roosevelt years was more popular--the lifting of Prohibition in 1933, or ending the coffee rationing in 1944?

~TEC

The Illustrious Red Skelton, 33°: The Pledge of Allegiance

The Illustrious Red Skelton, 33°
(1913 - 1997)

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in television history was on January 14, 1969, when legendary comic, Red Skelton, became suddenly serious at the end of one of his television show as he reminisced about an incident from his childhood.  Something was on Red's mind he wanted to share.  You have to remember that this was during the Vietnam War when anti-war protests had rendered the American flag as much as symbol of divisiveness as that of unity.  It was also a time when the Supreme Court ruling eliminating prayer from schools was still fresh in the minds of Americans.

Red said what he had to say in his own way.  He remembered back to his boyhood, when his teacher, Mr. Lasswell, felt his students had begun to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as if it were a daily drudgery.  He decided to take a moment, and recite it to them, telling them the meaning of each word.  Ever since the first broadcast, Red Skelton's words have remained a perennial favorite--especially around patriotic holidays.

It went like this:

I -- Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge -- Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity.

Allegiance -- My love and my devotion.

To the Flag -- Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And wherever she waves, there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts “Freedom is everybody's job.”

of the United -- That means we have all come together.

States -- Individual communities that have united into 48 great states; 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic -- A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern; and the government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands, one nation -- Meaning "so blessed by God."

Indivisible -- Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty -- Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice -- The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All -- For All. That means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

Now let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said, "That is a prayer" -- and that be eliminated from our schools, too?

Red Skelton couldn't have been more right about that . . . that's exactly what's been happening with The Pledge of Allegiance in the years since.  It's been under attack.  In the end, it will be up to Americans to decide the fate of the Pledge of Allegiance in school.  But there is one place where its future isn't in doubt--within the walls of Masonic Lodges across the United States, where it is recited before the opening of every meeting. 

~TEC

Author Review: The Working Tools Masonic Magazine

I meet a lot of interesting people through my books, and as a result of The Midnight Freemason blog--most of these friends I've never actually met face to face. 

I made a new friend from New Jersey this week--WB Cory Sigler.  I actually met him on Twitter (just about the time I was beginning to think everyone on there was nuts) and wound up talking to him on the phone the other day.

WB Sigler is the editor of The Working Tools Masonic Magazine which publishes monthly.  Take a few minutes and have a look--you can view all the past issues online at the link above.  He offers a great mix a materials.  He's done an excellent job at offering a little something for everyone.

I've really been enjoying it--it's not a newsletter, it's a magazine, and I'd estimate the monthly average is about sixty pages.  I'm slowly working my way through the past issues.  He does interviews, he has guest writers, profiles famous Freemasons (maybe that's something I ought to look into doing one day), and the magazine even reviews books and highlights interesting websites on the topic of Freemasonry.  Whether you're looking for deep meaning, or light reading, you'll find something that appeals to you in every issue. 

And if you enjoy it, you'll have plenty to read for a long time--I believe he's published forty-eight issues thus far. 

And of course there's a reason we were talking. Cory has asked me to submit an article to The Working Tools Masonic Magazine.  I'm really looking forward to it, and it will give me something to work on over the holidays for my new friend and Brother in New Jersey. 

And don't worry, there will be no possible way I'll let you miss it when it comes out.  For that matter, I don't think there's any way Cory will let you miss it either . . . he's everywhere!

~TEC