Before Jack: Police Investigate Whitechapel’s First Two Murders

Join Macabre London for a chilling prelude to the infamous Jack the Ripper saga. In this episode, we uncover the first two Whitechapel murders—Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram—long before the canonical five claimed global attention. Discover how H Division detectives responded to these brutal cases, the investigative methods of 1888, and why these early murders were initially overlooked in the Ripper narrative.

🔎 Key Topics Covered:

• The murders of Emma Smith (April 1888) and Martha Tabram (August 1888)—linked in CID records but not officially part of the canonical five
• How Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, and others later aligned with distinctive Ripper-style mutilation
• Victorian policing tactics, forensic limitations, and the rise of sensational press coverage

Expect gripping narrative, rich historical context, and suspense that builds toward the infamous “Double Event”—the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on 30 September 1888 

If you’re obsessed with true crime, Victorian history, or the roots of Jack the Ripper, this deep dive is your perfect start. Subscribe for more ghostly histories from London's darker side.

🔔 Subscribe for more chilling tales from London’s dark past.

Todays episode is sponsored by Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds The Immersive Experience - www.waroftheworldsimmersive.com - to get your special discount code of £10 off any two or more tickets purchased. Use the code: MACABRE10

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🔪 If you love British true crime, unsolved mysteries, and historical murders, don’t miss this episode!

Also available wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/macabrelondon

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Be sure to check out my other podcast, Killers, Cults & Queens https://podfollow.com/queens

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Sources:

https://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/13/Elizabeth-Fry

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Bloody-Code-History/

http://www.policehistory.com/early.html

https://www.theguardian.com/news/1830/nov/13/mainsection.fromthearchive

https://web.archive.org/web/20031013215527/http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/v3/about/history/vicpolice/bow.htm

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