'Ripperologist' gains fame on the web
Exactly two years ago Stephen P. Ryder, now a junior at the University of Delaware, created a web page about his hobby--the life and crimes of Jack the Ripper. Little did he know how his life would change. Today, he is a rising star in the field of Ripperology, is about to have a book published and has been asked to serve as a consultant on a Showtime Television special on British murders which will air in April.
With his dimples and disarming smile, Ryder, looks like the boy-next-door. It's hard to imagine that the soft-spoken anthropology major would have anything to do with the world's first famous serial killer.
Actually, the polite student from Paramus, N.J., is somewhat surprised himself by his sudden fame and acceptance in Ripper circles.
Fascinated with the world's most notorious unsolved serial killing since his sophomore year in high school, Ryder was surfing the web for Ripper information in January, 1996 when UD's Winter Session left him with time on his hands.
To his surprise, not much was available on the infamous case. Contacting Britain's Mark Dooling, the creator of a Jack The Ripper web site game, Ryder asked for some free web space.
From there, the Jack the Ripper "Casebook" was born, a "hobby" that now consumes so much of Ryder's time and money that he has begun to sell reprints of Ripper lore to support the award-winning site.
"So little is known about Jack the Ripper, it's the ultimate murder mystery," Ryder said, explaining his fascination with the case. "It embodies every aspect of a good Agatha Christie book. The murders took place right in the middle of the street and no one saw them, things like that. For a while, people thought the Ripper was really the Duke of Clarence, and there is a theory that there was a royal cover-up. It all makes for great literature."
According to the Ryder's Casebook, Jack the Ripper is the popular name given to a serial killer who murdered a number of prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888. The name originates from a letter published at the time of the killings, written by someone who claimed to be the killer.
Although the case is infamous, its facts continue to be unclear. Much of the original evidence gathered at the time has been lost, and many "facts" are actually the opinions of various writers who have followed the case during the past century.
Although the Ripper was not the first serial killer, he was the first to appear in a large metropolis at a time when the general populace had become literate and the press was an established force for social change.
"It's also the first case where there was no known motive," Ryder said. "The police didn't know what to make of it. They were looking for someone who would be obvious--someone sort of foaming at the mouth."
What they found were more questions. It's not even clear, Ryder said, exactly how many victims the Ripper had. It is generally accepted that there were five, although some think the number is only four and others say there are as many as seven.
Although he must have his own theories, Ryder himself is quiet when it comes to voicing his opinions, being careful to maintain the objective eye of a web page editor.
"There are new theories every year, and people get very attached to their theories," he said. "People have sued people for things they've said about theories. I try to be very careful."
Once he started the web site, Ryder said, mail began pouring in.
"People kept sending me new pieces every few weeks, and pretty soon the site had expanded to a research site," he explains.
Although there are now several people who help Ryder keep up with the informationon the web page, he said most of his friends, "think I'm a nut."
"And," he said, "this really isn't in line with any of my career goals. I'm interested in physical anthropology and maybe forensics, but not in a criminal sense."
On the other hand, he said it would be nice to be able to get some academic credit for his work on the web site, and he does admit that thousands of people have made careers out of Jack the Ripper--in research, in writing, in running Jack the Ripper clubs and in the movies.
Last summer, Ryder joined other UD students on an archeological dig at a Native American site in New Mexico. It was the longest time he had ever been away from the web site, and he joked about having withdrawal symptoms.
Do his parents worry about his obsession with a serial killer?
"Nah, but they made me rent my own mailbox; they were getting too much mail from people who read the page," he said, which is not that unusual considering almost 83,000 persons accessed the site in its first year.
To join the thousands of people worldwide who have accessed Ryder's award-winning page, go to http://ripper.wildnet.co.uk/casebook.html
Contact:
Beth Thomas
(302) 831-8749
[email protected]
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