1890; the scene, Whitechapel, East London. A victim of the infamous Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper committed the famous Whitechapel murders in London in 1888, before he disappeared without trace. The Ripper claimed six victims (though some writers suggest there were as many as nine), all of them female prostitutes. What is particularly remarkable about the Whitechapel murders was how skilfully the victims were dismembered after being killed. Thus a number of the women had precise cuts in their bodies, organs removed, etc. This circumstance led to speculation that the Ripper had at least superficial medical knowledge; and one of the crimes suggested that dental forceps had been employed. Hardly surprisingly, London prostitutes organized themselves into a "Defence committee against Jack the Ripper" and some of them, friends of murdered colleagues, attended identification parades. Jack the Ripper wrote letters to Scotland Yard. One of the letters is at Madame Tussaud's - "I like my work and I mean to go on with it. You will hear of me and my little games again. I have kept a little of that lovely red liquid in a glass of beer and I wanted to use it to write with but it's become thick like glue and I can't use it. But even red ink can serve the purpose. Ha! Ha! Ha! Next time I'll cut the ears off the lady and send them to the police. Keep my letter until my next success and then publish it maybe. With luck, I'll begin again soon. Good luck!"