How do people become authors? Well, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Some study the skill of writing academically for many years, others don’t, many become inspired from reading novels, some start young, and some at a vintage age – it can be a mixture of any or none of the above. An individual’s story on becoming an author is always worth a read, and this week we have Crime Cymru’s Sarah Bax Horton ……
I am new to the world of crime writing, as my debut non-fiction book One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper was published last August by Michael O’Mara Books. I first had the idea of writing about true crime in early 2017. While on sabbatical, I made the chance discovery through family history research that my great-great grandfather Harry Garrett was a Metropolitan Police sergeant who had worked on the Jack the Ripper case. Enquiries made at the Metropolitan Police Archives, then based at West Brompton, revealed that he was promoted to Sergeant in late 1887 and, in early 1888, transferred to Whitechapel’s Leman Street police station. That station would become the headquarters of the Ripper investigation in August 1888, when the murders began.
Enthused by the idea of writing a book, I enrolled on writing courses at Lambeth’s Morley College, followed by the Faber Academy. It took me two years to master my individual writing style and learn how to communicate historical facts and theories in an accessible manner. Already experienced in research and analysis from my work as a civil servant, my ongoing inquiries into the case started to bust a series of myths, notably the idea that this mystery had never been solved. I found out that in the early 20th century, CID Chief Robert Anderson went public with a declaration that the police had identified the Ripper but failed to build a firm prosecution case against him. Their suspect was admitted to a lunatic asylum, where he died. Anderson provided specific information about a Polish Jew who was a true East Ender, of low social class, and who suffered from fits of violence. A key witness refused to testify against him, and the suspect’s admission to a lunatic asylum ended his killing spree.
Using profiling techniques, my research uncovered a man who had the same distinctive physical characteristics as were reported by eye-witnesses in the minutes before and after the Ripper murders. I am the first researcher to find a credible suspect who is recorded as having those characteristics. My prime suspect is East End cigar maker Hyam Hyams. His medical files, released to the public in 2013 and 2015, provide a compelling physical and psychological match to what is known about the Ripper. Hyams exactly matches the physical descriptions of eye-witnesses who described the Ripper as aged 35, stout and dark-haired, with broad shoulders and ‘shabby-genteel’ attire. Medical assessments state that he suffered from insanity and severe epilepsy, becoming dangerously violent after his fits. He attacked his wife, medical officers and fellow patients at Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum.
In addition, Hyams had the distinctive physical characteristics reported by eye-witnesses: a stiff arm, peculiar gait walking with bent knees, and asymmetric foot-dragging. And he was held at the three medical facilities where the Ripper was reputed to have stayed: Stepney Workhouse; Stone Lunatic Asylum at Dartford; and Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum in North London. Living in lodgings off Wentworth Street, his proximity to the murder locations meant that he eluded the police cordon that was established to capture the Ripper.
My book discusses Hyam’s life and the evidence that links him to these crimes. Readers are invited to assess my theories about the Jack the Ripper case, and to follow in the killer’s footsteps as depicted in reconstructions of each of the six murders of destitute women, from Martha Tabram to Mary Jane Kelly. I pay tribute to everyone who, over the past 135 years, has helped to construct the case against the man who was Jack the Ripper. I have written a Ripper book that I would have wanted to read myself, a clear proposition which debunks several myths and demystifies the criminal himself. Offering an intellectual challenge, it is also thrilling.
Early in my re-examination of the case, I was fortunate to be introduced to Ripper experts Keith Skinner and Paul Begg. In addition to providing unflagging support and encouragement, Begg endorsed One-Armed Jack with the words: ‘This is a well-researched, well-written, and long-needed book-length examination of a likely suspect. If you have an idea of the sort of man Jack the Ripper might have been, Hyam Hyams could be it.’
My personal connection to the case is the source of much pride to me. I was inspired to write a book to honour my police ancestor Harry and his colleagues, the unsung heroes who tried and failed to convict the Ripper. It took me six and a half years to complete my work and be published. One-Armed Jack has provoked media interest from around the world, and I have even been interviewed by a New Zealand radio station. My book was recently optioned for television by a film production company.
Serendipity has been on my side, from a July 2023 Telegraph newspaper interview going viral worldwide, to my lucky encounters with my literary agent and publisher who have brought my book into the world. My story is a good example of where family history research can lead us, inspiring a mid-life career change in someone who previously had only a passing interest in the case. One-Armed Jack will fascinate anyone interested in true crime and wanting to know more about Jack the Ripper, Victorian policing and East End history.
Sarah Bax Horton is a true crime writer, researcher and analyst, who has previously served in the Lord Chancellor’s Department and Foreign Office. She read English and Modern Languages at Somerville College, University of Oxford. Fascinated by genealogy, her discovery of a Whitechapel ‘H Division’ police ancestor inspired a re-examination of the Jack the Ripper case in her debut book One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper. A former volunteer with the City of London Police, she lives in South West London.
Sarah Bax Horton (@sarahbaxhorton) • Instagram photos and videos instagram.com
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