Portrait of a Killer
When I was in Selma, NC, promoted as the Antique Capital of the South because of its many antique shops just off of Interstate 95, the owner of the largest antique mall asked me to tell Clipper, a mutual acquaintance, hello for him. When I saw Clipper who owns the Swansboro Flea Mall, Swansboro, NC, I mentioned seeing the man in Selma. Clipper asked if I had time for a story.
Being from a long line of story tellers, I certainly had time to hear another. Clipper said that when he was last in Selma, the owner of this particular mall inquired about his knowledge of art as he had 2 paintings that he wondered about. Clipper could not believe his eyes when he was shown the paintings. They were signed by W.R. Sickert, one of England's most popular painters during the last century. Clipper began to relay the story of Sickert as he had just read Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell which details the life of Walter Richard Sickert and the activities of the serial killer Jack the Ripper.
Patricia Cornwell, using her own monetary resources in her disciplined exploration, wrote convincingly that Walter R. Sickert was the killer Jack the Ripper. Because Scotland Yard closed the case for 100 years, investigation of the killer was thwarted until just recently. Ms. Cornwell's extensive search and research into all things and habits of Sickert is amazing in that it chronicles the murders of Jack the Ripper, presenting time and again that no one else could have been the infamous killer.
Patricia Cornwell is matter of fact in her presentation, giving accurate dates and time of the murders as well as the location of Sickert during these. She includes various photographs of Sickert as well as some of his paintings that depict murdered women or killing men accompanied by actual police photos of the murdered women.
It seemed that once the grisly murders of the women were not frightening enough to the general public, the killer began preying on children. Each time of these horrible crimes, Ms. Cornwell can place Sickert at or near the scene of the crime. When she had her evidence in hand, Ms. Cornwell presented her case to one of Scotland Yard's top detectives. He stated if he had been investigating the murders in the late 1800s, he would have definitely arrested Walter R. Sickert for the crimes and seen him prosecuted.
It seemed to me that Scotland Yard was so convinced that the killer was the Duke of Clarence, a member of the royal family, that they decided it would be in their best interest to close the case to further scrutiny in order to not have to confront the House of Windsor. In fact, I have heard many times that Jack the Ripper was the Duke and indeed, he was falsely accused, apparently not vindicated until Patricia Cornwell began her incredible investigation.
I thoroughly and highly recommend this book to everyone who loves historical events. The way Ms. Cornwell presents her case is so matter of fact, almost as if the reader is an actual juror at the trial of Sickert, that the evidence entralls the reader. Personally, I cannot watch TV shows about crimes or even 911 type of incidents without having nightmares later, recalling the horrors in my dreams. With the mannerly, yet intriguing technique employed by Patricia Cornwell in the detailed presentation of facts concerning Jack the Ripper aka Walter Richard Sickert, I avidly read and reread each page, using the book much as I would have if I were the one doing the research.Read full review
