On October 4, 1888, police investigating the notorious Jack the Ripper murders in London received a letter.

It was one of several purporting to be from the killer, but this one was different.

It was signed Spring Heel Jack, the Whitechapel murderer.

This was weird, and not just because getting a letter from a serial killer is pretty weird,

but because it had been 50 years since the first appearance of the so-called Springheeled Jack. First seen in 1838

reports of a mysterious leaping man in both national and local newspapers had fueled dozens,

if not hundreds of similar reports, people who said they'd seen a horrifying figure

that could breathe blue flames and slice people with his long metallic claws. And then, right

when he was about to be caught, jump away, sometimes impossibly 15 to 20 feet straight up into the

air. A serial killer invoking Spring Heeled Jack in 1888 revealed how deeply the

figure had embedded itself in the collective fear of Londoners, that perhaps Spring Hill Jack

was even synonymous with the concept of fear itself, the way Jack the Ripper wanted to be.

So what was Spring Hill Jack? How did he come about in the first place? Was he real,

invented, based on a real person, or a mass delusion? Words and ideas can change the world. I hated

but I wanted to love my mother. I have a dream. I'll plead not guilty right now. Your only chance is to leave with us.

One more October,

paranormal slanted short suck for you today.

Another story also covered from a different perspective on Scare to Death in episode

136, The Girl in the Cellar, released back on April 12th, 2022.

Time to get a little more analytical with Spring Hill Jack today.

But still going to be spooky, I think.

Interesting, definitely.

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