During the period of Jack The Ripper murders, the media, police and other officials had received a sea of letters. The Whitechapel Murders had created such a media frenzy that many local citizens found it irresistible to not want to be a part of this sensational investigation.
Some of the letters were sent by concerned citizens offering their support in the ongoing investigation, yet hundreds of letters were written by pranksters – with the intent of taunting police.
Apart from a few well-intentioned letters from Whitechapel citizens hoping to aid police in their efforts to apprehend Jack the Ripper, the bulk of these letters were crass, distasteful or simply worthless.