The Robert D’Onston Stephenson Story

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?p=42517#post42517

A letter from Mr. Harris critical of the 1988 program, “Jack The Ripper” featuring Michael Caine.

Photo of Mr. Harris ( date unknown ) with beard.

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?p=42514#post42514

One of Mr. Harris’s most significant contributions to Ripperology was being the individual who first linked “Roslyn D’Onston” to Robert D’Onston Stephenson.

Prior to Mr. Harris, the reporter and novelist Bernard O’Donnell had been unsuccessful in linking the name Stephenson used ( Roslyn D’Onston) to his birth name.

Until Mr. Harris learned through the efforts of British Ripperologist Andrew Aliffe that one of Stephenson’s stories was true ( The 1868 shooting incident off in Flamborough,Yorkshire,England reported in a July 16th,1888 edition of the Bridlington Quay-Observer ), he had been reluctant to believe in Stephenson’s musings found in his writings.

From this point on, it is quite possible that Mr. Harris began to seriously consider that Stephenson wasn’t the ‘most fascinating liar in all of Ripperology’ as famed Ripperologist Martin Fido has credited Mr. Harris as having stated.

This section of the RDS blog will focus on the accomplishments of Mr.Harris and how he influenced modern Ripperology.

Mr. Harris wrote three Ripperological books over a 7 year span.

The first was “The Bloody Truth” which focused attention to the “Royal Conspiracy” and other theories found within mainstream Ripperology.  This book appeared in 1987.

The second book is entitled, The Ripper File, which came out in 1990.

The third and final book, The True Face of Jack The Ripper, appeared in 1994.

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Mr. Harris was perhaps the most vociferous opponent of the Maybrick Diary and based on his successful career as a B.B.C.  debunker and professional investigator, his influence is still felt within Ripperology.

Comments and recollections of Mr. Harris’s life in Ripperology are welcome on this thread. Those wishing anonymity may do so by contacting me in advance.