Elizabeth Stride and Jack the Ripper
The Life and Death of the Reputed Third Victim

by Dave Yost
McFarland & Company Inc, Mar 2008

Historical / Non-Fiction

Elizabeth Stride came among us like many - poor and average. But after years of enduring hardship and struggling to overcome tragedy, she would become world renown...
as a victim
of
Jack the Ripper.

     Growing up in Sweden, she had her good times and her bad times. Loving family, domestic service as a teen, a caring church, prostitution, and the death of a child. But, Elizabeth wanted something more. Like many London immigrants, who had arrived to escape their impoverished homes, Elizabeth also wanted to start over, hoping for a better life.
     Arriving in England as a young woman, after the death of her mother, she eventually met and settled down with a carpenter, John Stride. They lived a relatively normal life, but after twelve years, their marriage, like many other things in her life...failed - she was on her own, again. Between workhouses, dossing, and an on again, off again boy friend, Elizabeth's life spiraled even deeper with bouts of drunkenness. But none of this could have prepared her for what lay ahead.
     As the displaced filled the East End to over flowing, the situation became explosive. Fenians bombed the West End, unemployed protested in the east, and out of this torment rose a killer like none has ever seen. In the early hours of Sunday, September 30th, 1888, the world saw the Death of a Victim...

...or, was she?

The Author

Dave Yost has written numerous articles and essays for the Ripperologist and Ripper Notes. He is recognized as one of the leading authorities on the subject, especially on the Elizabeth Stride case, (earning him the nick name, "our man in berner street"), and "is a highly respected voice of Ripper research and writing. Those who have read his detailed analyses of various aspects of the murders will be aware of his attention to detail and innovative thinking" - Stewart Evans. He and his research are mentioned in the highly acclaimed The Jack the Ripper: A-Z, Begg, Fido, Skinner, Headline Book Publishing, 1996, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, Begg, Longman, 2003, and Ripperology: The Best of Ripperologist Magazine; Jack the Ripper and the Victorian East End, Edited by Paul Begg, Barnes & Noble, 2006.
He lives in Pennsylvania.

 Dave Yost helped establish the ongoing US Conferences on Jack the Ripper with the first occurring in 2000, which was attended by Paul Begg and many other notables from the Cloak & Dagger club, London.

 Dave Yost is well known on the internationally recognized web site, Casebook: Jack the Ripper.

Reviews

Personal Review: JTR Forums - "A+ Work!!!! Dave Yost's extraordinary book on Stride covers the events of Sept. 29th,1888 in a very coherent and clear fashion, providing a sound basis for his conclusion in such a way as to change even the most stubborn mind. He provides as good a life story regarding Mrs. Stride as possible to date for the reader, putting a human face to this woman. He covers every other area of this affair equally as well! Dave pays specific attention to the conflicting witness testimonies, scrutinizing their comments thoroughly - (I mean, thoroughly!), and does a remarkable job in delineating and explaining who was where...who saw what...and how the early morning murder of a Swedish immigrant woman occurred in Berner Street. As a fellow enthusiast/researcher myself, I have never encountered a more clear explanation of the "whole" of that particular evening until I read Dave's marvellous work. This book is easily the most comprehensive victim book ever and one of the, if not THE, most well constructed works in the field - It is such an excellent and comprehensive compendium of Stride related material - Everything you need to know at your fingertips. This book...a treasure trove of facts written in a direct and forthright manner by a serious Ripperologist is not to be missed. It is an absolute must for any new student of the Whitechapel Murders case as well as the hard core student in the field of Ripperology. A 5-Star effort all around, and I thank Mr. Yost for going to the lengths he did to put it together in a lucid, orderly, and scholarly fashion. I just can't say enough about it!"
- Howard Brown, Proprietor, Jack The Ripper Forums.Com