Who was Jack the Ripper | Trap Door Escape Room | Series

Who Was Jack the Ripper . . . and Why Did He Wear a Leather Apron

Part 2

By: Janis Adams

Who was Jack the Ripper? He was known for a murderous hand, terrorizing the women who worked the streets of this hellish section of London. Women claimed he was upon them before they ever knew he was coming. The one that walked so silently through the night, like a spirit from the netherworld.

His reputation preceded him so much so that in one instance a gentleman merely went into a public-house and said he knew the Leather Apron, hearing this the customers fled en masse, leaving their drinks unfinished. As a result, the landlady, speechless with terror, bolted out of a back door, and left the gentleman in sole possession of the establishment, till and all, according to one police report.

John Pizer

John Pizer, a Polish Jew, was a Cordwainer who lived on Mulberry Street in the East end of London. As a shoe cobbler, he often donned a leather apron to keep his clothing and himself safe from the effects of leather preservatives and stains. In other words, he was often seen about on the streets wearing the apron.

Pizer, a man steeped in religiosity, was of the opinion that the area should be rid of the “unclean” women. Because of this, many speculated that he designated himself to do just that.

Claims

With the murders on their mind, police upped their surveillance of the area.

A constable was on duty on Church Street when a woman ran up to him. She pointed to a villainous-looking man, Pizer, who was walking along the street. This account was all detailed by The Star, the popular daily tabloid of the time. The woman screamed to the officer:

The account continued that the officer was unfazed by the fear of the women and his initial reaction was to ignore the her.

Despite being ignored, she began repeating over and over again that the man was the “Leather Apron,” the same man for whom the police were looking. She told the officers that she knew him by sight, so the constable stopped the man in the apron.

Pizer Denied Accusations

Pizer denied her accusations. At first, he insisted that he had never before seen the woman. However, it wasn’t long before his story changed. Pizer told the officer that the woman constantly toyed with him and met her persistent accusations with a sneer and said that she did not know what she was saying. He proceeded to threaten the woman, saying she should be very careful not to walk the streets.

Still unfazed, the woman swore she could fetch two other women who had seen him on Baker’s Row with Mary Nichols two hours before Nichols’s murder took place. She persisted with her accusation and claimed that Pizer was well-known as a cruel wretch who mistreated the ill-used unfortunates with diabolical deeds.

Regardless, and much to the astonishment and chagrin of the woman and several onlookers, the constable let the man go.

The newspapers decried the lack of police intervention, as the murders and the abuse not only continued, but amped up.

Sergeant William Thicke Investigates the Leather Apron

It was Sergeant William Thicke who finally arrested Pizer, the supposed Leather Apron, at his residence on Monday, September 10, 1888. For his part, Thicke thought he finally nailed down the elusive killer.

He was adamant that whenever people in the district spoke of the “Leather Apron,” they were referring to Pizer. Sergeant Thicke interviewed a number of down-and-out ladies and John Pizer’s name and description appeared in each of the women’s ghastly tales of gruesome contretemps.

John Pizer Eludes Arrest

Many stated Pizer that committed the famed five White Chapel Murders, and possibly other murders rumored to have been perpetrated by the hand of Jack the Ripper. He was questioned and his house was searched. As the interrogation continued, the case against John Pizer collapsed. He had an alibi. On the evening of Tuesday, the 11th of September, Pizer was released without charge, and subsequently the murders continued.

To Be Continued

Check back to find out next week to find out what happened next in the ongoing investigation of Jack the Ripper and the Leather Apron!

Riveted by this installment and can’t wait til next week? Check out our Jack the Ripper themed escape room! In this game you will don the guise of inspectors and track down Jack The Ripper. This game is in Victorian East London where you’ll no doubt encounter some grotesque crime scenes. Ripper of London leads the hunt to the legendary serial killer as you will interview projected characters and work a crime scene of the late 1800’s. Opening in the New Year!

Who is Jack the Ripper

Our Experience

In this Murder Mystery Escape Room, you take on the identity of city inspectors. As you investigate, you and your team are tasked with tracking down the notoriously nefarious Jack the Ripper.

$45 Per Player

Ripper of London is a 60 minute murder mystery escape room experience where you work a crime scene to track down the killer Jack The Ripper.

Trap Door Escape Company

Trap Door Escape Room has 4 locations: 3180 Route 611 in Bartonsville, PA in the Poconos; 60 White St. in Red Bank, NJ; 34A Speedwell Ave. in Morristown, NJ: and 77 Wind Creek Blvd in Bethlehem, PA. The Red Bank location was the first of the 4 locations, opening in the fall of 2015. Morristown followed in the summer of 2017, and Bartonsville opened during the holiday season of 2018. Wind Creek is currently undergoing construction and will be opening in September 2022.

History

The idea came to Tone Purzycki back in 2011 after he wrote a screenplay that developed into a live-streaming game. The game revolved around an actor trapped in a situation and the audience had to solve puzzles to figure out where he was trapped. The “Find Me Event” had more than 1,000 people playing over the course of several hours. After the success of several other streaming events, the idea of an escape room was born.

Location

Each location has different rooms from which to choose. Our Morristown location is home to Day of the Dead, Witch Hunt, and The Greatest Freakshow. In Bartonsville, you’ll find Cure Z, F5 Tornado Escape, Fear the Bogeyman, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, We’re All Mad Here, and Prisoner Z. In Red Bank we currently have Everest – our first 2 story escape room. Ripper of London is also available at this location. Our pirate themed games will soon be open at Wind Creek.

Trap Door Escape Room also offers team building, streaming events, and birthday parties. For more information on any of our games, prices, and locations, explore our website or call 570-234-3366