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The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Case of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders
As Atlanta finished rebuilding after the Civil War, a new horror arose from the ashes to roam the night streets. Beginning in 1911, a killer whose methods mimicked the famed Jack the Ripper murdered at least twenty black women, from prostitutes to working-class women and mothers. Each murder attributed to the killer occurred on a Saturday night, and for one terrifying spring in 1911, a fresh body turned up every Sunday morning. Amid a stifling investigation, slayings continued until 1915. As many as six men were arrested for the crimes, but investigators never discovered the identity of the killer, or killers, despite having several suspects in custody. Join local historian Jeffery Wells as he reveals the case of the Atlanta Ripper, unsolved to this day.
- GenresTrue CrimeHistoryCrime
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 28, 2023
The Atlanta Ripper was given that name shortly after the more famous crimes of Jack-the-Ripper. The American version also slit the throats of his victims. The major difference was that none of the fifteen to twenty possible victims was a prostitute.
Black or mulatto women were murdered between 1906 and the early 1920s and the author speculates that copycat killers may have been responsible for some of the crimes.
The book is based mostly on newspaper accounts of the day and it is a quick read. The term "serial killer" was not coined until the 1970s by Robert Ressler in reference to the king of them all, Ted Bundy, but Mr. Wells uses it frequently. As with the London killer, just another unsolved mystery.
Black or mulatto women were murdered between 1906 and the early 1920s and the author speculates that copycat killers may have been responsible for some of the crimes.
The book is based mostly on newspaper accounts of the day and it is a quick read. The term "serial killer" was not coined until the 1970s by Robert Ressler in reference to the king of them all, Ted Bundy, but Mr. Wells uses it frequently. As with the London killer, just another unsolved mystery.
April 18, 2012
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, so this is an exception to my usual reading habits. While doing some research on the history of Atlanta, Georgia, I happened across a mention of the Atlanta Ripper. I had never heard of such a thing. I could find very little about it online except for a mention of a book by a local history professor. Intrigued and curious, I looked up the book on Amazon and discovered it had a Kindle edition.
The frustrating thing about the entire story is that so little information has survived. Because it was an African-American killer whose victims were young African American women in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Atlanta, it was not taken very seriously until the number of killings were in two digits. Wells manages to bring it all together in one seamless narrative that lays out the full history of the killings, as well as events leading up to them. It astounded me that some of the victims were never identified, at least by the journalists of the time. Wells lays it all out with names, dates and locations of the killings, and the men accused, tried, and either convicted or acquitted of the crimes.
I definitely have a better image of what Atlanta might have been like in those days. In the wake of the race riots of 1906, tensions were still high, but the city did eventually come together to try to bring this man--or these men--to justice. And that is the crux of the issue: Who was the Atlanta Ripper? Was he one man or many?
Although there is no definite conclusion--because there was never a conclusion to the case, itself--Wells presents a compelling case for the non-existence of a single "Atlanta Ripper." That most of the murders were committed by opportunistic copycats.
Think about it. The whole city was in an uproar (eventually). The modus operandi was well known: he bashed his victim in the head, slit her throat, and sometimes took personal effects from her body. Knowing this, if you had murderous intent toward a young lady for some transgression, real or imagined, what better way to divert attention from yourself as the prime suspect and shift police attention to the unknown Ripper than to rid yourself of her in a way consistent with other known victims of the Atlanta Ripper?
I had already drawn this conclusion by the time Wells presented it, so he definitely laid out all the clues properly so his readers could follow along.
I found it a quick, informative read, and I definitely recommend it to those for whom the rich history of Atlanta is a compelling draw.
The frustrating thing about the entire story is that so little information has survived. Because it was an African-American killer whose victims were young African American women in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Atlanta, it was not taken very seriously until the number of killings were in two digits. Wells manages to bring it all together in one seamless narrative that lays out the full history of the killings, as well as events leading up to them. It astounded me that some of the victims were never identified, at least by the journalists of the time. Wells lays it all out with names, dates and locations of the killings, and the men accused, tried, and either convicted or acquitted of the crimes.
I definitely have a better image of what Atlanta might have been like in those days. In the wake of the race riots of 1906, tensions were still high, but the city did eventually come together to try to bring this man--or these men--to justice. And that is the crux of the issue: Who was the Atlanta Ripper? Was he one man or many?
Although there is no definite conclusion--because there was never a conclusion to the case, itself--Wells presents a compelling case for the non-existence of a single "Atlanta Ripper." That most of the murders were committed by opportunistic copycats.
Think about it. The whole city was in an uproar (eventually). The modus operandi was well known: he bashed his victim in the head, slit her throat, and sometimes took personal effects from her body. Knowing this, if you had murderous intent toward a young lady for some transgression, real or imagined, what better way to divert attention from yourself as the prime suspect and shift police attention to the unknown Ripper than to rid yourself of her in a way consistent with other known victims of the Atlanta Ripper?
I had already drawn this conclusion by the time Wells presented it, so he definitely laid out all the clues properly so his readers could follow along.
I found it a quick, informative read, and I definitely recommend it to those for whom the rich history of Atlanta is a compelling draw.
March 19, 2023
Between 1911 and 1915, maybe, 1 to 3 dozen, maybe, young black women were murdered on Atlanta's city streets. Three or four men, maybe, were arrested. No one was convicted really. It's a topic that even most Atlantans have never heard of, but don't expect any closure.
March 23, 2020
This book is so deep! Definitely a must read!
September 28, 2022
An interesting read about a mostly unknown part of Atlanta history.
September 14, 2015
Very interesting Atlanta true crime story.
April 17, 2015
It was interesting but read more like an in depth magazine article. It is sad that more of the story hasn't been told but perhaps it is hard with such a vast number of victims.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews