 After the publication of the " Dear Boss " letter , " Jack the Ripper " supplanted " Leather Apron " as the name adopted by the press and public to describe the killer . The name " Jack " was already used to describe another fabled London attacker : " Spring @-@ heeled Jack " , who supposedly leapt over walls to strike at his victims and escape as quickly as he came . The invention and adoption of a nickname for a particular killer became standard media practice with examples such as the Axeman of New Orleans , the Boston Strangler , and the Beltway Sniper . Examples derived from Jack the Ripper include the French Ripper , the Düsseldorf Ripper , the Camden Ripper , the Blackout Ripper , Jack the Stripper , the Yorkshire Ripper , and the Rostov Ripper . Sensational press reports combined with the fact that no one was ever convicted of the murders have confused scholarly analysis and created a legend that casts a shadow over later serial killers . 
