 In the 1920s , Norman Hastings built on Berry 's hypothesis proposing Bury as the Ripper , and 100 years after the Ripper murders William Beadle and Dundee librarian Euan Macpherson published books and articles popularising Bury as a Ripper suspect . They highlighted that the canonical five Whitechapel murders ended in November 1888 , which roughly coincided with Bury 's departure from Whitechapel . There was graffiti at Bury 's Dundee flat that implied that Jack the Ripper lived there , and Macpherson supposed this was written by Bury as a form of confession . William took Ellen 's rings , and the Ripper is believed to have taken rings from victim Annie Chapman . Bury was persistently violent to his wife , threatened her with a knife , and cut open her abdomen after death in a manner not dissimilar to the Whitechapel murderer . In a conversation with her neighbours , Marjory Smith , who ran the shop above the Burys ' Prince 's Street flat in Dundee , asked them " What sort of work was this you Whitechapel folk have been about , letting Jack the Ripper kill so many people ? " Bury did not answer her , but Ellen replied " Jack the Ripper is quiet now . " She reportedly told another neighbour , " Jack the Ripper is taking a rest . " Beadle and Macpherson argued that Ellen 's comments might indicate that she had knowledge of the Ripper 's whereabouts . 
