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-- OR -- Inspector Stanley Hopkins, noted law enforcement official, can also be seen in these previous issues of Electro-Graphic Monthly courtesy of his literary agent Joseph E. Dierkes: January
2004 . . . |
On
the Existence Dear Members
of Do they or do they not exist? I well remember that earlier in my career I had witnessed the results of the most gruesome murders of a number of women in the Whitechapel district. I shall never forget the impact that these incidents made upon my consciousness. I was sickened beyond my young ability to comprehend the realities of life in those quarters, and, in fact, I had seriously questioned my own decision to continue in law enforcement. Consider the following facts: all the murders occurred between midnight and 6 o’clock in the morning. All of the murders occurred on a weekend or a holiday when people were about. All the victims had their carotid artery cut, and it was quite evident that there had been much bloodshed. No witnesses came forward. No one heard or saw anything. And yet the grisly murders continued through the autumn of ‘88. Any and every possible lead was thoroughly investigated, but each clue lead to nothing at all. The perpetrator of these hideous crimes was never caught, despite the very best efforts of the Force, and including those of Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself. I can quite well assure the members of the League that neither effort, nor expense, was spared in the massive attempt to apprehend the guilty party. Extra men were put on the streets, with many of us working longer than our normal hours, and well into the night, at that. One or two men from the Yard even went so far as to dress in women’s clothing and walk about in the dark alleys and byways in an attempt to lure the murderer out into the open. Then, just as suddenly as they began, the horrors stopped. Eventually, some said that only a monster could have done such things, or, at least something other than what we are accustomed to calling ourselves. Although I might have laughed at the suggestion that vampires existed before these events occurred, now I am not quite so sure. Yours faithfully, |
