What Alice Knew: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper

Chapter 48

William returned to Alice’s flat to find his brother and sister sitting together. He knew that neither was convinced of Sickert’s guilt and was thus prepared to be patient with them in discussing the case. But before he could speak, Henry motioned excitedly to him to approach the bed.

“I have a delicate question to ask you,” he said, glancing conspiratorially at Alice. “Popular wisdom has it that self-abuse causes insanity. Do you agree?”

William looked at his brother with surprise and exasperation. “This is neither the time nor the place to discuss your personal neuroses.”

Henry waved his hand. “This has nothing to do with me. It pertains to the case.”

William looked puzzled but responded, “The enlightened medical view is that the act of self-pleasuring is natural enough if there are no other outlets for such urges. Although anything to excess bears looking into,” he added with his usual tendency to caution. “Still, I can’t see what relevance this could possibly have—”

“Then where did the theory come from?” Alice intervened.

“From the fact that we stigmatize children and young people for the act, and the trauma that results can have lasting pathological effects. It’s a common logical fallacy of reversed cause and effect. But again, I can’t see—”

“Lasting pathological effects!”

“Did Sickert abuse himself?”

“Not Sickert,” said Alice, for whom everything had now become clear. “Henry just visited Legros, who told him that not long before Sickert left, a student named Peter Newsome was expelled from the Slade. He was caught abusing himself after a life-drawing class. Whistler took him on and then let him go when he found he could no longer draw. That’s the ‘pupil of Whistler’ we should be looking for.”

“Another ‘pupil of Whistler’?” said William. “But you’re forgetting the room and the bonnet on the floor. We’ve established that the murderer of Mary Jane Kelly had to have seen your bedroom. Only Sickert was here.”

“It’s true that only Sickert saw the room,” said Alice quietly, “but you are concentrating on the wrong element. It’s the mistake you just mentioned…what did you call it? ‘A logical fallacy of reversed cause and effect.’”

“I don’t follow,” said William.

Alice and Henry looked at each other as though enjoying the uncharacteristic slowness of their brother. “Don’t you see? The murderer didn’t have to see the room…if he saw the painting.”