George Chapman: Serial Killer and Jack the Ripper Suspect

Theories surrounding the true identity of Jack the Ripper have swirled in the near 140 years since the murders occurred in the Greater London area. Some believe that serial killer George Chapman may be the infamous murderer.

Chapman was born Seweryn Kłosowski in Congress Poland in 1865. At 14 in 1880, Chapman began training as a surgeon in the Warsaw Praga Hospital. There, he would train for the next seven years until 1887. Through this training, he qualified as a junior surgeon in Poland and often worked as a nurse.

Although the exact date isn’t known, it is believed Chapman left Poland for the United Kingdom in late 1887 or early 1888. Testimony from his later trial would place him in London in 1888. In London, Chapman failed to secure the proper licensing to become a doctor and began working at a barber shop. By 1889, he would be in charge of a barber shop under the White Hart Pub in George Yard, right off Whitechapel Street.

Despite having a wife in Poland, Chapman married fellow Pole Lucie Badewski. His first wife came to London to find and reclaim her husband. She eventually left when Chapman and Badewski had a baby. The baby unfortunately died in infancy. Chapman and Badewski would have another child before leaving for the United States around 1891. They settled in Jersey City, New Jersey where Chapman found work as a barber.

The couple was known to have violent arguments and in February 1891, it is alleged that Chapman nearly killed Lucie by strangling her. When he was distracted by a customer in the next room, Lucie found a knife underneath a pillow. He would later confess to her that he planned on decapitating her, where he planned on burying her body, and the story he planned on telling neighbors. She quickly left for London to live with her sister. He eventually returned to London and rekindled their relationship. Their relationship soured in late 1893 and they separated permanently. 

In 1893, Chapman met a woman named Annie Chapman and took her surname for his own. From 1893 on, he would officially be called George Chapman. Annie Chapman is not the woman who would eventually become a victim of Jack the Ripper, nor is she related to her. The couple lived together for a year and Annie Chapman became pregnant in 1894. Chapman once brought another woman to their home and this prompted a pregnant Annie to leave.

In the following years, Chapman had a string of mistresses which posed as his wives. The first would be Mary Isabella Spink. Spink was married, but her husband and son had left her due to alcoholism. They lived together in Hastings while Chapman leased a small barber shop and bought a pub with her money. In December 1897, Chapman poisoned Spink with antimony, resulting in her death after suffering from severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Spink left £500, equivalent to £51,333 in 2022.

In 1898, Chapman met barmaid Bessie Taylor and entered into another “fake marriage” with her, according to Casebook: Jack the Ripper. Soon after the pair moved in together, Chapman began to yell, abuse, and once threatened Taylor with a revolver. Taylor quickly became ill with many of the same symptoms Spink suffered. Following an operation, her condition remained poor as the pair moved back to London. Taylor later died on Valentine’s Day in 1901. Chapman then tried to commit arson at the Monument Tavern after he nearly lost the lease.

Chapman would meet his next victim, Maud Marsh, when she was hired as a barmaid at the Monument Tavern. After a year, Chapman’s attention turned to Florence Rayner, who ignored his requests to move to America with him. When Rayner reminded Chapman of his wife, he reportedly said “Oh, I'd give her that, and she would be no more Mrs. Chapman."

Chapman began beating Marsh as he had his other victims. Maud’s mother, known as Mrs. Marsh, noted that her daughter began experiencing symptoms of abdominal pain and severe vomiting. Mrs. Marsh immediately became suspicious when Chapman prepared her daughter medicine. In light of this, she quickly called for an independent doctor. In fear he would be caught, Chapman gave Marsh a large dose of antimony and arsenic. She died the following day on October 22, 1902. 

The doctor which performed Marsh's autopsy found traces of antimony and arsenic in her liver, kidneys, brain, stomach, and bowels. Chapman would be arrested on October 25, 1902, by Inspector Godley. Upon his arrest, Scotland Yard investigator Frederick Abberline remarked: “You’ve got Jack the Ripper at last!”

The bodies of Mary Spink and Bessie Taylor were exhumed in November and December 1902 for further investigation. The corpses of both women were surprisingly well conserved and metallic antimony was found in their bodies.

Chapman was charged in the murders of Mary Spink, Bessie Taylor, and Maud Marsh. Despite providing evidence for all three murders, Chapman was only convicted of Marsh’s murder on March 20, 1903. The jury only deliberated for eleven minutes before declaring him guilty. Chapman would protest his innocence until his execution at the Wadsworth prison April 7, 1903.

Theories surrounding Chapman have swirled since his arrest and execution. Abberline strongly believed Chapman to be Jack the Ripper. During an interview between Abberline and Badewski, she said that her husband would leave their home during the late hours of the evening for hours on end.

In an interview, Abberline once told the Pall Mall Gazette that his arrival to England matches the beginning of the murders in Whitechapel. He also noted how the murders ceased around the same time Chapman left for the United States.

The only discrepancy he noted in his investigation was that most witnesses believed Jack the Ripper to be 35-40, whereas Chapman was only 23 when he first arrived in the London area. Other questions have arisen to push back against the theories surrounding Chapman potentially being Jack the Ripper. There is no evidence to suggest that Chapman could speak English when he arrived in 1888.

Most modern scholars believe Jack the Ripper chose victims who were previously unknown to him. Others question the difference in the M.O. between Chapman and Jack the Ripper. One brutally mutilated his victims, while Chapman poisoned his victims.