Letter that created a monster – 137 years since Britain's most infamous killer got his name

It was September 27, 1888 that the name 'Jack the Ripper' was first used in an anonymous letter sent to a news agency - 137 years on and the unsolved case still haunts the UK View 4 Images The murders committed by Jack the Ripper have attracted much attention for decades (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It was a name that would strike fear into the hearts of Londoners and, 137 years later , still sends a shiver down the spine of the nation. On September 27, 1888, an anonymous letter arrived at the Central News Agency, scrawled in red ink, and signed with a chilling new moniker: Jack the Ripper. ‌

The letter, which began, "Dear Boss, I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won't," was a gruesome taunt. It was the first time the public—and the police—had heard