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Mary Jane Kelly

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Prostitute

The Resume

    (1863-November 9, 1888)
    Born in Ireland
    Resident of Whitechapel in London's East End
    Known by the alias Marie Jeanette Kelly
    Nicknamed 'Fair Emma,' 'Ginger,' 'Dark Mary,' and 'Black Mary'
    Strongly believed to be the final victim of the unidentified serial killer, Jack the Ripper
    Discovered dead, on the morning of November 9th, by her landlord John McCarthy who had arrived to collect the rent
    After no answer was given, he peered through the window to see Mary Kelly's mutilated and dismembered body on her bed, prompting him to notify authorities who broke into the room to investigate and determined the killing to be the work of Jack the Ripper
    Portrayed by Heather Graham in the film adaptation of Alan Moore's 'From Hell' (2001)

Why she might be annoying:

    Her abrasive mannerisms (such as breaking windows) when drunk earned her the nicknames 'Dark' and 'Black' Mary.
    It is largely disputed as to whether or not Mary Kelly was even her real name.
    Many have argued that the culprit in her murder was not Jack the Ripper at all, but another murderer entirely.
    The main evidence supporting this theory is that Jack the Ripper's previous victims had all been committed on the street, the murder was committed five weeks apart from the previous ones, and, up until that point, the Ripper had not been known to mutilate his victims beyond recognition.
    She was last seen trying to get a loan of sixpence for her rent from a man named George Hutchinson.
    When rebuffed, he claimed she said she would resort to other methods to get it, soon after walking away with a suspicious looking customer 'of Jewish appearance.'
    Hutchinson gave a detailed description of the customer, but it was deemed inconsistent and unreliable for any number of reasons; but if anything it furnished the enduring belief that Jack the Ripper was a Jewish immigrant.
    Feminist historians have expressed concern that her death provoked greater outrage and coverage because she was known to be young and pretty, as opposed to the previous victims who were older and less attractive (some things never change...)

Why she might not be annoying:

    She allegedly had a beautiful voice, and could be heard singing Irish folksongs late at night.
    As is usually the case, she was said to be a polite, quiet young woman when sober.
    Some accounts claim that her career in prostitution began after her husband of three years was killed in a coal mine explosion.
    Cries of 'murder' could be heard from her bedroom on the night of her death, but for some reason they were ignored.
    Her nose, cheeks, eyebrows, lips, and ears had been partially removed via incision.
    The position that her body was in at the time of her death presents strong evidence that she was probably either raped, or sexually molested after her throat was slit.
    She is the only known victim of the Ripper to not have a photographic likeness; at least in life, anyway.
    She was deemed to be extremely beautiful, but is only remembered by the gruesome images of her apartment crime scene (her face dismembered to the point of not looking human).
    For whatever reason, the Ripper decided to stop after her brutal murder (either by choice, being detained by the law for another offense, or just due to his later killings not being attributed to him).
    The mystery surrounding her background has contributed to her allure to historians (with more books devoted to her than any of the other victims).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 13 Votes: 76.92% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 20 Votes: 55.00% Annoying