The Metronome

The Whitechapel Club

The Whitechapel Club was started in 1889 by a small group of newspapermen in Chicago, Illinois. The club was named after the area in London where Jack the Ripper murdered his victims. It only lasted five years, ending in 1894.While the core of the club members were newspapermen, the club members included artists, musicians, physicians and lawyers. Some of the well known members of the club included Brand Whitlock, George Ade, and Finley Peter Dunne. Inside, the Whitechapel Club looked more like a trophy room for murderers rather than club house. Walls were decorated with Indian blankets soaked with blood, nooses, knives that had been used to kill, and pictures of pirates who had been beheaded. Skulls, used to drink red fruit juice, lay everywhere, and a full-… more »