JACK THE RIPPER AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN - MY INTERVIEW WITH TONY MCMAHON

Tony McMahon is an author, journalist, and historian who has written a 328-page book about a fraudulent doctor from America who's been implicated in two well-known crimes from the nineteenth century. The first crime is the 1865 assassination of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and the second one consists of a series of murders carried out in London in 1888 by the Victorian serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Tony's book is aptly titled, 'Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln', and recently, I had the good fortune to speak with him about his very intriguing theory. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, journalist, investigative historian, and broadcaster.

2) How would you describe your book, 'Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln'?   I wrote my book after appearing in an episode of William Shatner's TV documentary series, 'The UnXplained', where I talked about an Irish-born American quack doctor named Francis Tumblety who was arrested in connection with the Ripper case and then jumped bail by traveling back to New York City.

My research indicated that, incredibly enough, back in 1865 he was also arrested and imprisoned over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. So, upon uncovering this fact, I wanted to know how this man got himself implicated in two of the worst crimes of the nineteenth century.

As I investigated contemporary newspapers, police reports, and court records, I discovered that Francis was a well-known celebrity in America for decades. In fact, he was a larger-than-life character who, like many modern-day celebrities, had a sinister side. His criminal record included charges for manslaughter, an illegal abortion, assaults, gross indecency, and allegations of fraud. But despite all of this, he still managed to bounce back, time and time again, and thanks to powerful networks, he always avoided the worst consequences, including the hangman's noose.

3) What song would you say best represents your book and why?   The song that kept going through my head while writing my book was Ella Fitzgerald's version of 'Mack the Knife'. It's a song about a knife-wielding criminal from London's underworld, and contains lyrics that I think are very unsettling as they evoke the murderous themes I'm tackling with my book, along with how cheaply so many lives were valued in those days.

4) Aside from Abraham, Jack, and Francis, if you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I'd choose the late, great, Christopher Lee, because I would have loved to have listened to his gravelly voice telling the story of Francis Tumblety's terrible crimes. Christopher was famous for his roles in numerous horror films produced by Hammer as well as a few films directed by Tim Burton, such as 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

5) What's the one thing about your book that might surprise people?   In retrospect, I'd say that a celebrity, operating in plain sight, could get away with being implicated in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888, and plenty of other crimes in between, before, and afterwards. Heck, nothing seemed to stick to this man.

'Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln' is a 328-page book written by Tony McMahon and published by Troubador Publishing. For further information, please feel free to check out Tony's official Website and YouTube channel. Or better yet, click here to pick up a copy via Amazon!