Murder and champagne: Is Jack the Ripper buried in Yeadon? You decide.

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion executive director Diane Richardson admits that an evening coming up at Philly’s premiere Victorian historic site is “a macabre event,” to say the least, but it may appeal to courtroom drama addicts, thrill-seekers, and history buffs alike.

The Germantown site is teaming with Neumann University to offer “The Grand Jury of Jack the Ripper,” thanks to San Diego-based author and trial attorney Jeffrey Mudgett. Over a champagne reception on September 26, a special presentation from the author will ask attendees to decide for themselves if Mudgett’s own theory about Jack the Ripper (fictionalized in his book, BLOODSTAINS) holds water.

We’ve been hearing a lot about the infamous serial killer lately, as a new book, Naming Jack the Ripper, claims to unveil the fiend’s true identity via new DNA evidence. But Mudgett has his own theory — one a little closer to home for Philadelphians.

Mudgett believes that his own great-great-grandfather, the notorious American serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett (a.k.a. Dr. H.H. Holmes), was the real Jack the Ripper. According to the Mansion, the modern-day Mudgett spent ten years building the case for his book, “studying forensic and archival evidence about the Ripper murders.”

Richardson notes that H.H. Holmes was actually convicted in Philadelphia, held in our now-demolished Moyamensing Prison, and buried in Yeadon. (Holmes himself is the subject of Erik Larson’s best-selling book, The Devil in the White City.)

"Very feasible"?

Richardson says Mudgett’s book was a bit gory for her (Mudgett calls his prolifically murdering ancestor a Hannibal Lecter, Machiavelli, Svengali, and Rasputin all rolled into one pitch-black heart), but the evidence was surprisingly compelling. It turns out that Holmes actually was in London during the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. The Mansion promises that this interactive “evening of forensic and judicial inquiry” will offer other evidence the public has never seen.

“It’s very feasible that he could be Jack the Ripper,” Richardson says.

She adds that the whole event came about because Neumann’s vice president of academic affairs happened to take a tour at the Mansion a few months ago, enjoyed it so much that he kept in touch, and then offered to bring the Mudgett event to Philly because of the Holmes connection and the site’s dedication to Victorian history.

Whether or not the audience wants to take Mudgett’s claims with a healthy grain of salt, it should be an interesting evening. Ticket-buyers should be prepared for their own swearing-in as members of a jury who will decide if Holmes was, indeed, Jack the Ripper.

“The Grand Jury of Jack the Ripper” ($30) is coming to Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, 200 West Tulpehocken Street, Philadelphia, on Friday, September 26 at 7:30pm. For tickets and more information, visit the event website or call 215-438-1861.

At right: Author Jeff Mudgett. Image courtesy of Maxwell Mansion.