Born into a destitute Irish family as the youngest of eleven children, Francis Tumblety somehow developed into a successful conman. However, scholars have noticed glaring discrepancies between his self-promoting advertisements and more impartial sources. Public records and newspaper accounts of his escapades tell a very different story. Contradictions abounded in Tumblety's life. He was an outgoing loner, "doctor" who never attended medical school, charlatan who donated thousands of dollars to charities, outed gay man in a homophobic society, uneducated autodidact who published books, misogynist who loved his female relatives, and Jack the Ripper suspect even though he shunned both prostitutes and bloodshed. J. H. Tyson's book evaluates the evidence, and argues against Tumblety being guilty of the Whitechapel murders.