Tearin' up Jack

Anyone know the origin of the phrase "tearin' up Jack?" I understand it to mean "causing a ruckus" as in: The two boys were outside just tearin' up Jack.

If they were tearing up jack (lower case, please), they were tearing up pretty much anything and everything, which is one way to cause a ruckus.
SS

In a previous discussion we determined that "jack" used to be a generic term for a man, a guy, etc. www.phrases.org.uk bulletin_board 4 messages 946.html