Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-04
Parallel Atrocities.
Remarkable Similarity Between
Two Series of Crimes.
TEXAS NOT OUTD0NE BY LONDON.

Recalling the Murder of Eight Women at
Austin in Few Weeks. Six of Them
Black and Two White, All Frightfully
Muiilat ed-The Fiendish Perpetrators of
the Murders Never Discovered-Latest
Feature of the London Horror-An
American Arrested.
New YORK Oct In recent converse
ton about the Whitechapel, London, hor-
rors with Superintendent Murray, of the
city police force. he gave the following ac-
count of a similar series of crimes COM
mitted about five years ago in Austin,
Texas
"On the night Of Dec 81, 1854 in the west
ern residence portion of the city of Austin,
Tex, mulatto woman was murdered and
her body fearfully mutilated, after which it
was dragged to the rear of the premises
where she was employed as cook, marking
the earth with CORY trail. A fellow-serv-
ant who occupied with her the little room
where the crime committed was terri
bly, manged by the same unknown fiend and
lay tor weeks at the point OF death. No
light was ever thrown on the murder. A
few weeks went by and another colored
servant girl was butchered in the same bar
barous way, and that 100, was a mystery.
A little while afterward and a third victim
was added to the list.
"These assassinations occurring in the capital
of great state, in city that had ever been
| orderly and free from such outrages, greatly
excited the people, The police force was in
creased, many specials" appointed extra
vigilance taken by the citiz.ns, rewards of
| fered, in short, nothing that reason could
| suggest was left undone. But the commun-
| ity was still to be shocked with a series of
| similar horrors. 1t was yet early in 1885
| when the fourth colored woman, also met
| the same dreadful fate. By this time feel
| ing of panic began to prevail among this
| class and it was well-nigh impossible to get
negro woman TO stay in service if re-
| quired to occupy an apartment alone Most
| Of the murders had taken place in small out
houses nd jaceut TO the main dwellings.
A good many arrests were made, but in
| no instance was there sufficient proof to
| hold the persons arrested. Next came a
| double murder; TWO women of the same IN
| lucky race as the others were killed with the
same sickeuing sayagery Horror settled
over the town. Complaint was loud and bit
ter against the local police. Their incom-
| potency to deal with the horrid condition
that seemed to hang over the city like pail
caused the importation of skilled detectives
from a distance They came, but did no
better Not an assassin was taken. These
murders ha without exception taken place
| on the brightest of moonlight nights and
some of them at an early hour. Yet such
was the quickueSs with which the ruffians
did their awful work that they never failed
to escape.
"Sx black women had now been slain
| Nearly all had been mutilated after death.
4 good many days went by and the Austin
ians began to hope that the epoch OF terror
was over. 1t was soon 10 end, but before
the last bloody chapter was closed the cul-
mtnating horror came. Again there was a
ghastly double murder but this time the fe.
male victims were white. Two married
women. a Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Hancock,
met death IN its most horrible form, and
with them as with the others to this day
there Is no satisfactory explanation of the
crime. The women last named were killed in
different parts of the town at about the same
hour the husband OF each was arrested and
tried for murder. A great many believed
that Hancock and Phillips were the SLAYER,
Of their wives. The evidence was slight and
| purely circumStantial against Phillips. and
there was scarcely any against the other
man. The trials occupied long time and
failed TO solve the mystery. There are many
who will always think and with good rea
son, that tina white women We're struck down
hv the monsters vino had slam all the others
With the killing OF Mrs. Phillips and Mrs
Hancock tie series Of booty and bruta
tragedies ended. Money and the best detec
tive talent that could be had failed to bri n.
the perp.trator-s to iustice.'