Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-18
EXPERT OPINIONS.
THE CONNECTS IN TWO PRISONS ON
THE WHITEcHAPEL MURDERS.

A General Decision That the Murderer Is
Lunatic-An Agree That He Should Be
Hanged if Captured-If Caught at All
1t VIII BE by Accident.
Reporters of the New York Evening Sun
have interviewed several of the convicts at
Sing Sing and at the New Jersey state prison,
in Trenton, on the subject of the Whitechapel
murders
At Sing Sing Arthur Williamson, bright
young fellow who is doing five years term
for burglary, was the first man seen. He
had heard of the murders, and his first con-
clusion was that the man who committed
them is undoubtedly crazy.
Either he has been deceived by woman
said Williamson, "or he has received by as
sociation with them some deep physical in
jury He is probably one of the higher class
of people, perhaps medical student He is
not of the Whitechapel folks, but must be
looked for outsiden
Charles A. Clark, forger with a sentence
of four years and eight months, was very
intelligent Englishman, and almost had a
mapof Whitechapel in his head He spoke of
countless courts and alleys, for the commits
sion and concealment of crimes like these
IT the murderer is caught am inclined
to think it will be by accident" said Clark
THINKS HE IS A MEDICAL STUDENT.
George Edwards, also an Englishman and
forger, said the murderer was undoubtedly
a crank. Probably he had been medical
student, as his work was done so skillfully,
and he had allowed his studies to lead him
the wrong way. He was probably affected
by association with the class of women whom
he now seeks to remove Edwards did not
believe the murderer would stop when he got
fifteen victims. He would probably keep
right on Such series of crimes would
hardly be possible under the American de,
tective system, but were undoubtedly aided
in London by the nature of the locality
"An officer in woman's clothing might be
able to do something suggested Edwards
''if he could play his part well"
John Deanis ruggedly built fellow serv
ing out twenty years term for manslaugh
ter. He is an Englishman and has been Q
sailor
MY first thought about those murders,
said he, was that they might have been tn,
work of revengeful Malay sailor who haC
been cheated by one of these women AM
| took short voyages between the crimes t,
| elude suspicion. The objection 10 that con
clsion is that some of the other womel
| would have known of the cheating and woul,
not have kept still about it, But the fina
conclusion that have been forced to is tina
the murderer, from some cause. is mania
| on that subject-a fanatic. 1t is easy enoug
for him to elude the police in that locality
even if be were covered with blood. il woul
be nothing unusual, for there are slaughte
houses near, and | myself have seen ma
with a bloody knife held in h,s mouth ru
ont to get pail of beer and then hurr
back"
Steve RAYMOND is an Englishman, too. Il
is in Sing Sing for life. and is the only col
vict serving such term as that for forger!
He comes under the amended habitual Grim
mails law.
Raymond believed the murderer to be
high class, wei educated man, very connin
and crazy on that one point He did II
think the man accosted Whitechapel wome
but that ne sauntered through that locali
. and let himself be led; then when a suitab
! | r % was reached he would seize hs victi
after the fashion of the garroter. pull
! | knife quickly as the woman became lin
and then complete his work.
4 ..He carries. think y said Raymond. saor
little articles of disguise, perhaps an alpa
coat and gloves, which can be folded
small and put on very quickly"
All considered that the man comes fro
the higher class of people, and, being me
extraordinary in bis character and deeC
will require most extraordinary means f
his capture.
At the New Jersey state prison the folio
ing opinions were obtained:
Libbie Garrabandt, who, when a you
woman, poisoned her old husband to acce
the love of younger man. and who has
consequence spent the best years of her
in prison, did not seem disposed to discl
the Whitachapel murders. She said it ma
d, her shudder to hear of such horrible Grim
She believed no one but lunatic could
the guilty man.
An EX-PoLICEMAN'S VIEW
John Nugent, formerly New York poll
man and who is supposed to have been cC
cerned IN the well remembered Manhatt
bank robbery. but who is serving term he
for different Gffense, knew more of /
London murders than any Of the other &C
victs
Tbr is accounted for By the fact that \
gent is one of the clerks of the prison libral
and. therefore, has more facility for Learnt
the news Of the outside world.
Il doubt very much" said he, "whetheT
IS the one man that is committing all thu
m,Sders. don't believe one man could
low it up 50 long and not be discovered
4 think there is a band of them, who for sol
devsish purpose OF their own have pledg
themselves to each slay one or two of tn
women of the street
Either that, or else several men of fer
ish souls are acting independently of ca
other and unknown TO each other, ono b;
T ing taken inspiration from the deed of {
othern
Some of the other convicts express
themselves with brevity, and number
nothing to say. Here are some of the
pressions.
By Man Who Himself Narrowly Oscar
the Gsf.lows-H there is one or a dozen
them they ought to be strung up aS soon
6 found They don't need any trial
. By a Hudson County Man Doing Time
is AssauIt-lt looks like the kind of murt
a woman would commit rather than mi
By a Burg!ar-If they had the same h
of police in Newark wouldn't be in pri.
now.
By a Camden Barn Burner-H it's
= man that's doing all these murders,
crazy as Guiteau was; but that kind of c
ziness ought to be punished with hang
every time.