The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-09
A WHITE ELEPHANT
WHICH COULD NOT BE FOUND IN A
TEN ACRE FIELD.

1.-THE London police force, the devil! Why
gentlemen. they could not find white ele-
phant in the middle of ten acre field with an
electric lightP'
This vivid exclamation trembled upon the
drum of the detective reporters ears as he
meandered around Beermanns corner yester-
day.
He stopped and turned.
The words were shot with explosive utter
ance from the lips of q mountaineering man
whose very being seemed flame with intense
emotion.
II am sick of this balderdash about police
detectives. Why, pick up the papers every
day and within the past two weeks l nave
| read of half dozen murders committed right
| here in Atlanta-and only only one OF the muir
derers apprehended. Great Heavens! wha1 a
showing. But these things don't interest me.
| go in for bigger game.
~ was born with the detective fever, and at
the age of thirty / am still shaking with it,
| and this Whitechapel bloody work has made
| me almost wild. l read about it, l think
| about it, dream about it, and to save me L
can't talk ten minutes without talking ABOUT H.
"You will excuse my warmth, gentlemen,
| but the eyes of the world are turned upon the
| sums of Whitechapel, London, and damn me
| if don't believe L can catch the inhuman
| monster who is bathing his hands in the lnno-
| cent blood of these poor, helpless women.
w
| one the other day just few moments after
| policeman had passed by; and the London
dispatches say today that his last frail victim
| was horribly mangled and left within two
blocks of Scotland Yards, which, we are told,
! turns out the best detectives on earth. He did
| this to dare the detectives in their den-but
| they won't even take a dare, ha! ha! What
travesty, this, on armed authority. One muir
| defer more than match for whole platoons OF
| so-called skilled detectives and the combined
n q world
| AS he said this his sheer was study in con-
| tempt.
Why don't you go to London and try your
"Simply because am not able to have my
business But if the people of Atlanta will
make up purse, L viii go, and, as l said be-
| fore, firmly believe that the plan Of action,
now in my mind, could be worked to- success
| full ISSUE"
"It would be a big thing for Atlanta if you
should go over and catch the Whitechapel
murderer. 1t would make you perfect hero, -
said an interested listener.
eyes," remarked another, land I believe
il the women women OF Atlanta really thought that
they would raise the money to
send you over. Women are more
| sympathetic than men, and all over this town
| they are taking q horrible interest in the
butehering OF females by this fiend incarnate. "
Something tells me that / can do the
work" continued the first speaker calmly,
| "but it would be necessary for me to have at
! least months time. Would you like to hear
| my theory of these murders and my plan OF
catching the murderer?"
The crowd said that they were all attention.
"Well, my theory, gentlemen, is that the
| murderer is woman-hater-ag genuine woman
| hater. L think that he has been treated cruelty
| by some woman whom he loved better than his
| life, and that he has sworn vengeance against
| the sex. He makes war to the knife on wo-
men, but his cunning hand is guided by a
| shrewd head. The times and places of his ter
rible work all show this to be true,
| 1 believe that he is q man Of
means and perfectly sane, otherwise how could
| he jump from Texas to London as he has done
| If he had been lunatic he would have been
| caught long ago. No, sir, he is a cool reasoner
| Why does he kill poor helpless abandoned
women. For the best reason in the
| take little interest in outcasts. Therefore his
| chances TO escape detection are better. Sup
| pose he should kill q society belle or a famous
actress? Aha The risk woGld be too great
be made to capture him and might succeed
| So he picks his women women that
| he knows the world thinks are better off dead
women without place or power, or OF
money or friends or homes-women over
| whose mutilated remains no tears will fall
| women with no fathers, brothers, husbands
sons to protect or care for them. But this
| gluts his vengeance against the sex just the
anne.
HE is not alady-killer-he's simply wo-
man butcher. That's my theory"
"Now for my plan of action. If I had the
money L would go to London. and take lodg-
ing in the toughest part of Whitechapel, in
the immediate vicinity OF these murders.
L would pick out one of
| the most Reconsideration of the women
| who live there and buy from her the clothes
| which she ordinarily wears. 1 understand the
art of make up" 1 would put on these
clothes, make up my face to suit-in short,
| thoroughly disguise myself as one of these
women and walk from dark till daylight about
that vice hardened locality. l would
| go alone, and keep a keen lookout. You OBJ
| serve he kills women only when they are
alone-not when they are walking around with
| people. When he tackled me, and believe ]
| could fool him into doing it, l would be toe
| quick for him-that's all. would hack him
| to pieces with a long, keen knife which i
I would carry concealed in the folds of my
| dress"
"But the nerve and the patience-have you
| got them to do it 2" asked q gentleman.
| II have. And tell you the solemn truth
| when 1 say that nothing in life would give me
| greater delight than TO undertake the Job. |
| would rather catch or kill that murderer of help
] less women than to have one million dollars
| and am willing to go into notary this min
| ute and make affidavit to it.'
| With these words the young, womanish-
| looking man smiled and bowed to the crowd,
! and walked hurriedly down the street.
They all know him-and all believed everv-
| thing that he said. s. @.