Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-29
THE TEXAS RIPPER
Mysterious Assassinations in that State
Similar to Jacks Work.

Mysterious Assassinations in that State
Similar to Jacks Work.
| Correspondence of The Republic.
| DALLAS, Tex, June A-Readers OF the
| Republic will recall readily the mysterious
| cases in which eight citizens of Austin
were horribly butchered at various times
and Places some years ago as well as the
atrocious GAINESVILLE tragedy, in which
Miss Genie Watkins, of this city. lost her
life about two years since. Miss Watkins
was visiting Miss Boswlck, of Gainesville.
at the time of her assassination. The young
ladies occupied bed near window
out OF which the assassin crept slowly and
noiselessly after having dealt dozen saw
age blows with some sharp instrument
upon the heads and faces of the girls. one
| Of them died and the other recovered as bY
miracle. The Austin murderer has
never been found. In fact, no reliable
clew or trace of him was ever found, the
parties accused of one of the crimes having
quilted. So It is with the Gainesville
| tragedy. Money has been freely spent
and unceasing vigilance exercised
| throughout the state to unravel
| these mysterious cases without success.
| Liberal rewards have failed and time has
| blotted out all trace Of the criminal. VINO
| is pretty sure never to be brought to pun
| ishment unless upon his own confession:
However the recent butchery in this city
very similar in many respects to those OF
| Austin and Gainesville, has left fresh
| trail which NAV vet be discovered and Lead
to the Texas Jack the Ripper, at last.
| Like the other cases no natural cause or
| reasonable motive for the attempt to take
| the life of Mary Stovey can be imagined.
ho deed
| was done has not been found and is IN
known.
Almost every one of the dozen tragedies
occurred at about the same hour or the
night.
The victims were females and most OF
them young women.
| The assassin disappeared in the same
| quiet, stealthy manner, without leaving
| any track, weapon or other object In his
| flight which might lead to his capture.
| The rooms in which several OF the TRACE
dies occurred are very similar IN arrange
ment
Unlike the victims of Jack the Ripper
the Texas victims have been respectable
women.
| The only feature in the recent case at all
unlike those of Austin and Gainesville Is
that Mary Stovey was down in the world
| and Respondent at times, supplying 10
very imaginative people some motive or
cause for an attempt to suicide. DIR. Par
sons, who attended her, declares the SUI
| eide theory untenable. No weapon or IN
strument was found with which she could
have done the deed. There was only one
cash, whereas the attempt to suicide by cut
ting the throat usually results in several
cuts. Then the wound is too straight
| across and regular to have been made by
her own hand.
These and other similar circumstances
| and conditions all unaccountable and
deeply mysterious-have led the public
mind to decide that the Gainesville and
Austin murder crank is in our midst, and
every precaution is being observed to avoid
his deadly attacks and to hunt him down.
Mary Storey is white girl 10 years of
age. She and a younger sister were lett
helpless orphans on the death Of their
mother here some years ago. They lived
with an uncle near this city until they
grew large enough to earn living, since
which they have undertaken the lighter
and more respectable work att the Miller
house and other boarding houses Of the
place Mary recently found a pleasant
| place as servant in the family of Mr..
Adone, member of the firm of Flippen,
Adone & Lobit. Mr.. Adone lives in
fashionable section OF the city known as
the Cedars, one of the most quiet and or
derby wards of the place. While other
places have had their sensational episodes
and occasionally shocking tragedy the
people of the Cedars have enjoyed perfect
peace for long time and are wholly unac-
customed to the shrill thrilling scream of
murder which aroused them last night.
| The voice of the helpless woman In dire
distress, appealing for help at such an
hour and such place, SO terrified the
neighbors that some of the more nervous
ladies have not fully recovered yet. Mr..
Adone went to Mary's assistance and found
her standing against the door In her night
clothes, holding her hand to her throat
from which the blood came in spurts
| to the floor. She began to grow SICK
and cold and was wrapped in blankets by
neighbors who gathered in, and who pro-
| nounced her dead.
Drs. Parsons and Mclaughlin arrived
soon, examined and dressed the wound,
which they considered not necessarily ia
tai 1t was a smooth, deep incision over
| five inches long. severing several smaller
! blood vessels of the throat, sinking half an
inch into the windppe and barely stopping
at the carotid artery. The girl explained
that she was aroused by sharp, singing
pain at her throat, and awoke barely in
! time to see the retreating form OF tall
white man as he moved quietly and slowly
out of the window. He had lighted the
| lamp in her room, which she found burn
| ing. and had opened the window aud door.
! This is all she knew.
Deputy Sheriff Coe brought bloodhounds
and the enraged populace joined in the
effort to take the criminal. This effort
began while the track was red-hot and was
carried on unremittingly by a regiment OF
officers yet not trace or the slightest
clew could be found.
Robbery, suicide, revenge, jealousy
| Not robbery, because Mary Sto-
vey had nothing in her room
for robber to take. Not suicide,
because she had no cause and could not
have inflicted the wounds found on her
throat with her own hand. Not revenge
or jealousy-she was q plain, quiet. peace
able girl with no qualities to excite any
such passions as these. Who attempted
to murder her and what for!
There has never been case more deeply
! involved in mystery.
PEARS SOAP is the most elegant toilet