The Portland daily press., 1891-08-08
WHITECAAPEL'S JACK.
Another Brutal Murder In the sIums
of London.

LONDON. August Much excitement
was occasioned in the Whitechapel district
this morning when a rumor was rapidly
passed from mouth to mouth that the dread
ed "Jack the Ripper" had again appeared
and committed one Of the butcheries that
have made his name household word in this
ill-favored portion Of London.
At an early hour this morning while one Of
the denizens of Whitechapel, an old woman
named Woolfe, was passing through one Of
the numerous dark alleys with which the
region abounds. she was set upon by an un-
known man armed with a sharp knife.
The place where the assault was made was
dark and dismal one, and as the hour was
early the usual prowlers had sought refuge
In doorways or under arches, where they lay
In drunken slumbers. As rows are Of night
ly, almost hourly occurrence In Whitechapel
no attention was paid, If. indeed, any noise
was heard, to what was of course taken for
one OF the usual drunken scuffles.
But for the old woman 1t was scuffice for
life. From what can be learned of the cir
cumstances surrounding the attack, it ap-
pears that the man, whom the people Of
Whitechapel are firmly convinced was the
ish ferocity.
drawing her backward he, with one hand
across her mouth. sllenced the cries she
would naturally have tried to make, while
with the other hand, he drew the keen blad-
ed knife across her tightly drawn throat, in
ftcting terrible wound.
Then, using the knife as dagger, he
plunged 1t into her body again and again.
There Is deep wound on the woman's arm
which was received while she
was attempting to ward off the ferocious
blows aimed at her body. When released
from the grasp of her assailant the woman
dropped to the ground, with the blood pour
Ing from her wounds, and when, shortly af-
tarward, she was discovered by passing DO
Iceman. she was unconscious and in a dying
condition. She is 70years old. The assassin
mas disappeared, leaving no trace save his
mutilated victim.
The woman was taken to hospital and
after time she recovered sufficiently to tell
OF the attack on her. She is a German, and,
unlike the other women murdered and mutt
lated IN Whltechapel, she was not in COM
pany OF the man who attacked her, but was
passing along the street when, without
warning, the assassin sprang upon her. She
saw the glitter Of the upraised steel blade,
put was unable to escape from the grasp Of
her assailant She raised her arm to defend
her throat from the sweeping blow aimed at
II, and 1t was through this movement that
the wound In the arm was received. When
ner aSsallant released her from his grasp
she fell upon doorstep. 1t is understood
that the police found razor covered with
Dlood near the scene Of the crime. The
wound In the woman's throat could have
peen caused by razor, as could also the
deep cut In her arm, but from the nature of
the other wounds 1t is believed that thew
were caused by either a knife or a dagger.
as they appear to be stab wounds and not
such as would be made with razor.
One man has been taken into custody on
suspicion OF being the assassin, but the evi-
dence against him Is very weak, and no i'm
portance is attached to the arrest.