Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-01-18
CAUGHT RED HANDED
Jack the Slasher" will Slash
No More.
BE rs a CRAZY -ENeL1sHMAN
And His Aversion for Germans Demanded
Blood Once q Week.

Well COpneCted--Admits and Denies the
Crimes by Turn--NO Doubt but that He
is the ''SIasher'' Who Has TerrorIzed a
Portion of New York the Past Four
weeks--The Tell-TaIe RazOr--Identifled
by One of His victims--SaId that He
Escaped From an Insane Asylum.
New YORK. Jan. 19-"Jack the Slash
err" that mysterious individual who since
December 90 last, has amused himself by
cutting the threats of drunken men with
a razor, and has been the terror of night
travellers in the Fourth Ward, was cap
tured at an early hour yesterday morn
ing red-handed He inveigled his victim,
drunken man, to an unfrequented
street, and then, catching the man around
the neck with one hand, with the other
he drew a keen razor across his throat.
He then skunk away, but an officer who
had been watching him for some time,
and who had been unable to come up in
time to save the drunken man from in
jury gave pursuit, and with the aid of
other officers soon captured the slasher.
Inspector Byrnes has no doubt that he
has the right man, at whose door also is
laid the death of John Carson, the Balti-
more eX-lawyer, and the dangerous
wounding of five other men. The pri-
soners name is Henry G. Dowd. He is
well connected, so far as his family is
concerned, but his habits have long made
him social outcast, and for two years,
at least, he has had no other home than
the cheap lodging houses on the Bowery
afford. He is about 43 years old and is
believed to be insane.
Dowd's seventh victim is a man named
William Miller, 45 years old, of West
Third street, who was walking along
James street in drunken condition
His throat was badly cut and he was
taken to the hospital.
Dowd was arraigned in a police court
and was from there remanded to the care
of Inspector Byrnes.
All these crimes happening in the
same locality, with the victims all being
cut in the same place, led the police to
believe that one man, evidently insane,
was their author, and they accordingly
took extra precautions to run down the
midnight assassin.
Two score of detectives, under the per-
sonal supervision of Inspector Byrnes,
were placed about the infected district,
with orders to keep a strict watch and
to follow and arrest any and all suspect
ed persons
Shortly after , o'clock yesterday
morning one of these officers, Detective
NaStcrson. was standing on the corner of
New chambers and Roosevelt streets,
Wien he saw strange man approach
hi%i from the opposite side of the street
Ia, stranger had a handkerchief tied
around his head, which partially con
CC;tlcd his features.
The man came close to the officer,
prercd in the latter's face, evidently to
ascertain if he was drunk, and then
walked away. The officer followed at a
respectful distance. The man haunted
Ill the lonely thoroughfares, and when a
bclated traveller approached, scanned him
closely. He finally stood in n dark door
why at the corner of Roosevelt and Oak
street, while the officer concealed himself
Il little further down the street.
soon a man who, from his staggering
condition was evidently Intoxicated,
came along. The stranger in the door
way Immediately Joined the drunken
man, and, after Il moments conversation,
the TWO walked on together, with the
officer, as before, following some distance
behind. The stranger led the inebriated
man through several streets, and finally
into James street, which appeared to be
deserted. Here the pair stopped and the
officer darted into a doorway. He was
not moment too soon, for the stranger
gave furtive glances up and down the
street, and then, thinking he was alone
with his victim, put one arm around the
drunken mans neck and with the other
he drew his razor across his throat. The
drunken man dropped to the sidewalk
without a struggle, while the assassin
darted away.
The officer by this time was in close
pursuit, and a lively chase followed.
Other officers were signalled ON the way,
and all took part in the pursuit, with
the result that at the corner of New
Chambers and James street they cap
tured their man.
The man struggled some, but tap
from an officers long night stick put an
end to his resistance. When caught
the prisoner had one hand in his overcoat
pocket, and in this hand he held q razor
covered with blood
The prisoner was taken to the Oak
street police station, which Inspector
Byrnes had made his headquarters for
the night.
In the meantime an ambulance had
been called, and the wounded man was
transferred to the hospital. He had an
ugly wound in his throat and was in a
semi-unconscious condition, but he maa-
aged to give his name and address
At the station house the prisoner was
closely questioned by the Inspector He
told very little, and this little was con-
hicting.
lie aI HTSJ aQnlCCeQ the cutting, which
he said he did in self defence, but after
ward he contradicted this aud said he
knew nothing of the affair and that he
did not do the cutting. He was then
locked up for the night
After his preliminary examination at
the police court Dowd, the name given
by the slasher, was taken to Bellevue
Hospital, where Clark, the man who was
cut on Jan. 0, is being treated for the in
juries inflicted by the slasher. CLARK
positively identified Dowd as the man
who assaulted him. S4E &c
The man was then taken to Police
Headquarters, where he made a confess
sion of his crimes, or some of them. He
said that the impulse to kill under some
circumstances was uncontrollable. He
said that he wanted to kill all the
Dutchmen, for whom he was seeking all
the time.
The reason for this was that a German
had once ravished his mother at her home
IN, L. - 81