The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-25
NEW VIEWOF THERIPPER
SOME ONE KILLING LONDON
STREET WOMEN WITH POISON.


Do Not Yet show Conclusive Bvi-
denoe Against Him - Mysterious
Deaths Of Women at the Hands Of
"a Dark Man"
From the New York Sun.
LONDON, June 20.-Murray Neill, alias
Thomas Neil. the alleged American. who
has been passing as a druggists agent, was
brought up at Bow street again to-day on
charges of attempting to extort money from
DR.. Harper of Barnstaple aud others
Although the police suspect Neill, whose
real name is said to be Thomas n Cream,
of having poisoned the two girls, Alice
Marsh and Emma Shrivell in April last,
and of having committed other similar
crimes, the only formal accusation 50 far
presented against the prisoner is that Of
blaokmsil. The police sprung a greater
sensation to-day than before when they
showed that Neill had also tried to victim
ize William +. D. Smith OF the Strand, son
Of the late Hon. William Henry Smith,
first lord of the treasury and millionaire
news agent
Mr.. Gill appeared for the prosecution.
He read letter addressed to Mr.. Smith,
who is but % years of age, in which the
writer charged that he suspected Mr.. Smith
of having poisoned the girls, Shrivell' and
Marsh, and offered to be silent on he pay
nent Of a certain sum of money. Mr.. Smith
placed the letter in the hands of the police.
Experts were called who proved that the
writing in the letter to Smith and the letter
to DR.. Harper, as we'll as the letter found In
the apartments Of the murdered girls, was
in all respects similar to handwriting known
to be that Of the prisoner. In view of the
current reports to the effect that the pris-
oner had been guilty of Wholesale poisoning
and TO the effect that the formal charge was
as yet confined to blackmail, the magistrate
warned the newspapers to-day from the
bench not to impute to the prisoner any
more serious crimes than those of which he
was actually accused. &c
The reports to which the magistrate
alluded are to the effect shat the prisoner is
the man wanted for number of mys-
FERROUS murders by poison. The Stamford
street mystery was not by any means the
first OF ito kind. Two years and half ago
waitress of prepossessng appearance died
in Stamford street under somewhat extraor-
binary circumstance She one evening
met "a dark gentlemaup aud had tea with
him at a coffee shop. IL was modest re-
past. consisting mainly OF bread and butter
and tea. The butter had; however, the girl
said, a peculiar favor. lt was unlike any
thing she had tasted, and some hours later
she was taken seriously III, aad
sent TO the Lambsth infirmary in q dying
condition. Some hours later she died. Ii
was at first supposed she had committed
suicide, but there was no evidence forth
coming to that effect, and ultimately, " hen
the medical evidence placed beyond doubt
the fact that death was due to poisoniuR, 1t
was generally accepted that the girl had
fallen a victim to the murderous impulses of
the man with whom she had partaken Of
bea. His identity. however, could not be
established, and the case was relegaued to
the list Of mysteries which defy all the
efforts of the police. . t, ...
Seven months ago there was q similar
case. Two girls walking in the Westminster
Bridge road one evening met gentleman,
who was most polite TO them He invited
them to drink with him and aftarward went
home TO Waterloo street with one of the
girls. Some hours after ward she staggered
out into the street, and falling upon the
pathway exclaimed: II have, been poisoned
by dark man." She died immediately
after ward. Again poisoning presented
itself to the police, but despite all their
efforts no clew--or at least no cleW of suf-
ficient Importance TO warrant an arrest
could be found.
Then eight weeks ago came the Stamford
street mystery, The girls were killed with
poison.
Another mysterious case was that of
girl named Matilda Clover, aged about 25
years, and a domestic servant. Some time
ago she abandoned work and adopted loose
habits. She became acquainted with sew
eral men, among them one named "Fred,n
who wrote her many letters to her apart-
ments In Lambeth road She repeatedly
spoke Of him as a mice old fool" and
dressed lavishly on money received from
him. On the night of Oct. II last she was,
on returning home, after seeing her mystic
rious friend, taken seriously Ill, and on the
following mornIng, died In great agony,
death being due, the doctor said, TO syncope
She was buried at footing by the parish
authorities, and until the death Of the two
Stamford street girls her sudden demise
was unnoticed. -' s+''-s J'
On May 10 the body Of the girl Clover
was examined by order Of the home secre-
tary and taken to the n1ortuary. The gov
eminent analyst found that she had died
from the effects of strychnine poisoning.
One remarkable fact is that though the
girl received many letters through be post.
none could be found after her death. 1t is
conjectured that she had strict orders to
destroy them Immediately upon receipt
and she obeyed the injunction.
A young girl employed in butter and
egg store IN the London road made the 40
quaintanoe Of a strange man In July last
year. She spoke of him as her "elderly
mash" and called him "Freddiep to her as
sociates. Toward the end Of July she was
taken suddenly Ill and died almost immedi-
ately. There was at the time no suspicion
as to her having been the victim of foul
play, but within the last day or two certain
facts have come to light woich would seem
to show that her death did not result from
natural causes ~
The blackmail letter to DR.. Harper Of
Barnstaple, charging that his son had
poisoned the Marsh and ShriveH girls, gave
the police what they consider a most valua-
bic clew to tho ideutity of the murderer A
search of Nellrs lodgings after his arrest
brought to light some stryohnine capsules
similar 10 those with which the girls we're
poisoned. The police are still at work on
the murder allegation. but meantime, in
order to hold Neill, they are earnestly press
ing the blaokmail charge.
The evidence to-day showed that DR..
William Henry Broadbent of "a Seymour
street, one Of the leading physicians of Lon
don, and who has attended the Prince of
Wales, also received a letter from the mys-
terious blackmsiler and suspected murderer
The letter was similar to that sent to Will
lam F. D. Smith. Neill was remanded for
further examination.
MEDICAL.
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