Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-21


with his ready razor, has been captured.
Englishman, born in Liverpool, and
came t. this country when boy.
Dowd vas arrested between 2 and 3
fronted by John Clark of Elizabeth, N.
j., whose throat was cut on the 9th
instant. and positively identified by him
Is his assailant.
Dowd then confessed, admitting also
that he murdered John Carson, the
Baltimore lawyer, who was found on
the street last Thursday morning with
his throat cut from ear to ear. Then he
retracted this, and doggedly refused to
talk The prisoner is now in cell at
headquarters. The attention of the
police was called to the operations of
the ''slasher" when John Heflin had his
Throat cut on December Goth Then
followed the cases of Louis Lawson,
John Clark of Elizabeth, N. j., George
Williams and Edward christensen, a
Swede. All of these were cut under
like circumstances. Then came the
Carson murder Inspector Byrnes was
thoroughly aroused. Twenty of his
most experienced detectives and 20
more regular policemen in citizens
dress have kept sharp watch in the
downtown section of the city where
the slasher's operations were confined.
Policeman Masterson was standing
in plain clothing on the corner
of New Chambers and Roosevelt
streets shortly after 9 o'clock, when he
saw a strange man approach him from
the opposite side of the street. The
man had handkerchief tied around his
head, partially concealing his features.
He came close to the policeman, peered
into his face, evidently to ascertain
whether he was intoxicated, and
walked away. The policeman followed
unseen. The man walked up one street,
down another. When the man stopped
the policeman halted. In a few minutes
the policeman saw a drunken man an.
preaching. The man he was watching
saw the drunken man at the same time
and walked towards him. The pair ex-
changed few words and moved off
together, followed by the police
man. Near James street the police
man saw the stranger raise his
arm, grab the drunken man by the
neck and in moment after he saw the
drunken man sink to the sidewalk with
out word. The stranger darted away
with the policeman in hot pursuit. The
latter was Joined by the other officers
and the fellow was run down. He at
first showed fight, but tap on the head
with club subdued him In the mans
hand was a razor covered with blood.
The wounded man, whose name is
William Miller, was in semi -ccnscious
condition, and could not identify his as
sailant. In Byrne's private room the
man confessed to some of his crimes.
He said the impulse to kill under certain
circumstances was uncomfortable. He
said he wanted to kill all the Germans.
A German had once ravished his mother
in her Brooklyn home. The face of the
ravisher still haunted him, and when.
ever he saw man who looked like the
one he was pursuing he tried TO kill
him.
"Why did you kill Carson ?" asked
Inspector Byrnes. "He was not Ger
man."
81 couldn't help it was the reply.
Then said he quickly ooh, didn't do
1t at all T.
The prisoner comes of good family.
His mothers sister married Samuel n.
Hoyt, brother of the late Jesse
Hoyt, the millionaire, whose will was
stubbornly contested by his daughter,
Mary Irene Hoyt. Samuel N. Hoyt re.
sides in Brooklyn.
About 10 years ago Dowd was placed
in Flatbush asylum for the insane, but
he escaped. These facts were obtained
from the prisoners brother, John ].
Dowd, who Is crank suffering from
religious mania. He was also put under
arrest.
Perhaps the strongest piece of evil
dence against the slasher connecting
him with Carson's murder is the razor.
The coroners testified that Carson was
murdered with ragged-edge knife or
razor. Dowd's razor was found to be
"nicked" here and there along the edges.
But there il still another remarkable
piece of evidence against Dowd. When
his coat and vest were removed blood
stains were found ON his shirt. These
stains were not new and fresh, and
could not have been blood from his VIC
tim. He is stoutly built, with clean.
shaven face and dark complexion and
hair. One of his brothers is said to be
fancy goods dealer in Boston.
II is limited that ID will be shown
eventually that Dowd is identical with
"Jack the Ripper" and that he MUIR
dered the old woman known as "Shake-
speare," known also in early days as
"Annie Brown" for the killing of whom
poor Algerian known as "Frenchy" is
serving life sentence.
1t was learned that Dowd was born
in Liverpool 45 years ago. He came to
this country while an infant. His
father WINS Dna nf the ors1ioaI r1u...I
Park engineers, Samuel N. Hoyt of 204
Park place, Brooklyn, is an uncle of
Dowd. Dowd has long seemed to have
mania for slashing people, and served
two years of a five-years sentence for
cutting man, but was pardoned
through the influence of wealthy and
powerful relatives, upon whose bounty
he has since subsisted To his brother,
William d. Dowd, who is q fancy
goods merchant in Boston, as well
as to the Hoyts, Dowd has been
a source OF annoyance for a long
time; They. have paid his board
81 Mrs. Brady's lodging house, at "a
New Chambers street. Miller. Dowd's
last victim, admitted this evening
when Dowd was taken before him for
identification at the Chambers Street
Hospital, that he was so drunk that he
had no distinct remembrance of the as
aault, consequently he could not charge
the deed upon Dowd. Another of the
slasher's victims is John Clark of Eliza
beth, N. j. He is in Bellevue Hospital.
He had said repeatedly that he could
recognize the man who slashed him.
To-day Inspector Byrnes took Dowd to
the hospital. He was taken TO Clarks
ward. No sooner did the latter see him
than he cried: "There's the man who
tried to murder me ~ and became preatlv