The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-12-15
A JACK THE RIPPER CASE.
A GALVESTON WOMAN MURDERED
AND sHocKINGLY MUTILArEp.
Throat Cut and Disemboweied in Barbarous
Manner-shs Was an 0utcast, an As
soeiate Of Low White Men and
Negroes--A Deep Mystery.
Special to The Statesman.

GALVESTON, Dec. 12.--Disembowel.
ed, jugular severed by CHASTITY slash
from the butt Of the ear to Adams ap.
pie, another deep cut across the back
of the neck was the condition Malinda
Melting was found in this morning,
stark and stiff in death. IL was q
CHASTITY sight, equal TO the work OF
"Jack the Ripper" in It's fiendish-
ness. Who did it is now being
searchingly investigated. The deed
was committed some time during last
night in an attic room of an unfinish-
ed cottage corner Of Forty-third street
and Avenue r. The only occupants
of the house were the dead woman
and her aged mother, Christina Nell
ing. Mrs. Melting says the last time
she saw her daughter alive was 5
O'Clock yesterday evening. About
she woke up, found her
daughter missing. She got mp and
found her lying on the floor and at
tempted to arouse her, but did not
succeed, thinking she was asleep.
She went into the next room, made
her cup OF tea, drank 1t and returned
to bed. This morning when she awoke
her daughter was still lying on the
floor and went to her and discovered
she had been murdered. She claimed
to know nothing about It.
The police and coroner were notified
and at once began an investigation.
The body of the murdered woman was
found lying partly on her side and
back with her head against the chim-
ney and between that and the outer
wall of the cottage. The blood that
gushed from the jugular when 1t was
severed splashed against the CHM
ney, formed clotted pool at its
base, from which it trickled
around it and formed another poll
underneath the bed. No blood had
flown from the wound extending from
the abdomen to the sternum, and 1t is
the opinion of the county physician
who examined the woman before she
was removed, that this horrible cut
disemboweling her and exposing
5-mOhth fGtus, was done after she
was dead. There were no traces Of
blood anywhere else in the apartment
which contained only the rude bed,
The mother was examined and traces
of blood were found on her stockings
and other underwear. and she was
placed under arrest and the investi-
cation is still being vigorously
pushed.
The mother when arrested was
beastly intoxicated and had bottle
of whisky in her dress pocket and has
been In no condition to give an intelli.
gent account Of this tragedy If SO
inclined The women bore q hard
reputation and spent what money
they could get In whisky and carous-
ing, associating with the vilest class
of whites and negroes. The best Of
feeling did not exist between the
mother and daughter and quar-
rels were of frequent occurrence.
During one Of these quar-
els last summer the daughter threw
her mother out of the second story
window from which she is yet Grip
pie. Several parties known to fire.
quent these women have been arrest
ed but no tangible evidence being
educed they were discharged. The
authorities think 1t Is strange that
Mrs. Melting, sleeping in the room
where her daughter was 30 brutally
murdered, should know nothing
about 1t. The deeper the tragedy is
probed the more mysterious 1t be-
comes.