Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-04
THE HORROR OF HORRORS.
Jack the Ripper's Worst
Crime Discounted.
A Chicago Woman Fiendishly
Butchered.
Sixty Five Knife Wounds Found on
Her Body.
Horribly Artistic Finish Put on the
.Work-The Woman's Nephew
Arrested and Confesses
the Crime.

By the Associated Pressl
CHICAGO, May 3.-A murder that
rivals for cruelty and horror the fates of
the numerous victims in the London
Whitechapel district, was committed
between and o'clock this evening, in
the home of Michael Walsh, at 344
Washburne avenue. The victim was
Mrs. Bridget Elizabeth Walsh. Walsh
left home for work as usual this morn
ing, leaving his wife following her GUS
tomary occupations. Walsh returned
home a few minutes after O clock, found
the front door locked and gained en-.
trance to the house through the kitchen.
The fire was burning in the stove and
the evening meal was partly prepared.
The appearance OF the room attracted
Walsh's attention as being peculiar, and
he started in search of his wife. He
searched through the house, and not
finding her began to fear some harm had
befallen her. Noticing a strong and
disagreeable odor from the bedroom, he
returned there and made more minute
examination. The room was partially
darkened, as the window curtains were
lowered. He raised them and pile of
rags met his gaze. The first piece of
cloth he lifted was stained with blood.
He then threw the pile aside, and there
on the blood-stained carpet was the nude
body of his wife.
Sixty-tive gasheH, varying in length
from half an inch to foot, told the
story of her death, that came only after
violent struggle, as shown by the dis
arrangement of the furniture and the
spattering of blood. Not satisfied with
killing his victim, the slayer 90 horribly
disfgured the corpse that even Walsh
could hardly realize that he was gazing
on the dead body Of his own wife.
From the crown of the woman's q
head to the feet were cuts in
every conceivable direction. The wounds
were most numerous on the breast and
lower limbs, where the flesh was ripped
and;hacked in places until the akin hung
in shreds. Along the upper part of the
right leg Was cash over foot in
length. Along either side of this wound
was a row Of smaller gashes made with
uniform length and evenly arranged, az
if to give to the work
A HORRIBLY ARTISTIC FINISH,
Over each eye was deep cash an
other beneath the right eye; another
along the left cheek, and still another on
the neck under the chin. In the left
breast, Immediately over the heart, was
pair of long-bladed shears that had
been driven into the flesh. Imme-
diately under them was a small,
round hole resembling a bullet wound,
but there was no trace of powder burns.
A broom that had evidently been carried
from the kitchen into the bedroom had
been broken, and the handle was thrust
through the entire length of the
woman's trunk, from the lower portion
to the throat. Pieces of the vital or
gans were torn off and carried along by
the blunt end of the wood, and the
mouth was filled with
MASS OF FLESH AND BLOOD.
The broom handle had been thrust up
with terrible force, for the woman q
body was terribly torn, and portions of
the organs were left lying on the floor.
All the wounds were evidently inflicted
by shears, the edges cut rough and
notched. At the lower part of the
trunk was this especially manifest where
the flesh was cut and torn.
For moment the sight of his wife's
body so unnerved Walsh that he was
unable to act. Recovering himself, he
notified the police. Upon arriving, the
police examined the room where the
body was found, and on a narrow bed
were three pillows covered with blood.
On the wall, also, were great splotches,
and the bed clothing was stained. The
rage which covered the body, among
which were also Mrs. Walsh's clothing,
were saturated with blood. The police
made hasty survey of the situation and
started on a search for
THE PERPETRAToR OF THE OUTRAGE.
Their efforts were rewarded, for with
in four hours the self-confessed murderer
was arrested, in the person Of Thomas
Walsh, of 143 Washburn avenue, the
dead woman's nephew. When the
prisoner was being taken to the station
he acknowledged that he was the guilty
person, and said he and Mrs. Walsh
were drinking together, and he made an
improper proposal to her, whereupon
she slapped his face. He drew knife
and stabbed her. The sight of the blood
suddenly drove him insane, with the re-
suit that he mangled and tore the poor
W0mQn as ra1atp6 above