Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-16
JACK THE SLASHER
Latest Victim of the New
York Cut.thrOat.
CARSON MAKES THE SIXTH
A Fear Created Akin to That Caused
by the Whitechapel Atrocities.

The New York jack " Has FOndness
for sIashing Drunken Mems Threats -
His Previous Crimes The Police With
out q Clue History of the Man Car
son He Had Been q Lawyer Ina Balti-
moro Two OF His Sisters the Wives
of Judges.
New York, Jan. 16-The finding of the
dead body of John Carson, a former Bal
timore lawyer, on Chrystie street, with
a fearful slash across the throat, has
created an excitement not unlike that
created in London by the doings of the
notorious 81 ok the Ripper" Carson is
supposed to be the sixth victim of the
mysterious fiend dubbed "Jack the
Slasher' on the lower East Side. Resi-
dents of the Fourth and Seventh Wards
are terribly excited over the bloody deeds
of this mysterious desperate, who ap-
pears to roam about at night and seek
out drunken victims for his ready razor.
Although Carson is the first death re-
sulting from the murderous weapon of
the "Slasher," there have been five other
men, more or less, seriously cut about
the neck in that locality within the past
two weeks. No less than fifteen detec-
tives are hunting for the murderer, who
is still at large.
Carson was a man of good family.
One of his sisters is Mrs. Annie Sander
son of Paterson, N. j., wife Of Judge
Sanderson, and another is Mrs. Matte
Benzinger, wife of q Judge living in
Baltimore. Carson met with business
reverses a year ago, and has l'nce been
employed as n canvasser and been travel
ing through New England.
He made his headquarters in this city
bad lN~SV hi f0r be
past week. About 1 o'clock in the
morning Waterman Schmidt found him
on the stairs of the Germania Hotel
asleep. Clerk Welding was called, and
although he recognized Carson, decided
to turn him away. Carson had paid
$3.50 on Tuesday for weeks room rent
in advance. The clerk paid back seventy
| five cents of this amount and told the
guest to go. Carson, who had registered
as John Chester" staggered down the
street and disappeared. His movements
from this time until he was found dead
cannot be traced.
The operations of "Jack the Slasher''
are briefly chronicled in the blotter of
three police stations and the Chambers
Street Hospital. The first victim was
james Helm, "a years old, found in
Bayard street, December 90, with an in
cised wound in the neck, which he said
behind. He was in Bellevue Hospital
| two weeks
George Wilson, or Stevens, of Brooklyn,
was the second victim. He was found
on January by a policeman of the Oak
street station near Catherine Ferry with
an incised wound in the face which he
said was made by a man whom he could
| not describe.
The third victim was John Clark, Of
| Elizabeth, N. j., who received an incised
wound in the neck January while il
Mulberry street. An unknown man die
the cutting Clark is still in Bellevue
Hospital
Louis Lawson, a sailor, was the fourth
| victim. He was cut in the face Jan. 8 by
an unknown man while in Peck Slip.
Victim No. 5. was Edward Christensen
a Swede, who went to the Old Slip police
station a week ago, and said that q mar
whom he had never seen before had
slashed him in the throat. His wounC
was not serious
The wounds inflicted upon these fvt
victims and the dead man Carson, were
similar, and all were evidently made By
a razor or a keen bladed knife. Ever
cash was semi-circular and was probably
made by the same hand. All of tn
victims were poor, so that robbery coulC
scarcely have been the motive of tn
"Slasher." Not penny was found il
the pockets of young Carson. He haC
seventy-five cents when turned ava,
from the Germania House, but he Nigh
have spent that amount for liquor befor
, he met his fate. All of the living victims
j of the "Slasher' were so drunk as to b,
unable to furnish description of thei