Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-19
is HE The RIPPER :?
Various Theories Regarding
"Jack the Slasher."
BOTH RELIGIOUS FANATICS.
Many Believe that Maniac Dow1 il the
Murderer Of Old Shakespeare

The Case of Ameer Ben Ali Recalled
Points of Resemble nee Between the
Whitechapel Fiend- and the New York
.''Slasher"-Dowd Indicted and if De-
clared Crazy Will be Sent to Auburn
Statement of HOyt, the Banker.
NEW YORK, Jan. 19.-Some strange
theories are cropping out on the East
Side now that the murderous maniac
called "Jack the Slasher'' has been put
under lock and key.
Is Dowd the Slasher, now imprisoned
in the Tombs, the man who murdered
and mutilated the woman known as
"Old Shakespeare" in the East Side
Hotel in April last, and was Ameer Ben
Ali offered up as a vicarious sacrifice?
1t was on the morning of the Oath day
of April last that the horribly mutilated
body of "Old Shakespeare was found in
a room on the top floor of the East River
Hotel. The crime startled New York
( and puzzled Inspector Byrnes and his
men.
Many people believed that the murder
was committed by London's original
''Jack the Ripper But Inspector
| Byrnes, after a search of several days,
arrested an Algerian named Ben Ali,
alias Frenchy. From the very beginning
there was not one word of direct evidence
showing that Frenchy did the murder
But the detectives wove together mass
Of circumstantial evidence against their
prisoner.
He protested his innocence, and his
counsel worked hard to scounteract the
strong pressure brought by the Police
Department. but the odds were too great,
and the jury found him guilty of murder
in the second degree. He was sentenced
to life imprisonment, and is now in Sing
Sing suffering for a crime which, in the
opinion of many, he never committed.
The detention and capture of Henry G..
| Dowd, the murderous crank who was
caught, razor in hand, early Sunday
morning after he had cut the throat OF
William Miller, German, who was
drunk at the time, has rekindled interest
in the murder of 'Old Shakespeare.
Many of the men and women who dwell
on the East Side openly express their
opinion that the man who butchered
the helpless old woman last April and
the man who in less than a month has
} hacked the threats of seven drunkards,
, are one and the same individual, and
! they say Furthermore that Henry J.
Dowd is that man.
The advocates of this new and startling
theory go even further, and state thai
there are good reasons to believe thai
Dowd and London's Jack the Ripper are
one and the same.
According to the London police thu
terror of the Whitechapel district was
religious fanatic who imagined it to b.
his duty to kill and mutilate all aband
, oned women.
Dowd is also n religious fanatic. Hi
little room in the lodging house at No
"a New Chambers street was Uttered
with blood stained tracts when the de
tectives made the6r examination.
When brought before Inspecto
Byrnes at Police Headquarters a few
hours after his capture he talked in
wild strain about the evils of intemper
r ance.
Dowd was indicted yesterday by tn
grand jury of assault in the first degree
If found irresponsible on his trial h
| will be sent to Auburn.
= The police denounce unsparingly tn
conduct of the wealthy relatives of thei
prisoner in supplying him with none
and letting him run at large when the
knew he was crazy.
Samuel N. Hoyt, the banker, VIII
married an aunt of Dowd's, was see
this morning. He appeared a trif1
worried, but professed that he had moth
ing to do with the man.
1'Dowd's mother" said Mr.. Hoyt, iva
sister of my wife. Both are now dead
The man was always a ne'erdO-well an
good for nothing, and he never had an
sympathy from me.
The statement that l paid his ren
through man named White is abso
lutely untrue. do not even know tn
man White, and l never gave Dowd
penny for any purpose.
The last time l saw him was two veal
ago. He appeared to be insane then. H
should never have been permitted to g
out of the asylum and go about cuttin
peoples throats. Some one is to blan
for this, 1 cannot say whom. 1 had +
interest in the fellow"