The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-01-19
is HE THE RIPPER I?
Various Theories Regarding
"Jack the Slasher."
BOTH RELIGIOUS FANATICS.
Many Believe that Maniac Dowd is the
Murderer of Old Shakespeare.

The Case of Ameer Ben Ali Recalled
Whitechapel Fiend and the New York
"Slasher"--Dowd Indicted and if De-
clared Crazy win 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
"Old Shakespeare, in the East Side
Hotel in April last and was Ameer Ben
Ali offered up as vicarious sacrifice?
1t was on the morning of the Gath 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 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 ,counteract the
& hpnntght W ba
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 q.
Dowd, the murderous crank who was
caught, razor in hand, early Sunday
morning after he had cut the throat OF
William Miller, a 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 month has
hacked the throats 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 thar
there are good reasons to believe that
Dowd and London's Jack the Ripper are
one and the same.
According to the London police the
terror of the Whitechapel district was a
religious fanatic who imagined it to be
his duty to kill and mutilate all aband-
oned women.
Dowd is also a religious fanatic. His
little room in the lodging house at No.
"a New Chambers street was Uttered
with blood stained tracts when the de
tectives made their examination.
When brought before Inspector
Byrnes at Police Headquarters a few
hours after his capture he talked in 8
wild strain about the evils of intemper
ance.
Dowd was indicted yesterday by the
grand jury of assault in the first degree
If found irresponsible on his trial hC
will be sent to Auburn.
The police denounce unsparingly the
conduct of the wealthy relatives of theil
prisoner in supplying him with money
and letting him run at large when they
knew he was crazy.
Sanluel N. hOyU, the banker, Wn(
married an aunt of Dowd's, was seer
this morning. He appeared "a trif,
worried, but professed that he had moth
ing to do with the man,
"Dowd's mother SAID Mr.. Hoyt, ''wa
sister of my wife. Both are now dead
The man was always a ne'er-do-well anC
good for nothing, and he never had an!
sympathy from me.
THE statement that l paid his rem
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 saw him was two year
ago. He appeared to be insane then. Ii
should never have been permitted to ge
out of the asylum and go about cutting
peoples Jhroats Some one is to blam
for this, cannot say whom. l had N
interest in the fellow"
Carsons Buried at Baltimore.