New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-19
DOWD UNDER INDICTMENT.
QUICK WORK IN THE " SLAsHER'S" CASE.
HE SAYS HE CUT MULLER IN sELFDEFENCE-
EVIDENCE THAT HE MURDERED

powd. alias "JacSthc Slasher7 who was arrested on
sunday morning for cutting William Mullers throat.
Dowd was indicted by the Grand Jury yesterday
sau in the first degree The complaint made by Po
ucsman william II. Masterson of the Fourth Precinct,
who saw Dowd commit the crime. The prisoner will
he arragned for pleading in General Sessions to-day
and his trial will probably be called in week two
District Attorney Nicoll said yesterday that DOwd
was not indicted for the murder OF Carson, because
there was no actual evidence OF his guilt although
every one felt morally that Dowd the muir
dercr. The question Of the prisoners sanity will be
tried by Jury.
Long before O'Clock yesterday morning all the
benches apart for spectators In the Tombs Police
Court were occupied, and standing room was at a
premium. "The Sasher" furnished the only theme of
conversation. At 80 O'Clock Dowd was brought into
the room between Policemen MastersOn and McCrory
Dowd was taken into the private examination rOom
where he sat handcured by the side Of Policeman
McCrorey until called into the judges ROOM There
CAPTAINS Mclaughlin and OConnOr were cOseted with
Justice Duffy and Policeman Masterson. and an
affidavit drawn up, In which Masterson sTorc
that he had Henry G.. Dowd cut the throat OF
william Miller in front OF No. 30 James-st.
When the affidavit ready. powd was arraigned
He stood before the bar. and during the entire ex
animation not muscle of his face moved
Justice Duffy addressed the prisoner: Henry e.
Dowd, you hear the charge against YOU What nave
you to say
AZ did il IN selfdefenrc" was the slow answer.
al was coming down Janes-st. the man ran agninst
me and cut him"
He said that he was thirty eight years old and that
he was born in Liverpool He accounted for the razor
bv saving that he had shaved himself on saturday
night and put the razor his pocket without thinking
When told that he suspected Of havlhS cut
other men beside Mrer he quietly answered q" This is
the only man | ever came in contact With"
Have you anything else to say asked the justice
"why | should not hold you?"
The answer was: That is for you to say would
not hurt any one"
lie was held for examination, but The Indictment
by the Grand Jury will end the police court proceed
iugs
John Dowd, the brother Of the "slasher' was theh
srragned. lie said that his brother Henry had DeF
committed to the Flatbush Asylum some years ago
but had not been kept there long. He had also been
I'm the Rdgewater Asylum and on the Island for hVe
years John said that he knew his brother was a
lIttle on nj times. Justice Duffy committed him
10 the care Of the Comm sonerS of Charities ana COR
rection
Police Superintendent Murray was misquoted IN
one of the newspapers at the time OF the eXclteHeh'
in London over the murders by "Jackthe RIPPER
and was made to say that the butcher of Wntech@pel
would be caught quickly II he tried his hama
in this city, After the murder of oil " shake
speare7 in the East River Hotel, ,he
remark was published again as having been uteeu w
Inspector Byrnes There prompt denial that
although the Inspector already had Frenchy IN Gus
tody The superintendent and the Inspector are care
full not to make statements rejecting on the ponce VI
other cities and MIR. Murray weighed his words Feser
day when he said Tribune reporter: II cohsidc'
that the capture of the slasher' In this city was "a
lnpotan; a. the capture OF the London Ripper "ouiu
have been il he had been caught The arrest OF Snc
dangerous lunatic Is not easily accomplished, and tho
public doubtless will appreciate the work OF the force
in thi, case. We had little trouble lately WIN
cian.s and it Is time that the cIahKs shouIa NC sn
IN where they will 10 be danger to the COM
u,nnitv 4 madmao who has a mania for crime is far
more dangerous than a criminal when bOth are
al la ge ana the mailman has cunning whioh MAKES
him more secure against arrest. 1t has Deeh the Gus
tom 10 let lunatcs escape from asylu heieabOus ana
there is no telling when OF them will commit some
startling crime. II we have not got laws 10 pieVeh'
such escapes from the madhouscs, there should be
prompt legislation In tlat direction. Every person
known 10 be insane should be sent where be cannot
get free until he RECEIVERS his reason
Inspector ByInes said: "There was only one way
IN arrest that crank, and that 10 catch him red
handed Even if we could have caught him any other
WAY we could not have proved his guilt by the evil
dence Of the drunken men whom he had slasheo WIN
his razor With the exception Of the man Clark mey
were so drunk when they cut that they couid not
recolect later how the 'Slashcr' looked Ozark was
allie 10 rcocnize Dowd when the prisoner was TAKEN
10 Bellevue Hospital yesterday. Dowd admitted III
rv presence that he had cut Carsons throat IN ohrys
TEST and in the next breath he denied that he hau
cut ANYBODY but Muller. have no doubt that Do"d
murdered Carson ,
In setting trap for the Slasher we nan 10 plocee"
On lines similar 10 those which we followed III ue
can,i,re q, Colonel Howard Wells I'm lS-2 wells
wrote threatening letters 70 Jay Gould regularly ana
drnpped them into letterbOXes in uptown strtf'e. II
Uas only bv using the services OF 100 leterctfeis
Ebo worked I'm concert with equal number ol ue-
ectiyes for nearly an entire day. keeping track OF every
man who dropped a letter into any OF the boxes IN
arge district until the address the letter ai Dee
sscertaned, that the capue OF Wells vas eneetsu
nuhIic al the time or could not have caught o1i
man II was necessary also IN prevent our wlolcsalt
hadowing OF drunken the lower part OIL inc city
i'm the early morning hours from being made known u
the public through the newspapers. DOwus own taih
after ne was canght showed that he LOOK deugnt ~
reading the published reports OF the crimes WHICH Inc
bad committed, and il Is question now murl cii
enlargement : given by some OF me hcwspalertS u
cranks with criminal tendencies. Many man VIC,
season is partly unhinged may be moved 10 enla,t
The criminal; whose deeds published at such ehgth
While acts Of good men go unreeorded"