The morning call., 1893-03-22
BLOODY WORK.

BLOODY WORK.
The Murders That Have Been Ascribed
to Jack the Ripper.
The first of the series of murders in the
Whitechapel district of London occurred
early on the morning OF april 3, 1888. Emma
Elizabeth Smith, an outcast. was found ly-
ing dead in yard near Osborne street
Death was caused by TWO deep cuts in the
abdomen. and it was supposed that they
had been inflicted by jealous lover or hus-
band. She was buried in the pauperS' lot,
and the case soon forgotten.
Nearly five months later at break of day
on the 7th OF August, the body of a woman
was found lying in pool of blood on the
first floor landing of 81 George
Yard buildings, WhtechapeI. The
woman had been stabbed IN thirty
two places, and the lower part Of
the body was horribly mutilated. The walls
which divide the building into tenements
are very thin, and an ordinary conversation
carried on in the hail could be plainly
heard in half q dozen rooms. Not one of
the four people who were sleeping within
twelve feet heard any unusual sounds. The
woman was Of low character and was rec
oguized as Martha Tabram. She was for
gotten almost as soon as she was buried.
The London police have always been in
doubt as to whether these two murders had
anything to do with those that followed,
and which, without question, were COM
mitted by one hand-that of Jack The Rip
per-"
1t is evident at any rate, that the police
were not awakened TO n sense Of the impor-
tance of these crimes until the third one was
committed. The victim this time was Polly
Nichols, also a woman Of the streets, as the
others preceding and following her proved to
be. Officer John O'Neil came across the
body lying in Bucks row. He thought She
was asleep, and turned her over with his
foot to awaken her. She made no move
ment, and leaning over he found she was
bathed in warm blood, which was sun ooz-
ing from her body. This was at 3:4j on the
morning of August 81, and he had passed
the SPOT where the body lay not fifteen min
utes before. Three men were working in
a slaughter house 800 feet away, and no cry
or sounds of a struggle had reached them.
The mutilation of this body was fright.
ful. The head was neatly severed from the
spinal column. the skirts were torn away
and the abdomen ripped open by slashes
so deep that the bowels protruded. The
cuts we're such as could only have been
made by a strong and experienced man
armed with a keen knife.
Before week had elapsed, and while the
police were busy looking for cews. Jack
the Ripper" succeeded in scoring another
success. The woman who fell under his
strokes was Annie Chapman, the former
wife Of q wealthy veterinary surgeon in
Windsor. She had been divorced, had
fallen to the lowest grade. and was without
a permanent home. Some etimes she slept in
the tenement at % Hanbu-y street, aud il
was at the foot of the steps leading into this
house that she was discovered at O'Clock
in the morning by John Davis, one of the
tenants.
He had been about the building for over
an hour, yet had heard no other sounds
than those Of footsteps echoing through the
lower hall, which was not at all uncommon.
The cutting in this case was 80 horrible
that the physician who made the examina-
ton asked to be excused from relating it in
detail TO the CoToueT's jury. Mrs. Bur
ridge. a shOpkeeper in Blackfriars row.
died in fit while reading an account of the
horror IL the newspapers. The victim was
cut deliberately and skillfulIy, as surgeon
would operate on a body-and cut while
alive.
The fifth murder was committed on Sun
day, September 23 Early on that morning
the body Of an unknown woman was found
near upon-Tyne. The mutila-
tion and all the circumstances were similar
to the previous crimes.
The body of the sixth unfortunate was
~ !, -
o'clock on the morning OF Septem Der 80.
The scene of the crime was in Berner
street. and "Jack" had evidently been
frightened, for only her throat was cut.
The physician said. however, that the
wound was made in exactly the same man
ner as the others. Men were found who
had passed the spot few minutes before
the body was found. but they all swore they
had heard or seen nothing unusual. The
woman was Eiiz beth Stride. notorious
Whitechapel character known as Happy
Tip Ann"
On the same morning, fortv-fye minutes
later, while the police we're CARRYING off this
body. the seventh murder was committed
within ten minutes walk of the spot in
Miter square. A policeman named Watkins
found the body, which was afterward iden-
titled as Catherine Edd0ws, while it was
still warm. The woman was horribly carved
and could not have been dead more than
few minutes. For over an hour the officer
had not been out of hearing. yet had heard
no unusual sounds, and a watchman. in
front of whose house the decd was done.
said he had been sitting for two hours near
the window reading. but had not at any
time been disturbed by the slightest sound
in the street.
On October 2 the body Of the eighth VIC
tim was found in an open vault where the
Grand ODera-house was building, within a
stones throw of the Grand and the Metro
pole Hotel and in sight OF the Scotland
Yard headquarters. The legs aud arms
were separated, the throat cut and the alb
domen crisscrossed with sharp cuts. The
body was in an advanced stage of decom-
position. and was never identified.
Jack probably spent more time on the
ninth victim than on any OF the Others. She
was Mary Jane Lawrence. and on Novsm-
Der was found in her room mutilated be-
yond recognition. The slashiug In this case
was so brutal that even the physicians were
sickened at the sight. The throat was cut
from ear 10 ear, the arms and legs severed
neatly, the breasts cut off and laid on the
table and the heart and liver removed as ii