The herald., 1894-12-10
FLASHES FROM ABROAD.
Morbid Crimes in a London
Suburb.
A Regular Reign Of Terror in
Kensington.
Turkey in Stew Over the Armenian
Massacres.
Kaiser Wiihslm Receives the Russian
Ambassador and Omcisls of the
Reichstag-A Gale on the
Irish Coast.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 1.-TWO ladies. OF the
New York Suns correspondents family
we're making calls just after dusk yester-
day In Remington. They had some
difficulty in finding the number and
address OF q friend and not seeing q
policeman. stopped to inquire the way
to the Queens Gate terrace, OF group
OF four women who happened to be ap.
preaching.
Before they had time to speak two
words Of their question the four women
turned and fed with every evidence of
sudden terror. The ladies walked on q
few steps, mot two more women and at
tempted to mako the same inquiry. The
second couple seemed seized with even
greater alarm than than the first group.
Thew gathered up their skirts. ran
across the street and away without
waiting to hear the question.
This extraordinary power to put the
British maids and matrons to fight by q
word, so amueed the two American
women that they tested it once or twice
more with the same result. except that
one women remained sufficiently self
possessed to call back. ''don't know"
over her shoulder as she ran away.
The incident furnishes striking proof
OF the literal reign of. terror now pre-
vsiling in one OF the most fashionable
quarters in London by reason of the
series OF strange crimes about which the
cable has already told something.
A mysterious veiled woman in black,
whose mania 10 to stab others of her
sex. has appeared no less than five times
within week in q district less than half
. mile square, and although scores OF
detectives are lying in wait for her, she
is still at large. In each case she has
approached her victim with an inquiry
about certain street. The first victim
lost in eye t1ne second was stabbed in
tho neck, narrowly esUaping death.
Fear OF her WAS now widespread, go that
the othere she accosted fed before she
could strike them. There is some sus-
picion that she is q small man in dis.
guise, as oil describe the person as hav-
ing eruf voice. but the police believe
1t is o woman and that she 10 undoubt.
edly insane.
There ia NO direct connection between
these crimes and young Saunderson's
murder of an abandoned woman in the
same Keneington district, but certain
experts in mental diseases and criminol.
ogists endeavor to trace the epidemic of
violent crime in London to q single
source. namely. the great public agita-
tion over the South end murder, the
very mysterious crime for which Read
was hanged last Tuesday.
The matter has given rise to an inter.
esting public discussion begun by DR..
Forbes Winslow, who, perhaps, is the
highest English authority on such sub
jects. He writes: Tho force of imita-
tion is go great that an Irresistible i'm.
pulse exists in q certain class of indi-
viduals who, though at large are, never
theless, in such state of mind as to
warrant their detention. l aliude to
weak-min jed persons. considered harm
less. between l5 and 30 years OF age. of
excitable instinct, without occupation
for their minds and who waste their
time in Rloating over accounts OF
various crimes, or are seen hanging
about the Old Bailey on the day OF some
criminal cause celebre.
"Jurisprudence ID full OF homicidal
epidemics. The terrible murders per.
petrsted by Nine. De Brinvilliera in
France may be forgotton, but what ocs
Cured at that time is instructive. Dur
ing the trial oil Paris was in state OF
great excitement The murderess was
the sole topic of conversation. All the
details Of the crimes were Greedily de-
voured aud the idea of secret poisoning,
the offense she was accused OF, was pnt
into the heads of hundreds, many of
whom became guilty Of it. For two
years the poison mania kept hold OF the
popular mind, and the prisons of France
teemed with persons accused of this
crime. could give hundreds OF in
stances where murder, suicide, incendi-
arism and poisoning have had imita-
tore.
"At the present time case has oc.
cured which bids fair again to agitate
and upset the public mind, especially
those who are insanely or morbidly in
cliaed. The evil is great one and the
remedy 10 yet to be, discovered to pre-
vent series of crimes following epidem.
icslly. would suggest the following:
"One-C and non sensational
accounts of such crimes.
"Two-It is most important in my
mind that the date Of execution be, az
in France, secret and that the criminal
have notice the evening before."
In connection with young Saunder-
sons insane crime and the Remington
stabbings. the authorities have been ex-
tremely alarmed, lest another Jack the
Ripper scare should seize upon the pop
ular mind. This led them early in the
week TO make the important announce
ment that they have reason to believe
that the author Of the Jack the Ripper
crimes has been several years in his
grave. More than this the Scotland
yard authorities refuse to divulse.