The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-22
another JACK the RIPPER
New York Startled by the Discovery
of Fiendish Crime.
A WOMAN HORRIBLY MUTILATED
Alice Walsh Discovered OH the Stairway
Of u Thompson Street Tenement
House Dying from the Effects
Of Stab Wounds.

New York, April 21.--A murder which
has not been surpassed for atrocity
since "Old Shakespeare" was found
butchered in the East River hotel three
wears ago. was committed in Thompson
street, or it's immediate vicinity, early
this morning. The victim of the crime
was woman. known as Alice Walsh,
a freuuenter of the region around
Thompson and Sullivan streets. who
was found in pool of blood In the hall
way of No. 143 Thompson street. short
ly before six o'clock Mrs. Carmella
Ruggiero left her room on the third
floor at a few minutes after five O'Clock
to go to mass. The stairs were still
dark, but in the faint light, which came
throught the open street door. she saw
the form of person sitting on the
second step of the staircase, which
leads from the entrance hall.
The body was in such position as
to completely block Mrs. Ruggieros s
path. 1t was seated on the second step,
the shoulders rested against the steps
above. and the left hand grasped the
railing of the banisters. Mrs. Rug
geiro had by this time grown accus-
toned to the dim light and saw the
body was that of a woman. She took
the outstretched hand to place 1t by the
Womans side 50 as to make room Tor
herself to pass by. The hand was so
cold that Mrs. Ruggeiro became
alarmed and rushed to her room ana
aroused her son. Frank. He hurrledly
went down to the hall to investigate.
He struck a match and ordered the wo-
man to get up and out of the house.
When she failed to respond, he shook
her by the shoulder. The only response
was a faint groan. Then he struck
another match, and by its light saw a
pool of blood on the floor ana traii
of blood leading toward the street ooor.
A Surgeons Opinion.
Ruppeiro did not stop to investigate
further. A policeman was notihed. he
summoned an ambulance and when II
arrived the surgeon in charge decided
from a brief examination that the
woman was intoxicated and that she
was suffering from a female ailmant.
She was taken to Bellevue hospital,
where Dr. Finch made thorough ex-
animation and discovered that the wo-
man had been stabbed in the pelvic re-
gion and that there were many bruises
on her body.
The woman remained in an uncon-
scious condition until her death, which
occurred at 11.i5 a. m. The body was
taken to the morgue, where an autopsy
was performed. The result of the doc
tors investigation showed that a most
brutal murder of the type made famous
by Jack the Ripper" had been COM
mitted. The dead woman was evident
" woman of the town and was about
% years old. The body was almost COW
cred with bruises as though she had
been subjected to the most brutal treat
ment before the final assault which
caused her death. No part of the body
was free from the contusions, many of
which appeared to have been caused
by kicks. They were especially nu-
merous ON the legs and thighs
The weapon with which the wound
was made the doctors said, was either
a stiletto or a long knife sharpened to a
razor keenness. 1t might have been a
razor, but this was considered rather
unlikely, owing to the force which
would be required to force the razor
into the woman's body to make such
a wound as the one from which she
died. The weapon had penetrated to a
distance of five inches.
The Woman Identified.
Before the autopsy was performed
Carrie Williams, prisoner, who had
been assigned to Bellevue, asked to
be allowed to see the body, which she
identified as that of a woman she had
known as Alice Walsh. Carrie said
she knew of no one who was jealous OF
Alice Walsh to such an extent as tC
lead to murder
The tenants of the house where
Alice was found say they heard moth.
ing in the halls during the night that
sounded like struggle or fight One
or two of them, however, claim to have
heard from their neighbors that al
about 4.3O o'clock they were awakened
by a sound resembling a woman's
faint, gasping scream. The voice wa.
muffied, as though the woman was
being choked, or was too weak, from
fright and pain, to cry out loudly. The
tenants are mostly Italians.
The police department Immediately
went to work on the case and this af
ternoon Philip Mewley. who gave hi.
address as 154 Thompson street, wa!
arrested on suspicion of being con
cerned in the murder