Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-05-02
THE RIPPER.
THE MYSTERY REGARDING iii
MURDERER is CLEARED.
The Perperator of the sensational
whitechapel Murders Was Once n
Prominent London Physician-A DR..
Jeckyl and Mr.. Hyde.

San Francisco, April 26.-Dr. How
ard, a London physician of considera-
BILE prominence, was the guest Of WILL
lam Greer Harrison at the Bohemian
| club recently. The Englishman told
a singular story to his host, and
youched for 1t In every particular. It
related to the mystery Of Jack the
Ripper" which the physician de-
clared was no longer a mystery
among the scientific men OF London,
nor the detectives OF Scotland Yard.
He said that this assassin was a med
ical man of high standing and ex-
t~ensive practice. He was married TO
a beautiful and amiable wife, and
had a family. Shortly before the be-
ginning Of the Whitechapel murders
he developed a peculiar, and TO his
wife, inexpllcable mania-an unnatur-
al pleasure In causing pain. She grew
so alarmed that she became afraid of
him, and locked herself and children
up when she saw the mood coming
over him.
When he recovered from the
parOxysms and she spoke to him
about II, he laughed at her fears.
Then the Wh~itechapel murders filed
London with horror. The suspicious
OF the wife were aroused, and as
one assassination succeeded another
h noted with heartbreaking dread
that at the periods when these muir
ders were supposed to have been com
mitted her husband was invariably
absent from home. At last the sus-
/ pense and fear of the wretched wife
became ~unbearabre and she went to
n few of her husbands medical
friends, stated the case and asked
their advice and assistance.
Placed in IN Asyinn.
They called the Scotland Yark force
to assist them, and by adding one
fact to another the chain of evidence
pointing to the doctor as the author
of the murders became complete. The
physicians visited the murderer and
told him they wished to consult him
about a remarkable case. They stated
his own in detail and asked him what
should be done under the circum-
stances. He replied that while the
u~nmistakable insanity of the person
who could commit these crimes would
save him from the halter, he should
certainly be confined in a lunatic
asylum. Then they told him that he
himself was the maniac who had done
these dreadful acts. He declared the
impOSsibility of the accusation, but
confessed that of late years there
were gaps of twenty-four hours In
which he positively had no recollec-
ton. He said he had awakened in
his rooms, as if from a stupor, and
he found blood on his boots and
stains of blood on his hands. He had
also scratches upon his face, and his
amputating knives had shown signs
Of use, though he could o recall
having assisted at any operation.
These doctors then assured him
there could be no doubt of his identi-
ty with the Whitechapel assassin.
They made an exhaustive search Of
the house, led by the accused. and
found ample proof of the murders,
and the unhappy mar whose mind at
that moment was in its normal and
clear condition, begged to be re-
moved from the world as a guilty and
dangerous monster. The necessary
papers We're made out and the ire
sponsible murderer was committed
TO an insane asylum. In n month or
so he lost all semblance Of sanity, and
Is now the most ~intractible and
dangerous mailman confined in the in
stitution.