The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-05-26

most prominent spot Jack the Ripper
probably loitercd in their wherca bouts
rs lie selected his Victims from the mis-
cradle procession that is ever passing
them. That his example made It's i'm
press on the ncighborhood in way
other than frightening the women is
shown by the fact that two women have
been killed in somewhat similar ways
not far from his old haunts since have
been in London. This was told 10 rlo
by reliable persons, and I visited the
scene of one of the murders on Butler
Gtreet before the crime was twenty four
hours old. Yet not word has appeared
tn the London papers about the muir
doris. The police here nre fond of keep
ing their own counsel
We went first TO a Whitcchapel lodg-
4ng house, within Il block or two of the
scene of tho first Ripper murder. 1t is
one of the few OF the old style left.
Since Jacks flashing knife attracted
che attention of the world to this dis
Strict and its conditions, most OF the
lodging houses which formerly accom-
Inodatcd men and women indiscrimin-
ately have boon forced 10 conlne their
business to one sex. but in n half
dozen or SO Of tho places tic old Gus
tom Is still permitted. on tho ground
that the homeless are as likely to be
husband aud wife as to bc single and
that they must have places to sleep.
The police watched these lodging
houses with even closer attention than
they devote TO the others, however,
and see to it that their patrons nrc not
young. The result is such Il collection
of tottcring wrecks of manhood and
toothless, grooming hags rs Dante
might have drawn ideas for his I'm
fcrno" from.
Picture Il long. low room, half filed
with benches and narrow tables. At
one side a great glow Of Goals in IL NAM
moth brazicr, over which such of the
human outcests as can find refuse food
20 eat are cooking it. Probably hun
dred people are in the place, which is
clouded by the output of many toban-
co pipes, and foulcd by the smell and
smoke which come from boue which
somo clumsy fingers have dropped ir-
reclaiinabiy into the bed OF Goals. Com
bined with the rocking odor of burn
ang flesh and bone is the rcelsing odor
of the hundred sQualid human beings.
a hundred human beings. and among
chem not one hint OF youth or beauty;
not ono person who is clean; not one
person whose clothes are other than in
the lus. stages Of dilapidaton and de-
cay; not ono face unmarked by the
vicious lines OF dcpraved age or the
Tacuous imbccility with which kind
time sometimes wipes away the traces
of bestial life. No collection of young
criminals could be half so horrible as IS
fhis gathering OF the tima-tossed scum.
Sum up the ages of the crowd and you
wiD reach an average of half cen
aury. Five hundred years of horror
aurl, in the muddled memories in this
room and look out from blear eyes ut
fhe inquisitive visitor Nothing GOOD,
hothing pure, nothing innocent, moth
sng that is not utterly ana ilrcdccma-
bly vile is here. 1t is not a pleasant
place to visit
1t was in this lodging house that we
met Murderer Mag" She gained her
name from the fact that since the very
first of the Ripper murders She has de-
voted her life TO the crude study of the
crimes The first woman killed was
her mate, and tho crime may have
turned her mind. At any rate when
ever she has had money enough to pay
the miserable rental which would So
enEe the place abe has made it nrac.