The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-09
REIGN OF TERROR.
Paterson Greatly Excited
By Coles Attack Upon
Miss Van Ripen.
DID HE KILL MARY SULLIVAN ?
Sermons on the Awful Tragedy
The Prisoner Held in
$4,000 Bail.
DID He KILL MARY SULLIVAN /?
Special to The Jerseu ctr, Ns,rs.

PATERSON, March 9, 1S96--It is prob
able that the murderer of Mary II. Sulli-
van will never be known. Almost five
days have passed since the young woman
was found dying in the streets of this
city. and no clew has yet been obtained
that offers the least chance of her assail-
ant being found. One thing has been
pretty well established, because of the
brutality of the crime and the apparent
lack of motive-the murder was the work
of crazy man.
The fact that Nicholas Cole was arrest
ed last night for assaulting Miss Lucy
Van Reiper near the scene of the murder
does not bring the mystery any nearer
solution. Cole is sane man. The man
who assaulted Miss Van Reiper was
crazy, it is believed. If the assailant of
MISS Sullivan was sane man it is highly
improbable that he would attack another
woman in the same neighborhood when
the citizens were in a most excitable state
There is talk Of lynehing if the mur-
derer is captured
Some of the clergymen yesterday preached
rather infiammatory sermons. But it
is unlikely that the citizens of Paterson
will be called upon to decide whether or
not there shall be a lynehing, for there
is little chance of any person being
caught against whom there would be suffi-
cient evidence to warrant the public met
ing out punishment without recourse to
law And should such a contingency
arise by any chance, it is probable that the
law would be allowed to take its course.
The effort of a Paterson physician and
photographer to obtain a likeness of the
murderer by taking a photograph of the
eye bordered on the ridiculous. Miss
Sullivan died four hours after she was
attacked, and frequently opened her un-
injured eye as she lay in the hospital.
Yet the authorities took this effort seri-
ously. No result was obtained, of course.
There is good deal of Indignation over
the assault on Miss Van Reiper, and
Nicholas Cole. the silk manufacturer who
was arrested for the crime, realizes that
he is in a very unpleasant position
Miss Van Reiper is twenty-five years
old, and lives at No. 725 East Twenty
eighth street. She was returning home
from a visit to her aunt at Broadway
and East Eighteenth street at 6:15 O'Clock
last Ia evening. When at Eighteenth and
Ellison streets she was seized by man
who, she says, tried to embrace her, and
When she struggled, bit her and struck
her her Il twios " She screamed and called
ern. William Smith and half a dozen
other men living close by heard her, and
running out of their houses chased the
in the chase. and caught the man in the
yard Of Elmore W: Lees grocery.
Rene, spae, Mnen eslad confronted ba by Miss Van
again. He said heY had mistaken her for
another woman. with whom ne had an
appointment. This woman he said was
Annie Dunn. He was locked up on a
charge of assault with criminal intent
1t was learned that Cole had been with
the woman he mentioned but she denied
the street. Cole is a.. married man, 1.
years old. He does not live with his
| Cole was arraigned before Recorder
Senior today and was held in 81 1000 bail
| for examination. The charge against him
was assault with attempt to murder
| slightest. connection with the Sullivan
case. The arraignment attracted a great
crowd of persons to the court, for there
have have been bee 50 many women assaulted
interest was attached to Coles case
Cole IS member of the firm of Cole &
| Nightingale, silk manufacturers. The
concern has been making money of late
| and Cole is said to have been spendine
money freely. He is a stoclzily built mar
about , feet I inches in height, and has
| dark hair and clean shaven face.
| Miss Van Ripper was in Recorder Seniors
| private room this morning during the ar.
1 the assault.
/ She said she had been visiting an aunt
and at Is O'Clock started home She was
| walking along Eighteenth street Wher
she saw a man running down the stree
after her. At first she was frightened
but then she laughed at her fears She
/ seized by the throat from behind She
struggled free from her assailants ans
/ screamed. He struck her two blows or
/ the eyes and she cried "Murderi' sPo
ice!, The man then ran away and was
caught, as stated. Miss Van Reipei
identified Cole in court as the man who