The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-25


let him dress as woman-not too
swell. but like the Whitechapel wo-
men ard patrol the streets and alleys
and yards.
We VIII follow him up-haye our
guns ready watch. and. if he is &C
cOsted, close in on the man-and that
is the only way Jack the Ripper VIII
ever be caught"
Needless to say, [ didn't look at the
scheme n quite the same optimistic
light that my friend King did, as the
fact was evident that the women who
had been killed had never had time TO
even utter cry.
I was not so sure whether it would
be Jack the Ripper" or 1 who would
get it,"
Well. we sat discussing the plan un-
til daylight, and they finally persuaded
me that it was my duty to 90 maSquer-
aiding through Whitechapel-a perilous
errand, mind yOu-prOVided i was given
permission by Sir Charles Warren TO
carry a revolver or a knife, to defend
myself. Incidentally, too, there was the
question of the $25,00O reward, beside
the glory and renown to be attained.
In Skirts and Wig.
Al : O'Clock in the morning I was at
the shop Of Madame Auguste, q sister
of the late Sir Augustus Harris. She
was the best costumer in London. and
had furnished me many dresses for the
parts / had played. She entered into
the plan enthusiastically, fixing me up
with hat, waist and skirt. c. H. Fox,
a noted perruquier of King street, Co
vent Garden, got up a wig for me at
short notice. By o'clock in the after
noon 1 was duly rugged out and looked
like a healthy country girl 1 had
slit made on the right side Of my skirt
that opened on a leather holster, which
was 70 hold the revolver, q hammer
2 VII I
brought from America.
Meantime while I was cOntriving
the costume, *he boys were arranging
for a permit for my appearance and for
permission to carry firearms. Warren,
the chief of police thought a great
deal of the scheme. but considered that
there was great risk attached to it. He
willingly gave the permit for my COS
tune so far as the police authorities
were concerned, but absolutely refused
the permit 70 carry arms.
Nothing haunted. I went down to
Scotland Yard and told my story to
Marshall, one of the most famous de-
tectives in England. He assured me
that the permit to pass the police lines
would also include a defensive weapon,
and told me to go ahead.
On a Perilous Mission.
1t was the night Of Oct. ., 1888. that
I left the Globe theatre, where I was
playing, and started on my perilous but
extremely fascinating undertaking. It
was 1890 o'clock, and King and Ell
lott. fellow Americans whom I have
mentioned, were with me. I was fully
equipped. My revolver I could feel
pressing against my thigh at every
step. I reached through the slit I had
made in nv dress and found the re-
vOlver ready for use. 1t was arranged
on a swivel, by which I could turn it
{ in 4 nd ef7 my
skirt in such fashion as L pleased, and
at q moments notice.
cannot quite describe my sensa-
tons 7 was all excitement through
holding myself down and displaying no
treDidatiOn. I knew the great risk
ran I was to become a target. I -
going out to be klled-unless I she
prove quicker with my revolver than
the Ripper was with his knife, and
his awful sWiftness and certainty with
that weapon were indisputabie.
Start For the Slums.
Well. at the Globe theatre we en-
tered a bus went through the Strand
into Fleet street, TO Ludgate Hill,
| through St. PauFs churchyard, into
| Whitechapel- At Commercial road we
alighted and then began our quest.
! We entered a couple Of pubs" near
Spitalsfield market. went into the wo-
mems bar and mingled with the many
habitues of the crowded grOggery.
attracted some attention from the wO-
men, but the men paid no attention TO
me. Out into the street again, over
| through the market and then into the
slums and news of the wickedest part
of London.
To be sure my friends. dressed as
sailors and rolling along drunkenly as
if they were tars just given shore
leave and out for a holiday, followed
me closely. But they We're always
twenty or more yards behind me, and
I kept my hand on my revolver and
/ thought Of the Ripper and his swift
/ work.
was a plain country hussy, not over
particular as to neatness and willing
to drink with any of the hardened
male debaucheeS whom I met. I made
my second stop at a pub called THE
| Twin Anchors 7 pretended to be con-
siderably under the influence of liquor.
7 called to the men to come and drink
with me. They did SO. without COM
ment They were meanly dressed and
dirty, but they made no effort of af-
front. Ny two watchful trailers halted
and put in the time bantering two wo-
men of the streets
Failed to Find Trouble.
After I got my drink and found that
I nobody had any indignities or insults
{ TO offer. I reeled along the puriieus OF
/ ignorance, filth and vice. working my
/ way through the Whitechapel district
But 1 want to say now. and I re-
4 marked it with establishment at the
/ time. that not once during the entire
/ fortnight which I gave to this work
/ was ! offered insult. or even accosted
! by the best or the worst of those de-
! bauched denizens Of that horribly dirty
and most vicious and uncontrolled dis
/ trict.
The sights l. saw would disgust a
! satyr. The drunkenness. the wanton-
ness. the vileness. the foul language
| and utter depravity of the Whitechape
| district are things I viii never forget
Whitechapel, you know. has no cOun-
terpart in any other country. This
/ great p0pulOus home eff the debaucheC
| is a perfect labyrinth of twisting al
/ leyWays. queer-shaped courts blind
/ passages and all sorts of odd hooks and
l corners. II is easy to get lost there
/ and one might wander for days wish
/ out encOuntering a familiar locality tc
/ guide ham back to his starting point.
hid Scenes Of Squalor.
In these courts and narrow passages
/ thousands OF hucksters and peddler.
! back their wagons at night. In many
/ places these vehicles are so closet,
packed together that it takes ten min
/ utes to wind among them for the sDact
/ of 2 square. The entire district is a
/ uipaf raawfanf14v "a HarNo~ -,