Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-01

about come to believe that second '.Jack
the Slasher' had appeared. Closely follow
ing their depredaticns came man with
supposed disordered brain who ruined fine
garments by throwing Ink. He operated
only few days. however. There were
many shooting and cutting affairs to claim
the attention Of the police, and while In
some OF the minor cases prosecutions were
not had there was only one serious case
which puzzled the sleuths That was the
case OF the colored woman Catherine Jor-
dan. who was murdered in her house in
Hiflsdale. the night before Christmas Mrs.
Ada Gilbert Dennis who was so seriously
assaulted In December, 1901. died the lat
ter part OF October last and Richard Cole.
eelored, who was employed as a porter in
her house. was held by the coroner's jury,
but was later released, as the prosecuting
officers Were satisfied there was nothing to
show his guilt. Elijah Chapman, colored,
started in the year by stabbing Ida Simms
to death In South Washington. He paid the
death penalty on the scaffold for his crime,
being the only one Of a number OF muir
derers to receive the maximum penalty to
be put in effect during the year. John st.
Clair. also colored, who shot and killed
DAISY Maddox. Is to be executed next
month. St Clair IS the son of a minister
and Is the second of the preachers sons to
pay the death penalty for murder. Charles
Thorn and Benjamin Hill. both white, shot
and killed their wives. The crimes were
liar crimes committed during the year.
Thon was tried and to the surprise OF many
people who watched the proceedings a YER
dict OF granddaughter was rendered. He
VIII serve a term in. the penitentiary. Hill
has not yet been tried. The most sensa-
tlonal case of the year involved the arrest
OF DR.. Charles e. Hagner. after an inquest
had been held on the body of child that
was found in Goat alley. Death occurred
few hours after the newborn infant was
round. It was the doctors idea that life
was extinct when he deposited the infant
In the alley, and he was surprised when he
ctynI fI<,n hDr
case which attracted some attention in
volved the murder Of Miss Amelia Fisher
and the suicide Of her slayer, William
Dougherty. The young people were en-
Dougherty used his revolver with such tell
ing ERECT because the woman had said she
would have nothing more to do with him.
The murder Of Joseph Cato by William H.
Matchett was also of a sensational char
acter. Machett. who was printer, alleged
that Cato had wronged his daughter. He
went to the barber shop Of Cato on Penn
sylvania avenue the night of the 7th of
October and shot him to DEATH Miss Nellie
Shtpman, government printing Office en-
pioye, was accused Of having shot and bad
~ wounded her father. The charge was
ignored by the grand jury.
The destruction OF the Jackson CITY gam
bling Joints also interested the people OF
this city. John Nelson was arrested and
tried FOR alleged arson and acquitted. At
Rosslyn a soldier from fort Myer was shot
in a saloon and the saloon was afterward
raided by crowd OF troopers and wrecked.
The body of Lewis Turner, a former resi-
dent OF Charles county, was found in the
woods several miles below Anacostia about
the last of April 1t was supposed that he
had been murdered, but the conclusion az
terward reached was that the man took his
own HE. During the early part Of May the
DEAD body of William Smith was found in
the woods near Occoquan, Va, and Wash
f. ngton detectives made an Investigation of
the case Relatives Of the dead man thought
ne mad been murdered and an arrest was
mace, but the man who was arrested was
acquitted. Local detectives also participat-
ed In the Investigation Of the killing of
thornton Cooper. colored, near Muirkirk,
MIG. Harry Warner was arrested for the
cruhe and sentenced to the penitentiary.
7 Suicides.
Suicides during the year averaged about
three month Policeman Eppa H. Berry
man was the first Washingtonian to take
his life during the twelve months. The
fourth. day of January he shot himself at
\ his home in South Washington Sickness
was what prompted the deed The next
case OF se1f-destruction did not occur until
Eebruary 3, when Mrs. Frances Bostwick
enoeo her existence with a pair Of scissors.
\ Sne stabbed herself in q public park and
died In the insane asylum. Mrs. Kate Muir
phy came next. She was an inmate of St.
Elfzabeth's when she ended her life by
hanging. This occurred about the latter
part of March. Two other cases occurred
before the end Of the month, the victims
being Jesse II. Arnold, who took poison, and
John H Rollins, who inhaled gas. Three
persons committed suicide in the month of
April. Luke Seay took poison, J. A. Per-
rine of Brooklyn shot himself and Arturo
Loiio also used revolver. Loilo enacted
City, and his body had been in the woods
several days before 1t was found. George
Meinekheim, Nottingham Smoot and
Lewis Davis became tired of life during the
| n md V,opr IN So
oner Two violent deaths from self-admn-
istered drugs occurred In June. George 8.
Green and George E. Ernest, the victims,
took poison. Miss Rhoda Richie an in
mate of the insane asylum executed her
self the 7th OF July, and ten days later Geo.
T. Johnston used a pistol with deadly eff
feet. DR.. Eugene Grisson, an elderly resi-
dent Of Northeast Washington, and Mrs.
Cora v. Cox of Giesboro' shot and killed
themselves before the last of the month.
The next month Edward Lally, an inmate
of Soldiers Home, drowned himself in the
lake in the home grounds, and Clarence
Coleman, colored, shot himself. Coleman
was only sixteen years old. He killed him
self because he had been corrected for some
alleged misconduct. Bessie Ford. colored;
William B. Johnson and John W. Gorrie
made up the suicide record for September.
The woman took poison, as did Gorrie,
while johnson cut his throat. johnson was
department clerk and veteran, whose act
was the result of illness. Seven persons
ended their respondent lives in October.
One OF these was William Dougherty, who
committed murder before taking his own
life Three Of the victims ended their lives
by hanging. They were Edward Krantz,
the church sexton, whose lifeless body was
found In the tower of Trinity Methodist
Church; George H. Cooper. department
clerk, and Lena Dammyer, a waitress.
Georgiana Chamberlain took carbolic acid
and George w. Meyers cut his throat. DR..
William G. Roe killed himself a few
months after he was married. He had been
sick for a long time and used a pistol as
the means of ending his troubles. Patrick
Donovan ended his earthly career at the in
sane asylum. He was found hanging in the
institution about six weeks ago. Florance
Mccarthy was the last one to end his life.
He took poison. During the year great
many cases of attempted suicide were re-
ported by the police and number Of VIC
Tins were treated at the different hospitals.
Accidents.
From the first day Of the year until the
last hour OF the last day the police were
reporting accidents Of various kinds The
first serious accident of the year involved
the loss Of the life Of William FOCUS. He
was the victim Of an explosion Of a boiler
In 10th street residence A number OF
persons lost their lives in the river either
about the city or at points several miles
distant James Ryan of the army was the
first river victim. William washington.