The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-11-05

For what purpose did he acquire
this knowledge?
"Who was he? That is what want
to kncw-Who was He?"
And the Doctor rose and began to
pace the floor, hands in pockets, chin
down. thoughtful.
Now If the coroner returns a YER
dict of murder" he resumed, the
chances for catching the murderer are
few. OF course there is a possibility
that he was recognized. A wet man
always attracts some attention and it
is not impossible that evidence tend
be forthcoming.
But even supposing some such wet
man was seen near the scene OF the
accident, it would b. difficult. If not
impossible, to prove he was the muir
dercr.
III however. the coroner should de-
lay his official finding in the case and
let it be understood, unofficially, that
the verdict will be death by drowning,
then should some such man be iden-
titled as the probable rescuer, he
might be led to acknowledge his share
in the crime because he would think
no suspicion would attach where no
one was suspected. And yet
The Doctor resumed his seat.
"You have heard, of course, of the
celebrated Whitechapel murders. Did
you ever hear of anyone being convict
ed for the preparation of those muir
ders? Did you ever chance to read
any explanation for them?
We'll, no one ever was convicted
and there is an explanation an explain
d ion. 1t involves case Of mania OF
an unusual, or, rather, of a more than
ordinary type.
'YOu will remember that there were
several of these murders practically
Identical in character, close together,
and all of them committed without any
apparent motive. Robbery was not
attempted nor criminal assault. The
victims, indeed, were women of the
street and the sweepings of humanity.
But in each case there was a practical
ly identical effort at mutilation mere
ly for the sake of the mutilating.
There is a form of mania which has
periodic manifestations and is more or
less related to the subject of sex,
where the victim absolutely without
any control or power to abate, is
seized with a desire to cause physical
pain to some one of opposite sex.
1T takes different forms, varying
with the individual, and the ingenui-
ty or quality of the torture varies, Of
course, with the intelligence and here
dity of the person attacked with it.
''Sometimes it is merely the desire
to choke or strike, but 1t may Cccas-
ionally run to the use of some instru-
ment, club or knife, or, in fact, any
thing with which the maniac, is, in his
saner moment, familiar.
I'm the case of the Whitechapel
murders, the bodies had each been
hacked and cut with some fine, sharp
instrument and it was established that
! the knife used was not of the ordinary
shape or even general character.
Neither was it razor.
FINALLY it was found that the only
thing which could have been used in
! ttll VI li1Ooc NdScS do q oul ScOu SCdl-
pei.
"a very eminent surgeon had been
! npticed about the time Of these MUIR
defs to have been acting rather pecul-
!! iariy at times and though no proof
was ever found to connect him with
them, his sudden death saw an end to
the period of slaughter which had
Immediately preceded it.
1T was also established, through an
examination of the body and brain of
the deceased that there We're the
abnormal conditions present always at
tendant upon this form of mania.
Nov the person who committed
! this extraordinary crime-the killing
of Jane Dare-Was, to my way OF
thinking, not improbably some vic,
! time of such mania. That he was a
person of attainment is proved by the
extraordinary character of the crime
No one but one versed in surgery
/ would ever know that such a wound
would produce death inevitably, nor
inflicting any such unusual wound
There is but one record of a mur
der committed through such means
and this occurred in France and was
reported in a French medical journal
Of limited circulation.
"Supposing him not to have been a