Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-02
JACK THE RIPPER
MYSTERY SOLVED
Man a Maniac and a Suicide
His Identity Known by the
Police of London.

London, July 1.-The fact that
Jack the Ripper" the man who ter
rorized the East End by the murder of
seven women during 1883. committed
suicide is now revealed by Sir Mel
vile Macnaghten, head of the GRIM
inal investigation department, who
has just retired after twenty-four
years service.
Frankly" he said, II am sorry to
leave the force. l love the work and
it will be wrench to give it up, but
still, when one reaches 60 it is time
TO make room for Others"
Although he shrinks from publicity,
Sir Melville during the ten years he
has been head of the &c. l. D." has
broken down the barrier of secrecy
between the police and the press. 81
realize that five times out of six the
press can be of the greatest assistance
to detective in his Investigation
There was no case of murder and
no important burglary during his time
which he did not personally investi-
gate. Sir Melville confessed that the
greatest regret of his life was that
he joined the force six months after
Jack the Ripper" committed suicide
That remarkable man." he said, was
one of the most fascinating of GRIM
inals. OF course, he was a manaic,
but | have a clear idea who he was
and how he committed suicide, but
that, with other secrets, will never
be revealed by me-
Il have destroyed all my documents
and there is now no record of the
secret information which came into
my possession at one time or another.
/ Today for the first time since joined
/ the force On May "a, 1889. l know
what it is to be free from my official
cares, and l shall certainly not write
any "reminiscences.
During the last ten years." remark
ed Sir Melville, there have been few
! crimes for which no one has been
brought to justice, although the Camp
murder was one. The detectives OF
today are as good as ever they were,
and l am proud to say that with the
exception of Mr.. Patrick Quinn, super.
intendent of the special branch, and
Mr.. John Mccarthy, superintendent
of the C. l. D. there is not an officer
serving at present whom l have not
introduced to the force.
1.-THE attributes of an ideal detective
are to keep his eyes and ears open
and his mouth shut. What class oil
men makes the best detective it Is
impossible to say. A man to be a sue
cessful sleuth must be born with the
detective instinct You can't make de
; tective unless he has got the neces
sary ability in him. One of the finest
detectives l ever knew was at one
! time a farm hand"
Sir Melville regards the develop
ment of the system of identification
by finger prints as the most notable
: achievement in crime detection dur
: ing his experience. This wonderful
system is due entirely to Sir Edward
: Henry, the commissioner, although
many people persist in the belief tina
it is modelled on that of the French
man, Bertillon.
The latter is anthropological AM
much too intricate to teach to tn
ordinary prison warder. The frs
time Sir Edward Henrys system cam
to the front Was In the Stratton case
in which two brothers murdered
: shop keeper and his wife. They lef
what discovered to De . finger prin
on cashbox, and as the result Of m.
discovery they were hanged"