The New York herald., 1920-01-14
Caught as He Stabs Passerby
in Back Near Knicker-
booker Hotel.
BROADWAY THRONGS
ALARMED BY AFFAIR
Powder, Rouge and Three Inch Knife
Found on Abraham Colt in
Police Station.

Three women were stabbed and two
others narrowly escaped the knife by a
Jack the Slasher" in front of the
knickei booker Hotel in Forty-second
street at half-past eleven O'Clock last
night when the restaurants were filling
with after-theatre crowds The man had
jackknfe with a blade three inches
long and inflicted the wounds in the
lower back of the victims. When caught
by six-foot fighting Chicago visitor, he
screamed wildly
Il have to stab 'em; have to stab en-
Ross Bergh. who is staying at the Hotel
Brevoort. was passing by the Knicker-
booker when he saw two women staggcr
and fall. He grabbed Abraham Colt.
twenty-seven years old. OF No 653 South
Nineteenth street, Newark, who was dart
ing in and out Of the crowd. Colt. who
is small, anaemic man. turned on him
and slashed at him. Bergh. In catching
the mans arm. received a superficial
wound on the right hand.
! AS Bergh subdued the slasher. John J.
Devins traffic policeman. stationed AT
Forty-second street and Broadway, ran
UP with Harold T.. Chasmar, of No. 30
Mount Morris Park West. who had sum-
moned him. Devins and Bergh slipped
handouts on Colt and he was taken
| through highly excited crowd to the
| West Thirtieth street station. Only one
of the three women who we're stabbed ap-
peared to make a complaint at the sta
| ton. She was Mrs. Emma Hughes, Of
No. So Wall street, Saint George, S. l.
Two other women, both young, slipped
into taxicabs and were rushed away from
the scene. One OF them was taken by
friends to the office OF DR.. Posinka, at
No. 22S West Forty-seventh street. DR..
Posinka later said he had treated a girl
for stab wound In the lower back near
the waistlne, but said that the women
had refused to tell her name or give her
address. The wound he said was about
an inch long and about as deep.
The wound Mrs. Hughes received was
similar. She was taken to the West Forty
seventh street station where her injury
was dressed and went fro mtherc to the
West Thirtieth street station to appear
against Colt.
The police could learn nothing OF the
identity OF the third woman.
Chasnrar, who accompanied Bergh.
Policeman Devins and the prisoner to the
station. said that he first observed Colt
making lunges az tho backs of women
while walking north in Broadway at the
side of the Knickcrbocker. lie ran to him
TO grab the man and Colt turned on him
with the open knife. Chasmar then ran
for Policeman Devins while Colt turned
cast in Forty second street He said he
did not know what became Of tho women
whom he probably saved from injury.
When Colt was taken to the station
and examined the police classcd him as
degenerate. lie was asked IL he had
stabbed any other persons. He said
that ho had. but his answers were SO
incoherent that the police could obtain
no definite statement. Colt said that
when he saw woman he instantly
wanted 10 marry her and that wheh he
realized he could not the impulse to
stab the woman came upon him and he
could not resist IL.
when searched at the station. the police
found an open Barlow knife with three
inch blade. Colt also had In his pockets
q box OF tslcum powder, a rouge jar. and
about $50 He will have hearing at JEFF
fcreon Market Court to-day.
Police do not believe there Is any con-
nection between last nights stabbing and
that of last Sunday night. when a man
ran amuck in downtown Little Italy, in
the neiehborhood OF Prince and Sullivan
streets. and attacked three men, This man
used long butcher knife, and was strong
lv enough built TO put UP successful fight
against two OF his victims and escape.