The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1888-09-15 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

BOARD OF GUARDIANS.  DIABOLICAL MURDER IN LONDON. FIFTEEN MORE DOOMED.  On Saturday morning it was found that another murder, far more diabolical and fiendish than those that have preceded it, had been perpetrated on a woman of the same clrs as the poor wretch who was found in Buck's-row on Friday week. The victim in this case was discovered about aquarter to foir lying in a back yard at the foot of the passage leading into a lodging-house, No. 29, Hanbury- street, formerly Old Brown's-lane, Spite!fields. The house is occupied by a Mrs. Emelia Richardson, who lets it out to various lodgers; and it seems that the door which admits into the passage, at the foot of which lies the yard, where the body was found; is always open, for the convenience of the lodgers. A Mr. and Mrs. Daxls occupy the upper storey (the house consisting of three storeys), and a Mr. Davis was going to work at the time mentioned he found a woman lying on her back, close up to the flight of steps leading into the yard. Her throat was cut open in a fearful manner—so deep, in fact, that the murderer, thinking he had severed the head from the body, tiA a handkerchief round it so as to keep it on. It was also found that her abdomen had been completely ripped open, and the bowels, heart, and entrails were lying at her side. The fiendish work was complete d by the murderer tying part of the entrails round the poor victim's neck and head. The spot on which she was lying was covered with clots of thick blood, most horrible to look at. The supposition finds ready acceptance that the poor woman was murdered outside, and taken into this yard by those who knew the place well. This is upheld by the fact that spots of blood are lying thick in the narrow passage leading from the street into the yard, while the blood marks where the body was found must have been caused by its being deposited there, there being no signs of any struggle having taken place in the vicinity. Davis immediately communicated with the police at the Commercial-street station, and Inspector Chandler and several constables anived on the scene in a short time, when they found the woman in the condition described. Even at this early hour the news spread quickly, and great excitement prevailed among the occupants of the adjoining houses; and an excited crowd gathered in front of Mrs Richard. son's house, and also round the mortuary in Montaguestreet, whither the body was quickly removed. As the corpse lay in the rough coffin In which it was placed in the mortuary—the same coffin iu which the unfortunate Mrs Nicholls was out—it presented an appearance which could not but evoke pity for the victim and indignation at the brutal murder to an extreme degree. The body is that of a woman evidently of about 45 years of age; the height is 51t. exactly; the complexion is fair, with wavy dark brown hair; the eyes are blue, and two teeth have been knocked out in the lower jaw. The nose is rather large and prominent; the third finger of the left hand bore signs of rings haviog been wrenched off it; and the hands and arms were considerably bruised. Emelia Richardson, the woman who rents the house, states that the murder was beyond all description in its horrible details. The belly had fairly been ripped open, it seemed to her, by the baud of some fiend or maniac, who gloated in the horribleness of the deed. The deceased had laced-up boots and striped stockings. She bad on two cotton petticoats, and was otherwise respectably dressed. Nothing was found in her pockets but a handkerchief and two small combs. The woman was known amoog her companions as "Dark Annie, " and gave her nude as Annie Liffey. She was a prostitute, and had been recently living at a common lodging-house at Dorset-street, which is near by the scene of the atrocious crime. The deceased formerly lived with a sieve maker in the East End of London as his wife. The excitement in the district grows in intensity as the day draws on. Crowds have gathered at various points in the vicinity, and the prevalent feeling is one bordering upon panic. On the wall of the yard where the body was discovered words were found to be written, " Five-15 more, and then I give myself up."