Weekly News. — 1891-04-30 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

JACK THE RIPPER." IN NEW YORK. A terrible crime was discovered on Friday morning, the atrocious character of which has caused great popular excitement. The previous evening a cmple, who gave the names of Mr. and Mrs. Knicloi, called at a low-class resort known as the East River H.itel, and were assigned a room for the night. Nothing was heard of the couple during the night, nor irid they put in an appearance early this morning, as lodgers in such places are accustomed to do. About noon the landlord gave orders for them to be roused, but loud banging at the door failed to elicit any response. The people in the house, fearing that something was wrong, then scat for the police, and in their presence the door was forced. The first man who got in yelled out murder, and rushed from the room pale and sick. Ile had cause,for murder of the foulest description had been committed in the little room. Upon the bed lay (115 body of the woman, mutilated in the fiendish manner peculiar to Jaok the Hipper, the abdomen being ripped up, and the viscera exposed in a way which shewed that part of it had been carried away by the murderer. The face was entirely hidden, a chemise, a sheet, and a petticoat having been wound in the order named round the head. When these had been removed, the throat was found to be only slightly cut, but a stocking was tied round it tightly enough to cause suffocation. There was also a heavy knife wound in the body near the basis of the spine. The murder and mutilation had been, to all appearance, done by a heavy table knife, which, having broken in the murderer's hand, had been thrown on the floor, Where it was found by the police. The body was quite cold when found, and the surgeons are of opinion that the woman's life was taken in the small hours of the morning. But the stillness of the night was not broken by any cry for help, nor, indeed, any noise wliatsoever, and the murderer made good his escape as noiselessly as he committed the crime. The mnrderer's identity has not been established, but the police have obtained from the hotel people information upon which they have issued a description of him as "aged about 30, shabby appearance, alight build, sft. 81n. high, light complexion, sandy hair, small sandy moustache." The name of the victim has not been ascertained, and all that is known of her at present is that she frequented the district as an unfortunate. A disreputable female companion of the murdered woman has been arrested, but she was drunk when taken into custody, and cannot be questioned until she has become sober.  On the Neva the breaking-up of the ice has I wun more noteworthy and beautiful this war than ordinarily. The ice was very thick, averaging fully 301 n., and thus though warm weather set in, the ice only very gradually yielded to the spring. As blocks of ice melt they lose their hard amorphous condition, and shew the long needle-like crystals of which they are really composed; and as the noes crash against each other or against the buttresses of the stone bridges, they crumble up into thousands of long needles, which sparkle with prismatic colours in the sunshine. The curious spectacle has been seen this year of an open river at St. Petersburg with boats and steam ferries .plying, while horses and carts have been crossing the ice between Cronr:tadt and the mainland.  On Sunday morning a young man named Crofts, a clerk employed by Mr. G. A. Thorpe, at Battle, was literally knocked to pieces by the express train from Hastings, on the Sedlescombe crossing, yhile searching for goods belonging to his master. The German Government has been taking niealately to render betting more difficult. As measures have been ineffectual, an Imperial has now been issued prohibit •T races on y. It is thought that this limi ion affords ‘; best means of preventing work» • from atending races, and of ensuring rest ou Sabbath  sure!  these  decree  Sunda: