The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1891-02-21 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

SADLER'S ANTECEDENTS.  The antecedents of the accused man, Sadler, have now been ascertained to as far back as March 1887, and from this information it is indisputably shown that with half of the series of crimes attributed to the East-end miscreant he could have had absolutely nothing to do. It appears that on March 24, 1887, he joined the Georgian at Newport, and remained with her until May 5 following, when he left her in London. From this latter date until August he•wati in England, and presumably in the metropolis. It was during this period that the murders commenced, an unknown woman being found during Christmas week near Osborne and Wentworth-streets, and Martha Turner being stabbed in 39 places on Aug. 7, 1888, in some model dwellings in Commercial-street, Spite.lfields. It must be said that certainly the occurrence of these two crimes during the man's stay on land lends colour to the original suspicions; but the times of the happening of the succeeding crimes, on the other hand, supply a good answer to the suggestion. Sadler went away to sea again on Aug. 17, 1888, in the Winestead, and did not reach London until the evening of Oct. 1 following. During his absence no less than four murders were committed, two of them, strange to say, being on the morning of the day immediately preceding his arrival in the Thames. These murders were discovered on Aug. 31, in Buck'srow; on Sept. 7, in Hanbury-street, and on Sept. 30, in Mitre-square and Berner-street. In order to see if it were possible for Sadler to have left his ship so as to be in London on Sept. 30, the log-book was inspected, and this clearly showed that such a thing would have been impossible, as the vessel did not arrive until 8 o'clock on the evening of Oct. 1. During his stay after this voyage the peculiarly atrocious murder of Mary Kelly, on Nov. 9, occurred, the victim being done to death in her own room, and mutilated in a way far exceeding in complete ferocity the foregoing crimes. On May 8, 1889, having been in England for over seven months, Sadler went on another voyage, his ship this time being the Bilbao. His absence lasted until July 7. Ten days after his return the murder of Alice Mackenzie, in Castle-) ard, took place, this being the last of the Whitechapel horrors preceding the one now absorbing attention. Summing up these facts, therefore, and carefully comparing dates, it is seen that Sadler was in this country when four murders took place, and that he was absent when a similar number were perpetrated. If the widespread supposition that the crimes have It common origin is accepted, then it is self-evident that Sadler cannot be regarded as responsible for these in the slightest degree. Following his movements from the time of his leaving the Bilbao, it should be stated that on July 19, 1889, he joined the Loch Katrine, upon which he remained until Oct. 1. On the last day of the same month he was accepted as a fireman on board the Alford, leaving her on May 27 of the succeeding year at Barry, near Cardiff. His next trip was to Norway, in a similar capacity, on the Chimborazo, which, leaving London on June 16 last, returned a month later. Sadler, on Aug. 22, was engaged for the City of Amsterdam; then, on Sept. 15, for the Churton ; and, finally, on Dec. 24, for the Fez, this being the vessel upon which he remained until her return to London last week.