The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1888-11-17 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

CONITS6TON.  Mr Matthew Packer, the fruiterer who sold some grapes to is man in company with the murdered woman just before the Berner-street murder, has made the following extraordinary statement ' On Tuesday evening two men came to my house and fought 12s worth of rahhits of me. They then asked me if I could give an e xact descript:on of the man to whom I sold the grapes, and who was supposed to have committed the Berner-street and Mitre•square murc'ers, as they were convinced they knew him and where to find him In reply to some questions, one of the men then said, • Well, I ism sorry to etty that I firmly believe it is my own cousin. He is an Englishman by birth, but some time ago he went to America, stayed there & few years, and then came Lack to Loudon about Reven or eight mouths ago. On his return he came to see me, and ins first words were, "Well, Boss, how are you ?" He asked me to have some walks out with him, and I did round Commercial-street and Whitechspel. I found that he was very much I altered on his return, for he was a thorough barum searum. We met a lot of White. chapel women, and when we passed them he used to say to me, "Do you see those ? How do you think we used to serve them where I came from? Why, we used to cut their throats and rip them up. I could rip one of them up and get her inside out in no time." Ile said, "We Jack Ilippers killed I lots of women over there. You will hear of some I of it being done over here soon, fqr I am going to turn s London Jack Ilipper," The man I added, 'I did not take much notice then of what he said, as he had had a drop of drink. and I thought it was only his swagger and bounce of what he had been doing in America, lat some place which he mentioned, I but I forgot the name ; but,' continued the man, 'when I heard of the first woman being murdered and stabbed all over I then began to be very uneasy, and to wonder whether he malty was carrying out his threats. I did not, however, like to say anything about him, as he is my own cousin. Then, as one mut, der followed after another, I felt that I could I scarcely rest. He is a perfect moister towards women, especially when he has a drop of drink. But in addition to what he said to me about these murders in America, and what was going to be done here, I feel certain it is him, because of the way these Jack Pipper letters which have appeared in the papers begin. They all begin " Dear Boss," and that is just the way he begins his letters. He calls everybody " Boss " when he sneaks to them. I did not want to say anything about him if I could help it, so I wrote to him, bit he did not answer my letter. E'ince this last murder I have felt that I could net remain silent any longer, for at least something ought to be done to put him under restraint,'"  Packer states he feels aura the men are speak ng the truth, as they seemed very much con. corned, and hardly knew what to do in the matter. He knows where to find the men. One is employed at some ironworks and the other at the West India Docks, and the man they allude to lives somewhere in the teighbournood of Whitechapel. The reporter to whom the above statement was made at once sent off a copy of it to the Home Secretary, and also to Sir William Fraser, the Chief Commissioner of the City Police. Sir Wil• liato Fraser immediately acted on the informs, tion, and sent Detective-Sergeants White and Mitchell to investigate it. They read the letter to Packer, who said it was true, and then took ' the detectives to the man's house. On being questioned by the police he stated where his cousin was generally to be found. It transpired that he is sometimes engaged on the Thames, land late on Wednesday night a search was, it is ! said, being made for him upon the river.