A Murder Like One of the Ripper's.
Jack the Ripper or someone who closely imitates him in his butchery of fallen women in the lowest resorts, made his appearance in New York last night. At about 11 o'clock last evening, a man and a woman, the latter a drunken wretch, whose haunts were in the lowest parts of the Fourth ward across the river, applied at a dive on the southwest corner of Water street and Catharine slip for lodgings, and on a dirty book the man, who was unknown, wrote "Knicloi and wife." They went to the room at once and nothing more was thought of them until this morning. At about 10 o'clock today the individual who is known as clerk of the hotel, rapped on the door of the room occupied by the couple, but got no answer. The clerk broke in the door and the sight that met his gaze will probably never be forgotten by him. On the bed lay the woman dead, her abdomen ripped open. He ran downstairs for assistance, and the police were notified. When they reached the place and saw the body they agreed that the deed was very much like one of Jack the Ripper's murders. Part of the woman's viscera had apparently been carried off. Nobody could be found who had ever seen the woman's companion before, while everybody seemed to have known the poor wretch whose body, so horribly cut, lay upon the bed. The butchery had evidently been done with a dull broken table knife that was found on a table in the room. The woman's head was bandaged, but it was not easy to tell why. A cloth had been tied around her neck and face. Only a very imperfect description of the murderer could be given to the detectives, and no one had seen him since he went up to the room with the woman last night. He had probably escaped during the night after killing her. All that the clerk could tell was that the man was about 32 years of age, and shabbily dressed. The police arrested an old crony of the dead woman in hope that something might be learned of the stranger, but she was too drunk to talk coherently. She was locked up.
The murdered woman is about five feet in height and of slim build. Her hair is gray and her features, although bloated from dissipation, show some traces of beauty. She was dressed in dark clothes and a brown cape was found on the floor. She must have been about 60 years of age. In the room there was no evidence of a struggle. From appearances the woman must have been strangled while asleep with the cloth about her neck. Then he must have taken the knife and butchered her.
Before going to the room last night the woman went into the bar room and told Mary Mineter, one of the chambermaids, that she was the daughter of a sea captain named Charles E Brown or Breen.
