The Daily Telegraph
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1888
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THE EAST-END MURDERS. - A discovery, which is supposed to be connected with the recent murders in the metropolis, was made in Kensington on Sunday, Oct. 21, but, in consequence of the secrecy observed by the police, it has hitherto not been made known. It appears that on the afternoon of that date a lad residing in Kensington, while passing a house in Harrington-square, Gloucester-road, noticed in the garden something bright close to some shrubs, and upon entering to satisfy his curiosity discovered a sheath containing two very large knives. He took them to the police-station in the High-street, and Detective-sergeant Drew was sent to investigate the affair. It was supposed that the knives had been stolen from some of the houses in the neighbourhood, and had afterwards been thrown away by the thief through fear. On the knives, however, being submitted to Dr. Duke he pronounced them to bear stains of blood some six weeks or two months old, but whether it was human or animal blood he could not say. Detective Drew submitted the weapons, which were of a peculiar pattern, and without the makers' name, to several well-known Indian travellers, and it has been definitely ascertained that they are Ghoorka knives of the best manufacture, and exceedingly sharp. All efforts to trace the owner of the knives has failed, consequently the theory that a Malay was the perpetrator of the recent crimes in the East-end gains favour among many people, but not by the police, who "do not attach much importance to the find."
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AMERICANS "AT HOME."
[FROM OUR NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT.]
The people of Birmingham are all very much exercised over a series of mysterious murders that have taken place in that neighbourhood. They are similar in character to the Whitechapel atrocities. The victims selected are negroes. There have been four of these tragedies within the last three weeks. No motive for the crimes is apparent, and in each case the bodies of the victims have been horribly mutilated.
REMARKABLE LONGEVITY. - Yesterday morning Miss Mary Frances Rebecca Simmonds, aged 103 years, died at her residence, 99, Halton-road, Islington. The old lady retained her faculties to the last, boasted of never having been seriously ill, and that she had never resided out of Islington.
A LONDON FOG. - Yesterday morning, about nine o'clock, a dense fog suddenly enveloped the City and West-end, necessitating the use of artificial light in places of business. Traffic on the Thames was stopped, and the road service was carried on with difficulty by the drivers of cabs, omnibuses, &c., who were obliged to use their lamps as at nighttime.
NEW MINOR PLANET. - Dr. Palisa, of Vienna, discovered another minor planet (No. 280) at 1.30 a.m. on the morning of Thursday. The position then was right Ascension, 2 hours 2 min 46 sec (decreasing 1 min 8 sec daily), North Polar distance, 76 degrees 25 min 31 sec (increasing 1 min daily). It is of the 12th magnitude.
