Iowa, U.S.A.
23 November 1904
Cincinnati Woman Uses Revolver and Puts Assailant to Flight
The fact that Miss Josephine Hewitt had a revolver concealed in the folds of her waist and did not hesitate to make use of it saved her from falling victim to Cincinnati's Jack the Ripper. Miss Hewitt lives in Cumminsville and her encounter with the fiend was within a few rods of the place where Mat McDonald, Lulu Mueller and Alma Steinway were slain and a dozen other girls attacked within six months. Miss Hewitt was on her way home about 10 o'clock at night when she encountered a rough looking man who appeared to have emerged from Springgrave cemetery. She was prepared and when the man made a grab for her throat she first landed a blow on his left eye and then whipped out her revolver. When her assailant saw the revolver he turned and fled, but Miss Hewitt opened fire on him and continued blazing away until every chamber of her revolver was empty. Without waiting to see whether the bullets had found their mark she ran home as fast as she could. Detectives were sent out, but they found no trace of the man.