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Mitchell Daily Republican
South Dakota, USA
23 January 1889

JACK AT WORK AGAIN

The Terrible Whitechapel Fiend Transfers His Field of Operations to Jamaica

Three Victims Added to His Awful List from the Low Women of the Island

Kingston Authorities as Helpless as Were Those of London - Fourteen More to Die

New York, Jan 23.
The Sun says:
"The crews of the various steamers plying between this city and Kingston, Jamaica, are telling fearful stories of crimes committed in Spanish Town, a village near Kingston. The first of a series of diabolical and mysterious murders took place, so the sailors say, Nov, 28 1888, in St. Catherine's parish, a few miles distnt from Spanish Town. The victim was a negress of the lowest and most vicious class, whose name has never been discovered. She was found early in the morning, lying in a fence corner by the roadside, her throat cut from ear to ear, her cheeks, nose and forehead slashed in a manner that would indicate it to be the work of a skillful butcher. Her clothing had, as in the cases of nearly all the Whitechapel murders, been thrown over her head, and the little crowd which had gathered there upon the discovery of the body were horrified to see that it had been mutilated exactly as had been done in the London cases.

If anything further had been needed to make the horror-stricken crowd attribte the crime to the Whitechapel fiend it was found on a card pinned to the unfortunate woman's body by the blade of a small penknife. The card bore the inscription: "Jack the Ripper. Fourteen more then I quit."

Of course a diligent search was made for the murderer but he was not found.

On the morning of Dec. 13, in a field, lying by and partially concealed under and old shed, was found a second body. In this case the woman was a notorious creature of the lowest class, a negress called "Mag." Her wounds were of the same nature as those inflicted upon the other. The authorities made a hurried investigation and burried (sic) the body as speedily as possible, giving no one an opportunity to examine it. No mention of the crime was made in the newspapers at the time, the officials endeavoring by every means in their power to hush the matter up and have it talked about as little as possible. No trace was ever found of the murderer, and it was forgotten save by the wretched women who belong to that class among which the unfortunates moved.

The third body was found on the Friday before New Years day. This time the newspapers were compelled to notice the discovery. The scene of this third murder was about midway between the places where the former discoveries had been made, and the sailors insist that the crime was in every way an alogus (sic) to the others.

There are comparatively few women of this class about Kingston or Spanish Town; but those who do live there are in a state of abject terror. The murderer has eluded the authorities, and sailors expect to hear of further atrocities on their return.


Related pages:
  Jamaica Ripper
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       Press Reports: Daily Gleaner - 16 January 1889 
       Press Reports: Daily Gleaner - 24 January 1889 
       Press Reports: Daily Gleaner - 31 December 1888 
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       Press Reports: Evening Express - 29 December 1888 
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       Press Reports: Mitchell Daily Republican - 13 February 1889 
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