Nebraska, U.S.A.
20 April 1892
The Body of a Beautiful Woman Found in the Lake
Chicago, Ill., April 19.
At 7 o'clock this morning the horribly mutilated body of a woman was
discovered floating in the lake at the foot of Park Row. Long, wavy, dark
brown hair fell over the shoulders and down upon the forehead that is high
and well formed. Long, dark eyelashes buried the lids, which were folded
back from the sightless dark brown eyes. The nose was well formed and
delicate; the teeth were perfect and very white. The woman must have been
about 30 years of age, about five feet four inches, and weighed about 125
pounds. The arms were delicate and well formed, the tapering fingers
having on them no ring or jewel. In the opinion of the undertaker the body
had not been in the water more than three or four days.
The body was entirely nude. Both the legs had been cut off just below the knee, and there is a deep cut extending across the stomach, exposing the intestines; a cut on the left shoulder extending across the chest. Besides these, there are numerous cuts over the entire body and one finger on the right hand is only hanging by the skin.
The police are much mystified over the affair, and some think that the original Jack the Ripper is in Chicago, and that the several bodies recently found in the lake are those of his victims. One clue which the police have, although a slender one, will, they say, assist them. Yesterday two men reported at the Harrison street station that in attempting to secure the body of a woman seen floating in the lake they were unable to get a rope around the body, but with their hooks recovered a black Jersey cloth jacket that the woman wore.