Early in the morning of the 17th Whitechapel was alarmed by the rumour that "Jack the Ripper" was once again abroad. At about ten minutes to one a police constable, passing down Castle alley, a turning leading into the Whitechapel road, found the dead body of a woman lying across the footway. Investigation proved that her throat had been cut, and later inquiries that her name was Alice Mackenzie, and that she was one of the poor women of the district. The inquest has not elicited the slightest clue and the inquiry has been adjourned to the 14th prox.
The week has seen a succession of "scares" arising out of the murder. It was commonly stated that a sailor had been seized and nearly lynched by the crowd while holding a knife over a woman in Aldgate, but the sailor turns out to be mythical. A "confession" was made on Friday week by a man who declared that he had not only murdered Alice Mackenzie but also the seven other unfortunate victims. As he is known to have been in South Africa at the date of the earlier murders, he is generally believed to be mad.
