ANOTHER MURDER EXPECTED
A reporter called on Dr. Winslow on Tuesday, and was shown the letters and its envelope which had been received from "Jack the Ripper". The writer, whoever he was, had not the courtesy to prepay his letter, and Dr. Forbes Winslow found himself indebted in the sum of twopence to pay for the privilege of receiving the communication. The letter is written on a half sheet of cheap note-paper, and reads:-
"This week you will hear of me.It is written in a round, upright hand and though its calligraphy is firm, an examination of it leads to the conclusion that it was penned by one who is not accustomed to use a pen habitually. The writing is distinct, with an almost complete absence of flourish, and has evidently been written carefully and with deliberation. The address on the envelope is written in a fashion that would indicate it had been penned more rapidly and with less care than the letter itself. The postmark discloses one remarkable fact. The letters that have hitherto been received have generally borne the mark of one of the City Post Offices or one of the East End. This bears the post-mark of the Western district office. Further, it was received on Monday morning. The date of the post-mark shows that it was posted on Monday morning. The sender, therefore, must have been abroad in that district after Sunday at midnight. The man whom Dr. Forbes Winslow suspected, and still suspects, lived in the Western postal district. He, too, was in the habit of being out late at night. "What do you think of the letter?" the reporter asked the doctor.
"I think it is a genuine letter."
"Do you mean you think it was sent by the man - presuming the individual to be a man - who committed the murders in Whitechapel? Do you think any result will follow?"
"I think we shall hear of another murder in the East End in a few days. There will very likely be another murder within a week. Look here," continued the doctor, showing the letter, "this smudge on it is undoubtedly blood, as though the writer had made a small cut on his finger, and had smeared the paper with the blood." Then a magnifying glass was produced, and with its aid the smudge was scrutinised.
"It is blood, but I cannot say that it is human blood," continued the doctor. "Further examination is necessary to settle that point."
Dr. Forbes Winslow said he had written to the police informing them of the receipt of the letter, and he expressed surprise that no one from Scotland Yard had been to see him to inquire about it.
"Scotsman" - 12th October.
