Jonathan A's Atlanta's Black Jack The Ripper of 1911 Forum

[Jonathan A]

Body of Negro Woman found in Woods.

I'm baffled as to why the police attributed some murders to the Ripper, but not others.

This murder definitely seems like a Ripper affair.

The body of an unidentified negro woman apparently about 35 years old, was found in a ditch in the woods near the Southern railway tracks about a mile from Hapeville, by R,P Wood, a farmer living at Mountain View. The gruesome discovery was made about 2'o clock Thursday afternoon.

The woman's skull had been fractured near the base and her throat. She had been dead several hours. Mr. Wood notified the county police, stating to them that he was walking to Hapeville from his home when he discovered the body a few feet from the path in the woods.

Though the article doesn't state that the police suspected this of being a Ripper murder, the fact that this was a young black woman, who had her head crushed and throat cut, the fact that she was found in the woods, the fact that she was found near the railroad, makes me suspect that this could be a Ripper murder.

[Jonathan A]

Negress is found dead on the scene of ripper murder

I'm baffled as to why the police attributed some murders to the Ripper, but not others.

This murder definitely seems like a Ripper affair.

The body of an unidentified negro woman apparently about 35 years old, was found in a ditch in the woods near the Southern railway tracks about a mile from Hapeville, by R,P Wood, a farmer living at Mountain View. The gruesome discovery was made about 2'o clock Thursday afternoon.

The woman's skull had been fractured near the base and her throat. She had been dead several hours. Mr. Wood notified the county police, stating to them that he was walking to Hapeville from his home when he discovered the body a few feet from the path in the woods.

Though the article doesn't state that the police suspected this of being a Ripper murder, the fact that this was a young black woman, who had her head crushed and throat cut, the fact that she was found in the woods, the fact that she was found near the railroad, makes me suspect that this could be a Ripper murder.

Although there's no mention of police attributing the above murder to the Ripper, about a week later, there was a murder that the police suggested to be the Ripper's.
March 11, 1918.
An unidentified negro woman was murdered at the top of a densely wooded hill above the West Point Belt Line railroad in the vicinity of Grant Street. The Body was found Sunday afternoon by people living in the neighborhood.
The victim was about five foot six inches in height and weighed about 130 pounds.

Detectives state that about five years ago during the Jack-the Ripper excitement when so many negro were found murdered, that a body was found at almost exactly the same spot and no clue was found to the crime


Five years from 1918 would be 1913. I was only able to find three newspaper articles of victims killed in 1913 that were linked to the Ripper. One was in February, 1913, another was Laura Smith killed in March 1913. The last was Martha Ruffian, killed in her house in August 1913. None were found near the West Point Line. So this article may be pointing to a crime that wasn't reported in the newspaper. Needless to say, many Ripper victims were found near the West Point Belt Line.
1-Maggie Brooks
2-Unknown killed in February 1911
3-Sadie Holley
4-Mary Putnam, the victim who was found with her heart cut out near Atlanta and Stewart avenues in November 1911.
5-Mary Kate Sledge, killed in April 1912.
6-Unknown 1913
7-Unknown killed in Atlanta and Stewart Avenues, in the same area as Mary Putnam.
8-This victim.

[Jonathan A]

I'm baffled as to why the police attributed some murders to the Ripper, but not others.

This murder definitely seems like a Ripper affair.

The body of an unidentified negro woman apparently about 35 years old, was found in a ditch in the woods near the Southern railway tracks about a mile from Hapeville, by R,P Wood, a farmer living at Mountain View. The gruesome discovery was made about 2'o clock Thursday afternoon.

The woman's skull had been fractured near the base and her throat. She had been dead several hours. Mr. Wood notified the county police, stating to them that he was walking to Hapeville from his home when he discovered the body a few feet from the path in the woods.

Though the article doesn't state that the police suspected this of being a Ripper murder, the fact that this was a young black woman, who had her head crushed and throat cut, the fact that she was found in the woods, the fact that she was found near the railroad, makes me suspect that this could be a Ripper murder.

An interesting fact is that Ripper suspect, Todd Henderson lived on Hill Street near the West Point Belt Line. Maggie Brooks was killed in this area in 1910. According to Detective George Bullard, Todd Henderson lived near where "a half a dozen negroes" were killed.

[Howard Brown]

Nice work, Jon. One of these days, someone ought to get a map of metro Atlanta ( contemporary, if possible ) and we could plot out all the locations where the women were found murdered.

[Jonathan A]

1918

Thee body of an unidentified negro woman was found entangled in a wire that was holding a fish net to the Cobb County side of the Chattahoochee river, about 1 o' clock.
An investigation of the body disclosed the fact that the woman was shot through the back

Although this woman was shot, part of me wonders if she was a Ripper victim.

[Jonathan A]

Thee body of an unidentified negro woman was found entangled in a wire that was holding a fish net to the Cobb County side of the Chattahoochee river, about 1 o' clock.
An investigation of the body disclosed the fact that the woman was shot through the back

Although this woman was shot, part of me wonders if she was a Ripper victim.

Sorry, I forgot the article

[Jonathan A]

1919

Suffering from several stab wounds which she received last Sunday night by an unknown assailant, Queen Esther Jackson, a negro woman, succumbed at Grady Hospital Tuesday morning. Shortly before her death, the negro woman told the police that she had stepped into the yard to get a drink of water from the hydrant when suddenly some unknown negro stepped from the darkness and stabbed her. Her assailant made his escape.[/I]


I always wondered why there were Ripper like crimes from 1909 to 1918, but none in 1919, but one in 1920. That's until I came across this article. Although there's no mention of police attributing this crime to the Ripper, one has to wonder.

This woman was attacked on a Sunday night, many Ripper victims were murdered on Saturdays and Sundays. This was a completely random attack--the woman said that he was unknown to her which would make this a stranger homicide and possible a part of a serial murder.

[Jonathan A]

Beer bottles surround murdered's woman's body

Atlanta Constitution
February 20, 1911

The body of an unknown negro woman, about 25 years old, with head crushed, was found Sunday morning in the woods just beyond city limits near the West Point belt car line by a negro man, who notified some white people of his discovery. An inquest was held by Coroner Paul Donehoo, but the identity of the woman remains a mystery.

Scattered around the place of death were numerous beer bottles. The wound was possibly inflicted by one of these, as there was no other weapon nearby.

The crime was probably committed many hours, possibly two days before it was discovered.

[Howard Brown]

McLaughlin & Bing

Mr. Vance McLaughlin reached out and has been kind enough to share this 24 page essay on The Atlanta Ripper case which he and Robert Bing researched.

http://www.homicideresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ATLANTA_RIPPER-for-website-2013.pdf

[Jonathan A]

1924 Jack the Ripper

September 8, 1924
Another Ripper Victim Reported

An unidentified negro woman--her throat cut, a bullet wound through her brain, and her wrists and back terribly slashed--was found early Sunday night on Stewart avenue near Dill Avenue.
Police are inclined to believe that the woman, who appeared to be in the neighborhood of 30 years old, had been dead for twenty four hours. They advanced the theory that it was the work of a new "Jack the Ripper."
Several negro women have been killed within the last few months, a knife or razor being used by their slayer. Their slayers have never been found.

[Howard Brown]

Jon:

Thanks for the article......

I was unaware of this rash of killings some 10 or more years after the 'Black Jack The Ripper' skein.

Is it possible another lone murderer was at work and got under the radar ( at least on my end, because this is news to me) ?

Good work, JA !

[Jonathan A]

Jon:

Thanks for the article......

I was unaware of this rash of killings some 10 or more years after the 'Black Jack The Ripper' skein.

Is it possible another lone murderer was at work and got under the radar ( at least on my end, because this is news to me) ?

Good work, JA !

This was the second article dealing with the Ripper of 1924. The first one was mentioned in the book The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Story of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders. This is from the first article.

Police Find Victim of Another Ripper.

An unidentified negro woman, about 23 years of age, was found dead on the Southern railroad tracks early Sunday night, between Peyton Station and Chattahoochee Station.
Lieutenant J.M Carroll, of the county police force, found the woman lying alongside the tracks with a knife wound in the left temple, and evidence that a scuffle ensued.

The crime recalls the operations in and around the Atlanta a number of years ago of a mysterious Jack the Ripper who was credited with more than a dozen murders. [/I]


It could be possible that this was a second "Jack the Ripper." However when one considers the circumstances of these cases, they are remarkably similar to the old crimes. Young Black women being killed, knives being used, weekends being the preferred days for the killer. I believe it was the work of the same man. You and I have posted articles from that show that this serial killer was operating from 1909 to the 1920s. If he started in his 20s or 30s in 1909,he would be in his thirties or 40s in the 1920s, still young enough to overpower and kill women.

[Jonathan A]

This victim's clothes are said to have been piled beside her outside in an alley.....

Kane (Pa) Republican
April 9, 1912
**********

Apparently this article got it's facts wrong.
Walker County Messenger
April 19, 1912
As an example of the outrageous lies that unknown correspondents occasionally send north about the conditions and happenings in Georgia, the following story, which is appearing in many large daily newspapers in the north and west this week has worked its way back to Atlanta, where it has been denied as false.
"Atlanta's Jack the Ripper claimed his nineteenth victim," says the story, "when he lured Mary Kates, a comely 18 year old mulatto girl into an alley, cut her throat and then mutilated her body about the breast and below the waist. The mutilation was evidently done with a surgical instrument, and the slayer had some anatomical knowledge. "In no case has the murderer killed a 'black woman' and in nearly every case he has cut off and carried away a portion of the body.

The whole story, declares the Chief of Atlanta Police, is abominable and untrue. Mary Kates was not a comely 18 year old mulatto, but simply somebody's negro cook who was knocked in the head and had her throat cut by a man who had nothing to do with "Jack the Ripper cases." There was nothing whatsoever unusual about the murder. There was absolutely no mutilation of the body. The details in the story published in the north and west about cutting of the breast with surgical instrument were simply copied out of a medical Encyclopedia of the real "Jack the Ripper" who terrorized London.

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053488/1912-04-19/ed-1/seq-5/#date1=01/01/1909&nottext=&date2=12/31/1924&words=Jack+Ripper&searchType=advanced&sequence=0&index=9&proxdistance=5&rows=12&ortext=&proxtext=&andtext=jack+the+ripper&page=1

[Howard Brown]

Good work, Jonathan.....thanks for the updated information.

[Jonathan A]

Negress is found with throat cut suspect ripper

SEPTEMBER 6, 1924
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION

The badly decomposed body of a negress, apparently about 17 years old, was discovered lying face down in a vacant lot on Pryor Street near the Southern Railroad Friday night. Her throat was slashed from ear to ear and the police believe it to be the heinous work of some "Jack the Ripper."

Three negro women have been found with their throats slashed in the past two weeks. In each instance, the shoes and stockings of the victims have been removed, as well as all jewelry and finery.

Joe Harris, of 248 Glenn street, and Otis Hightower, of 228 Windsor street, negroes, discovered the body of the murdered negress Friday night about 9'o clock. They immediately notified the police and detectives already searching for the elusive "Ripper" were put on the case.