Sailor Arrested Not JTR

"LYNCH HIM."

A Sailor Caught Stabbing a Woman in London and Roughly Handled by the Mob.

London, 20th. - The man arrested on suspicion of being the Whitechapel murderer is not Jack the Ripper. The police tonight say he is only a drunken lunatic, and they attach no importance to his confession. He will be arraigned tomorrow on a charge of vagabondism.

New York, 20th. - The WORLD'S London special says: "At 3:30 this morning another murder of the "Jack the Ripper" class, and the capture of the murderer is reported. This last crime occurred just outside the Whitechapel district, near London Bridge. The shrieks of a woman were heard from the rear of St. George's buildings. The police caught the man as he was running away, knife in hand. It is reported that the woman's throat was cut and the body mutilated."

Another despatch to the WORLD says:
Towards midnight the life of another woman was attempted close by Castle Alley. A woman and man were seen to approach a dark portion of the thoroughfare near the Aldgate East station. The pair did not remain long on the corner before the woman was heard to cry, "No, I won't." The remark was addressed to a dark man of medium height with a slouch hat and of foreign appearance. The man seized her, dragged her a short distance, flung her upon the curbstone and produced a dagger. Screams of "Jack the Ripper" and of "murder" attracted crowds of men and women from all directions. Among the first arrivals at the scene were several members of the local vigilance association which has resumed work. Before the man had time to go far he was seized, and a dreadful struggle ensued. He had a long knife in his hand, and it was some time before he could be deprived of it. Eventually it was taken from him. Even then his fight for liberty was of a most determined nature. In the midst of the fray the woman crawled away. Police whistles were heard in all directions. A great number of officials both of the city and metropolitan forces appeared on the scene.
When the police reached the spot, the man was cut and bleeding profusely from wounds inflicted by the crowd who had raised the cry of "Lynch him," and were throwing all kinds of missiles at the prisoner. Under a strong escort of police he was got to the Police Station where he was charged. In reply he said, "The woman robbed me." When asked why he drew the dagger, he replied that he had done so in self defense. He said he was a sailor, and gave a Scotch name, adding that he had arrived from South Shields a week ago. When asked where he was on the morning of the 17th inst., he could not say. He did not know where he had stayed while in London. A small knife was found in his possession, together with his seaman's discharge papers.

Source: The Ottawa Daily Citizen, July 22, 1889