Attempt On Emma Johnson

ANOTHER WHITECHAPEL OUTRAGE.

A WOMAN'S THROAT CUT.

The neighbourhood of Pearl-street, Whitechapel, was, last night, thrown into a state of keen excitement by rumours of another outrage. It appears that a woman of the "unfortunate" class had accompanied a young man to a house in the street, which bears an evil reputation, and after an interval of some minutes the man was seen to emerge from the doorway, which is on a level with the pavement, and ran hurriedly in the direction of Commercial-street. He was closely followed by the woman, who shouted that her throat was cut, and who was seen to be bleeding somewhat profusely. The cry was taken up by several others in the street, and the fugitive was stopped in Commercial-street by two men. He struggled violently until a constable stepped across the road and took him in charge. The police station is only a few yards off, and thither the victim, as well as her assailant, was conducted. The divisional surgeon was quickly in attendance, and although he found that the young woman had received a nasty curved gash across the throat, it was not of such a character as to give any real ground for alarm or to necessitate her immediate removal to the hospital. The woman's name is Johnson. The man, whose name has not yet been divulged, looks about 25. He has the appearance of a respectable artisan, and is by no means of ferocious aspect. After his arrest he appeared calm and collected.

PRISONER BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE.

Albert Edward Hawthorne, aged 21, a barman, was charged before Mr. Bushby, at Worship-street Police-court, this morning, with attempting to murder Emma Johnson, known as Mary Ann Smith, "Deaf Emma," and by various other aliases, at a house in Pearl-street, Spitalfields, last night.
Inspector Beck appeared for the police, and Mr. T.W. Moore defended the accused.
The prosecutrix, whose face was bound up, said that the prisoner accompanied her to her room last night, and before he had been in it more than a minute he cut her throat and attempted to murder her. She screamed "Murder! Police!" and some people came. She remembered nothing particularly after that.
In cross-examination, she denied that she took a silk handkerchief from prisoner, or attempted to rifle his pockets. He had no reason to quarrel with her.
The further cross-examination of the witness, whose evidence, owing to her deafness and dazed condition, was not very intelligible, was postponed.

MEDICAL EVIDENCE.

Dr. Percy John Clark, of 2, Spitalfields-square, said he was called to Commercial-street Police-station last night, and saw the woman Johnson suffering from a severe wound in her throat. A flap of skin about two inches wide, and an inch and a half in length was hanging down. There was also a deep cut across the inside of her thumb. She had lost a great quantity of blood. All the wounds might have been caused by the razor produced, which had bloodstains upon it.
Cross-examined - Though the wound on the throat was in a slanting direction, he could not say that it must have been done in a struggle. The wound on the thumb was probably so inflicted.

THE ACCUSED'S CONFESSION.

Police-constable Arthur Jacobs stated that the prisoner made a statement to him when in the cell. The accused said, "I intended doing it. I put the razor in my pocket this morning. She has always followed me about at night when I came from places of amusement. I have been on the spree for a fortnight."
In cross-examination, the constable said he never suggested that the prisoner should speak. The inspector sent him to watch that the prisoner did not attempt to hurt himself. The accused was quite cool when he made the statement. The razor-case was found in prisoner's pocket.
The prisoner was then remanded till next Friday.

Source: The Echo, Saturday December 3, 1892, Page 3