The Citizen’s Committee meetings and reward information were detailed in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 29, 1885, January 2, 1886, January 3, 1886, and January 8, 1886.
Governor Ireland’s reward comes from the Fort Worth Daily Gazette and the Austin Daily Statesman on December 31, 1885.
Echols’s arrest was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman, the Houston Daily Post, the Galveston Daily News, the Fort Worth Gazette, and the San Antonio Light on December 30, 1885, and December 31, 1885.
Dallas City marshal Arnold’s theory is from the Dallas Morning News on January 9, 1885.
Martinez’s arrest was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 31, 1885, and January 1, 1886; the Fort Worth Gazette on December 31, 1885; and the Washington Critic-Record on December 31, 1885.
Lucy’s policy toward tramps and vagrants is from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 27, 1885.
Calling parties, the governor’s open house, and Fireman’s Hall celebration were reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 2, 1886; the San Antonio Daily Express on January 3, 1886; and the Galveston Daily News on January 2, 1886.
The theory that the killer was a patient from the lunatic asylum was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 29, 1885; the Houston Daily Post on December 29, 1885; and the Galveston Daily News on December 29, 1885.
The moonlight madness theory was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 15, 1886, and January 17, 1886; and in the Texas Vorwaerts on January 15, 1886. The Frank Einstein story was reported in the Fort Worth Gazette on December 26, 1885.
The New York World stories ran on December 26, 1885, December 29, 1885, and January 1, 1886. Details on the newspaper itself come from Juergen’s Joseph Pulitzer and the New York World, pp. vii, viii, ix, x, and 22–39.
The “eye to the upper crust” letter was printed in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 30, 1885.
The London physician’s letter was printed in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 29, 1885.
Residents wanting to leave comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 27, 1885, December 30, 1885, and January 1, 1886. Blacks moving from Austin was also reported in the Daily Statesman on January 21, 1886.
The Laredo story was originally published in the Laredo Times and reprinted in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 1, 1886.
Out-of-town Texans being warned to stay away and female students not coming to the University of Texas are from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 30, 1885.
“The dark and bloody ground” is from the San Antonio Times, December 29, 1885. “Criminal city” is from the Dallas Daily Herald on January 20, 1886. “Worse than Babel” is from the Fort Worth Gazette on January 17, 1886.
The Temple Times editorial appeared on January 2, 1886.
Rumors about Jimmy Phillips were initially reported in some of the newspapers, including the Austin Daily Statesman on January 2, 1886.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Details about Eula Phillips’s history are from Austin Daily Statesman on January 14, 1883; the New York World on December 27, 1885; Travis County deed records for 1878; U.S. Census for 1880; Day’s The Heroes of San Jacinto by Sam Houston, p. 427, and “Post Office Papers of the Republic of Texas, 1836–1839,” p. 48.
Information on Bailes was taken from the Austin Daily Statesman, March 3, 1885, April 17, 1885, June 3, 1885, February 2, 1886, February 5, 1886, June 5, 1886, October 28, 1886; the San Antonio Light on January 4, 1886; the Bastrop Advertiser on June 26, 1886; the Texas Vorwaerts on January 8, 1886, and February 19, 1886; the Waco Day on February 20, 1886; and the Galveston Daily News on February 25, 1886.
Mae Tobin’s talk with Bailes and later with city officials is reconstructed from accounts in the Austin Daily Statesman on February 12, 1886, February 13, 1886, February 14, 1886, May 26, 1886, and May 27, 1886; and the San Antonio Daily Express on May 4, 1886. The description of Tobin’s house is from the Austin Daily Statesman on November 30, 1888.
Details about city leaders, curious about behavior of the bloodhound, are from the New York World on January 1, 1886, and the Austin Daily Statesman on January 28, 1886.
Details about the uxoricide arrest are from the Austin Daily Statesman of February 12, 1886, and February 14, 1886.
Reaction by citizens and family to Phillips’s arrest was reported in the newspapers listed above between January 3, 1886, and January 18, 1886.
Prosecutors claiming they had evidence of Jimmy Phillips’s violent nature is from the Austin Daily Statesman, February 12, 1886, February 14, 1886, May 26, 1886, and May 27, 1886.
T. E. Moore hired as special prosecutor is from the Austin Daily Statesman on January 22, 1886, and January 23, 1886. His previous statement about a maniac comes from the Austin Daily Statesman, reprinting the St. Louis Republican article of January 8, 1886.
Hancock’s arrest is from the Austin Daily Statesman and the San Antonio Daily Express on January 28, 1886, and January 29, 1886.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Reaction to Bailes’s evidence on Hancock is from the Austin Daily Statesman on January 31, 1886; and from the Waco Day on January 30, 1886, and February 2, 1886.
More criticism of the arrest is from the Texas Vorwaerts, January 29, 1886. “Men into infernal fiends” and “strong as Holy writ” are from the Austin Daily Statesman on January 28, 1886.
The description of Mrs. Hancock’s letter is from the San Antonio Daily Express on January 28, 1886; the Houston Daily Post on January 30, 1886; the Fort Worth Gazette on January 30, 1886; and the Austin Daily Statesman on January 31, 1886, and June 2, 1887.
The Moses Hancock interview is in the Austin Daily Statesman, January 29, 1886.
Maurice, the Malaysian cook, leaving for England was first reported in the Austin Daily Statesman, November 7, 1888, November 14, 1888, and November 17, 1888.
“Talented sensationalist” was first used in wire service stories on January 4, 1886. Other newspapers, such as the Fort Worth Gazette on December 27, 1885, were using the “Midnight Assassin” moniker.
As for the proposals made to stop the “lunatic,” they were printed throughout late December and to the end of January 1886. For concision purposes, I again compiled these stories into one section. Among the sources are the Waco Daily Express on December 31, 1885, and January 8, 1886; the New York Times on December 26, 1885; the Texas Vorwaerts on January 15, 1886; and the Austin Daily Statesman on January 18, 1886. Dr. Damos was mentioned specifically in the Austin Daily Statesman on February 6, 1886.
Philp’s story is discussed in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 13, 1886; the Waco Day on January 20, 1886; and the Fort Worth Gazette on January 13, 1886, January 14, 1886, January 15, 1886, and January 16, 1886. The story itself was published in the Gazette on January 18, 1886.
The Patti Scott murder comes from the San Antonio Light on January 30, 1886, and the San Antonio Daily Express on January 30, 1886. More details on the Scott murder are from the New York Times on February 1, 1886; the San Antonio Daily Express on January 31, 1886, February 2, 1886, February 5, 1886, and February 27, 1886; and from the Austin Daily Statesman on February 2, 1886, February 5, 1886, and February 10, 1886.
The report on Austin as the healthiest city is from the Austin Daily Statesman on February 18, 1886.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Statements from Phillips’s preliminary trial were taken from previously mentioned newspapers, February 12, 1886, to February 17, 1886. Descriptions of the courthouse come from the Austin Daily Statesman on October 17, 1970, and June 24, 1972.
Initial rumors about Swain come from the New York Tribune on February 22, 1886, and the Fort Worth Daily Gazette on February 26, 1886, and February 27, 1886.
Swain denies charges and promises to look for originator of telegram are from the Galveston Daily News on February 25, 1886, and March 21, 1886; the Fort Worth Gazette on March 3, 1886, and March 21, 1886; and the San Antonio Daily Express on February 26, 1886, and February 27,
1886.
Biographical details on Ross come from Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon, pp. 180–82; Brenner’s Sul Ross: Soldier, Statesman, Educator; DeShields’s They Sat in High Places, pp. 331–38; Hendrickson’s The Chief Executives of Texas; and Whiteside’s “The Life of Lawrence Sullivan Ross,” pp. 1–76.
Ross’s lack of campaign skills comes from Brenner’s Sul Ross, pp. 152–54. “Camp meeting drawl” is from the Galveston Daily News, August 12, 1886. Clark’s remarks about Ross are from Clark’s A Glance Backward; or, Some Events in the Past History of My Life, pp. 73–77 and 87.
Swain a favorite and “shoo in” in the governor’s race is from the Austin Daily Statesman, January 24, 1886, and April 29, 1886.
Criticism of Swain is from the San Antonio Times, Waco Daily Examiner, Balance Wheel, and other newspapers on March 7, 1886, March 9, 1886, March 11, 1886, March 20, 1886, and March 23, 1886.
Defense of Swain is from various Texas newspapers on February 26, 1886, February 27, 1886, March 3, 1886, March 21, 1886, March 23, 1886, and March 25, 1886.
Ross opening his campaign for governor is from Brenner’s Sul Ross, p. 175, and Jones’s The Search for Maturity, pp. 136–37. Also see the Dallas Morning News on February 25, 1886, and February 26, 1886. Robertson sending the Pinkertons back to Chicago was later reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on March 4, 1887.
Ordinances passed by aldermen is from the Austin Daily Statesman, April 2, 1885.
Dr. Given committed to asylum was reported by the Austin Daily Statesman, the Dallas Morning News, and the San Antonio Daily Express on February 16, 1886, and February 17, 1886. Also see the same newspapers on August 27, 1886, and August 28, 1886. Given’s lunacy commitment is on file at the County Court, Travis County, #1103, in which he is ordered to be “in restraints.”
Jimmy Phillips’s trial was covered by the newspapers named above from May 22, 1886, to June 2, 1886. The testimony was also reported in Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Texas, 1886, Case 2271, James O. Phillips vs. State of Texas.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Reaction to the Phillips verdict was chronicled in Texas newspapers from June 5, 1886, to June 6, 1886. Lawyers’ comments come from the Austin Daily Statesman and the San Antonio Daily Express, June 6, 1886. Robertson announcing he will next try Moses Hancock also comes from June 6, 1886, editions of both newspapers.
Swain campaigning prior to the Democratic Party’s state convention is from the Austin Daily Statesman, the Galveston Daily News, the Fort Worth Gazette, and the San Antonio Daily Express from June 1 to 6, 1886. Swain’s stop with cheering women is from the Galveston Daily News on June 5, 1886. Criticism that Swain could not find the telegraph operator comes from the Fort Worth Gazette on May 25, 1886. Other allegations against Swain are detailed in Brenner’s Sul Ross, p. 53. Ross beginning to rise in the polls is from the Waco Daily Express, July 11, 1886, and July 15, 1886.
The Democratic convention is detailed in Jones’s The Search for Maturity, pp. 135–44; and by several Texas newspapers, most notably the Galveston Daily News, from August 12, 1886, to August 17, 1886. Swain returning to Austin to join a law firm is from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 1, 1886, and March 24, 1887.
Doc Carver’s performance is from the Austin Daily Statesman on October 17, 1886, and the Austin Record (a new Austin newspaper that had just been established) on October 23, 1886. Details about Carver himself come from Thorp’s Spirit Gun of the West.
Phillips’s appeal was reported by numerous Texas newspapers on October 24, 1886, and November 11, 1886. Information also comes from Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Texas, 1886, Case #2271, The State of Texas vs. James O. Phillips.
Ross’s inauguration and the Driskill ball are from Brenner’s Sul Ross, p. 158, and the Austin Daily Statesman, December 28, 1888, January 1, 1888, and January 2, 1888.
Ireland promoting Texas is from the North American Review, December 1885, pp. 523–57.
Ireland campaigning for the U.S. Senate is from Barr’s Reconstruction to Reform: Texas Politics, 1876–1906, pp. 100–101. The “Oxcart” nickname is from Richardson’s Texas: The Lone Star State, pp. 246–47. Leaving the governor’s office and returning to Seguin is from DeShields’s They Sat in High Places, pp. 205–326. The Hancock trial was covered by various Texas newspapers from May 30, 1887, through June 8, 1887.
Elgin’s history comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on July 29, 1881, and June 16, 1882.
The shooting of Elgin was covered by the Austin Daily Statesman from February 9, 1886, to February 12, 1886. The “false in every particular” comment ran in the Austin Daily Statesman on February 21, 1886. Deputy U.S. marshal White and Notary Public Thomas Wheeles testified about the footprints in the Phillips trial.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Gainesville attacks were covered by the Austin Daily Statesman, Dallas Daily Herald, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Gazette, Galveston Daily News, New York World, National Police Gazette, Sherman Herald, and Sherman Daily Register between July 14, 1887, and August 6, 1887. The “Texas Jekyll” phrase ran in newspapers on July 2, 1887. The New York World article ran on August 2, 1887, and the National Police Gazette story was published on July 30, 1887.
People in Austin afraid the killer would return is from the Austin Daily Statesman on July 17, 1887.
Mayor Robertson still booming is from the Austin Daily Statesman on July 24, 1887, and from “Minutes of the Texas State Medical Association,” p. 11.
Mayor Robertson and the “fake Pinkertons” is from the Austin Daily Statesman, February 22, 1887, and March 3, 1887.
Nalle winning the election is from the Austin Daily Statesman, December 1, 1887, December 2, 1887, December 3, 1887, December 4, 1887, and December 8, 1887; and Sevcik’s “Selling the Austin Dam,” pp. 215–17. Nalle putting in lights in 1888 is from Starr’s History of Travis County and Austin, p. 250.
Dedication of the state capitol and the XIT Ranch is from the Austin Daily Statesman from May 18, 1888, to May 22, 1888; Jones’s The Search for Maturity, pp. 33–36, 53–77, and 140; Barkley’s Travis County and Austin, pp. 205–20; Haley’s Passionate Nation, p. 383; and Davis’s Legendary Texans, p. 17.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Among the sources that document the Jack the Ripper murders are Evans and Skinner’s The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook; Sugden’s The Complete History of Jack the Ripper; Begg’s Jack the Ripper: The Facts; and Rumbelow’s The Complete Jack the Ripper.
The Austin Daily Statesman’s articles linking Jack the Ripper and the Austin killer—and the possibility that the killer was a Malay cook from Austin—ran on September 5, 1888, October 10, 1888, November 7, 1888, November 14, 1888, and November 17, 1888.
To get a sense of how big the story was in 1888, other newspapers that published articles suggesting a link between Jack the Ripper and the Austin killer were the Dallas Morning News, November 7, 1888; the Fort Worth Gazette, October 5, 1888; the Houston Daily Post, November 17, 1888; the Galveston Daily News, October, 6, 1888; the Washington D.C. Evening Star, November 20, 1888; the St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 16, 1888; the Atlanta Constitution, October 4, 1888; the Chicago Tribune, October 6, 1888; the New York Times, October 7, 1888; the New York World, October 5, 1888; the New York Evening Post, October 6, 1888; the New York Tribune, October 5, 1888; the New York Herald, November 13, 1888; the London Daily News, October 2, 1888; the London Daily Telegraph, October 2, 1888, October 5, 1888, and October 6, 1888; the London Times, September 28, 1888, October 4, 1888, and October 6, 1888; the London Star, October 12, 1888; the Pall Mall Gazette, October 1, 1888, and November 10, 1888; the Woodford Times, October 12, 1888; the East London Observer, October 20, 1888; and the Illustrated Police News, October 20, 1888.
The Malaysian cook connection has been studied in Newton’s The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Murders, p. 336, and Curtis’s Jack the Ripper and the London Press, pp. 244–45.
Buffalo Bill’
s trip to England is chronicled in Gallop’s Buffalo Bill’s British Wild West. The three cowboys and Black Elk being detained for questioning comes from Sugden’s The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, p. 303.
Details on the New York Academy of Medicine come from Van Ingen’s The New York Academy of Medicine: Its First Hundred Years.
Sources for Spitzka’s biography are the New York Times, January 14, 1914; Wilson’s Appletons’ Cyclopædia of American Biography, p. 675; and the January 1914 issue of the Pacific Medical Journal, p. 91.
Coverage of Spitkza’s speech was in the December 20, 1888, issue of the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal; the January–June 1889 issue of the Weekly Medical Review, pp. 154–56; and the New York Herald, December 14, 1888. A transcript of Spitzka’s speech and his additional arguments ran in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, December 1888, pp. 765–78.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Nicaragua story ran in the Austin Daily Statesman on February 7, 1889, and February 17, 1889. Details on the Nicaragua hoax can be found in Norder, Vanderlinden, and Evans’s Ripper Notes: Suspects and Witnesses, p. 19.
The theory that Jack the Ripper may have read about the Austin murders is from the New York World, October 5, 1888.
District Attorney Robertson deciding not to retry Hancock is from the Austin Daily Statesman, December 31, 1888.
The Memphis detective theory is from the Austin Daily Statesman, October 5, 1888.
Martinez cultivating flowers is from the “State Lunatic Asylum Patient Records,” p. 195, January 13, 1889.
Except for Walter Spencer, black suspects were not listed in Morrison and Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Austin for the years 1889–90, 1890–91, and 1903–04.
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer Page 29
