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I found a press report on the suspect Frank Castellano not in Casebook, which has press reports from the Atlanta Constitution (22 March 1893), the Bismarck Daily Tribune (24 March 1893), and Daily Northwestern (22 March 1893). This one comes from The Morning Call out of San Francisco, CA, and below is the URL. I attempted to transcribe it (below), but I most likely have a few mistakes. This particular report is longer than the others, since it gives a description of the Whitechapel murders. It is interesting to see the mindset of journalists in 1893, who were alive during the murders.
The Morning Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]), Wednesday, March 22, 1893
JACK THE RIPPER.
His Capture Claimed at Last.
NEW YORK POLICE JUBILANT.
The Man an Italian Barber, but He Was Formerly Fireman on an Ocean Liner.
Special to The Morning Call.
NEW YORK. March 21.— The police of this city are inclined to think that they have the elusive "Jack the Ripper" in their clutches. A woman was ripped up the side on Sunday night and a big knife was left sticking in the wound. The knife was traced to one Frank Castellano, an Italian barber, whose record has been under the police search-light. They have discovered that until recently he was a fireman on board one of the trans-Atlantic steamers, and there are several circumstances connected with the case that incline the police to believe that Castellano is none other than the mysterious "Jack the Ripper" who has kept the fallen women of London in terror for the past two years. Some go so far as to say that the prisoner will be found to be identical with the mysterious man who accompanied "old Shakespeare" to the East River Hotel on the night of her murder and for whose death "Frenchy the Greek" is now serving a term In tiie State prison. Captain Doherty of the Fifth Precinct squad is much elated over the capture and says that he will make every effort to secure a complete account of Castellano's travels and operations during the past few years.
BLOODY WORK.
The Murders That Have Been Ascribed to Jack the Ripper. The first of the series of murders in the Whitechapel district of London occurred early on the morning of April 3, 1888. Emma Elizabeth Smith, an outcast, was found lying dead in a yard near Osborne street. Death was caused by two deep cuts in the abdomen, and it was supposed that they
had been inflicted by a jealous lover or husband. She was buried in the paupers' lot, and the case soon forgotten. Nearly five months later at break of the day on the 7th of August, the body of a woman was found lying in a pool of blood on the first floor landing of 37 George Yard buildings, Whitechapel. The woman had been stabbed in thirty two places, and the lower part of the body was horribly mutilated. The walls which divide the building into tenements are very thin, and an ordinary conversation carried on in the hall could be plainly beard in half a dozen rooms. Not one of the four people who were sleeping within twelve feet heard any unusual sounds. The woman was of low character and was recognized as Martha Tabram. She was forgotten almost as soon as she was buried. The London police have always been in doubt as to whether these two murders had anything to do with those that followed, and which, without question, were committed by one hand— that of "Jack the Ripper."
It is evident, at any rate, that the police were not awakened to a sense of the importance of these crimes until the third one was committed. The victim this time was Polly Nichols, also a woman of the streets, as the others preceding and following her proved to be. Officer John O'Neil came across the body lying in Buck's row. He thought she was asleep, and turned her over with his foot to awaken her. She made no movement, and leaning over he found she was bathed in warm blood, which was still oozing from her body. This was at 3:43 on the morning of August 31, and he had passed the spot where the body lay not fifteen minutes before. Three men were working in a slaughter-house 300 feet away, and no cry or sounds of a struggle had reached them. The mutilation of this body was frightful. The head was nearly severed from the spinal column, the skirts were torn away and the abdomen ripped open by slashes so deep that the bowels protruded. The cuts were such as could only have been made by a strong and experienced man armed with a keen knife.
Before a week had elapsed, and while the police were busy looking for clews, "Jack the Ripper" succeeded in scoring another success. The woman who fell under his strokes was Annie Chapman, the former wife of a wealthy veterinary surgeon in Windsor. She had been divorced, had fallen to the lowest grade, and was without a permanent home. Sometimes she slept in the tenement at 29 Hanbury street, and it was at the foot of the steps leading into this house that she was discovered at 5 o'clock in the morning by John Davis, one of the tenants.
He had been about the building for over an hour, yet had heard no other sounds
than those of footsteps echoing through the lower ball, which was not at all uncommon.
The cutting in this case was so horrible that the physician who made the examination asked to be excused from relating it in detail to the Coroner's jury. Mrs. Burridge, a shopkeeper in Blackfriars row, died in a fit while reading an account of the horror in the newspapers. The victim was cut deliberately and skillfully, as a surgeon would operate on a body— and cut while alive.
The fifth murder was committed on Sunday, September 23. Early on that morning the body of an unknown woman was found near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The mutilation and all the circumstances were similar to the previous crimes.
The body of the sixth unfortunate was still warm when it was discovered at 1 o'clock on the morning of September 30. The scene of the crime was in Berner street, and "Jack" had evidently been frightened, for only her throat was cut. The physician said, however, that the wound was made in exactly the same manner as the others. Men were found who
had passed the spot a few minutes before the body was found, but they all swore they
had heard or seen nothing unusual. The woman was Elizabeth Stride, a notorious
Whitechapel character known as "Happy Tip Ann."
On the same morning, forty-five minutes later, while the police were carrying off this body, the seventh murder was committed within ten minutes' walk of the spot in Miter square. A policeman named Watkins found the body, which was afterward identified as Catherine Eddows, while it was still warm. The woman was horribly carved and could not have been dead more than a few minutes. For over an hour the officer had not been out of hearing, yet had heard no unusual sounds, and a watchman. In front of whose house the deed was done, said he had been sitting for two hours near the window reading, but had not at any time been disturbed by the slightest sound in the street.
On October 2 the body of the eighth victim was found in an open vault where the Grand Opera-house was building, within a stone's throw of the Grand and the Metropole Hotel and in sight of the Scotland Yard headquarters. The legs and arms were separated, the throat cut and the abdomen crisscrossed with sharp cuts. The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition, and was never identified.
"Jack" probably spent more time on the ninth victim than on any of the others. She was Mary Jane Lawrence, and on November 9 was found in her room mutilated beyond recognition. The slashing in this case was so brutal that even the physicians were sickened at the sight. The throat, was cut from ear to ear, the arms and legs severed neatly, the breasts cut off and laid on the table and the heart and liver removed as if by a surgeon. The abdomen was lacerated beyond description.
The next attempt was made on November 21 and was the only one in which "The Ripper" failed to accomplish his fiendish purpose. The woman in question had her throat cut within calling distance of a dozen pedestrians, she was discovered in time to receive medical attendance and be saved, yet during the assault she made no outcry, and said she could never identify the man who attacked her.
It was at this time that the only description of "Jack the Ripper" was obtained.
Several pedestrians who happened to be near at the time gave facts from which the
above picture has been drawn. He looked to be about 30 years old, 5 feet 8 inches in
height, and wore a black cutaway coat, dark trousers and a small round hat. As he
walked he turned up the collar of his coat, pulled his hat over his eyes; but it was seen
that he was of light complexion and had a light mustache.
The body of Elizabeth Jackson, the tenth victim, was found in sections between May 3 and June 25, 1889. The eleventh victim, Alice Mackenzie, was found, still warm, in Castle alley, on July 17.
The next of the unfortunate women to fall under the knife was Alice Dart, a notorious character, whose mutilated body was found under the railway arch on Pinchin street. The thirteenth and last of the Whitechapel crimes was that of an old woman named Wolf. Her body was picked up in pieces at Crossford Woods early one morning during the winter of 1891.
Up to this time many letters were received by the London police called "Hell" and
signed by "Jack the Ripper." in which he said he would kill fifteen women before he
stopped, and that he was soon going to Vienna and Paris. Many of these letters were undoubtedly written by cranks and jokers and it may be considered only a coincidence that murders of a similar nature have since been committed in Vienna and
Paris. It is certainly strange, to say the least. But for several years past these letters have ceased to come and it has grown to be believed that Jack the Ripper, if there was such a personage, was dead.
Sincerely,
Mike
The Morning Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]), Wednesday, March 22, 1893
JACK THE RIPPER.
His Capture Claimed at Last.
NEW YORK POLICE JUBILANT.
The Man an Italian Barber, but He Was Formerly Fireman on an Ocean Liner.
Special to The Morning Call.
NEW YORK. March 21.— The police of this city are inclined to think that they have the elusive "Jack the Ripper" in their clutches. A woman was ripped up the side on Sunday night and a big knife was left sticking in the wound. The knife was traced to one Frank Castellano, an Italian barber, whose record has been under the police search-light. They have discovered that until recently he was a fireman on board one of the trans-Atlantic steamers, and there are several circumstances connected with the case that incline the police to believe that Castellano is none other than the mysterious "Jack the Ripper" who has kept the fallen women of London in terror for the past two years. Some go so far as to say that the prisoner will be found to be identical with the mysterious man who accompanied "old Shakespeare" to the East River Hotel on the night of her murder and for whose death "Frenchy the Greek" is now serving a term In tiie State prison. Captain Doherty of the Fifth Precinct squad is much elated over the capture and says that he will make every effort to secure a complete account of Castellano's travels and operations during the past few years.
BLOODY WORK.
The Murders That Have Been Ascribed to Jack the Ripper. The first of the series of murders in the Whitechapel district of London occurred early on the morning of April 3, 1888. Emma Elizabeth Smith, an outcast, was found lying dead in a yard near Osborne street. Death was caused by two deep cuts in the abdomen, and it was supposed that they
had been inflicted by a jealous lover or husband. She was buried in the paupers' lot, and the case soon forgotten. Nearly five months later at break of the day on the 7th of August, the body of a woman was found lying in a pool of blood on the first floor landing of 37 George Yard buildings, Whitechapel. The woman had been stabbed in thirty two places, and the lower part of the body was horribly mutilated. The walls which divide the building into tenements are very thin, and an ordinary conversation carried on in the hall could be plainly beard in half a dozen rooms. Not one of the four people who were sleeping within twelve feet heard any unusual sounds. The woman was of low character and was recognized as Martha Tabram. She was forgotten almost as soon as she was buried. The London police have always been in doubt as to whether these two murders had anything to do with those that followed, and which, without question, were committed by one hand— that of "Jack the Ripper."
It is evident, at any rate, that the police were not awakened to a sense of the importance of these crimes until the third one was committed. The victim this time was Polly Nichols, also a woman of the streets, as the others preceding and following her proved to be. Officer John O'Neil came across the body lying in Buck's row. He thought she was asleep, and turned her over with his foot to awaken her. She made no movement, and leaning over he found she was bathed in warm blood, which was still oozing from her body. This was at 3:43 on the morning of August 31, and he had passed the spot where the body lay not fifteen minutes before. Three men were working in a slaughter-house 300 feet away, and no cry or sounds of a struggle had reached them. The mutilation of this body was frightful. The head was nearly severed from the spinal column, the skirts were torn away and the abdomen ripped open by slashes so deep that the bowels protruded. The cuts were such as could only have been made by a strong and experienced man armed with a keen knife.
Before a week had elapsed, and while the police were busy looking for clews, "Jack the Ripper" succeeded in scoring another success. The woman who fell under his strokes was Annie Chapman, the former wife of a wealthy veterinary surgeon in Windsor. She had been divorced, had fallen to the lowest grade, and was without a permanent home. Sometimes she slept in the tenement at 29 Hanbury street, and it was at the foot of the steps leading into this house that she was discovered at 5 o'clock in the morning by John Davis, one of the tenants.
He had been about the building for over an hour, yet had heard no other sounds
than those of footsteps echoing through the lower ball, which was not at all uncommon.
The cutting in this case was so horrible that the physician who made the examination asked to be excused from relating it in detail to the Coroner's jury. Mrs. Burridge, a shopkeeper in Blackfriars row, died in a fit while reading an account of the horror in the newspapers. The victim was cut deliberately and skillfully, as a surgeon would operate on a body— and cut while alive.
The fifth murder was committed on Sunday, September 23. Early on that morning the body of an unknown woman was found near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The mutilation and all the circumstances were similar to the previous crimes.
The body of the sixth unfortunate was still warm when it was discovered at 1 o'clock on the morning of September 30. The scene of the crime was in Berner street, and "Jack" had evidently been frightened, for only her throat was cut. The physician said, however, that the wound was made in exactly the same manner as the others. Men were found who
had passed the spot a few minutes before the body was found, but they all swore they
had heard or seen nothing unusual. The woman was Elizabeth Stride, a notorious
Whitechapel character known as "Happy Tip Ann."
On the same morning, forty-five minutes later, while the police were carrying off this body, the seventh murder was committed within ten minutes' walk of the spot in Miter square. A policeman named Watkins found the body, which was afterward identified as Catherine Eddows, while it was still warm. The woman was horribly carved and could not have been dead more than a few minutes. For over an hour the officer had not been out of hearing, yet had heard no unusual sounds, and a watchman. In front of whose house the deed was done, said he had been sitting for two hours near the window reading, but had not at any time been disturbed by the slightest sound in the street.
On October 2 the body of the eighth victim was found in an open vault where the Grand Opera-house was building, within a stone's throw of the Grand and the Metropole Hotel and in sight of the Scotland Yard headquarters. The legs and arms were separated, the throat cut and the abdomen crisscrossed with sharp cuts. The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition, and was never identified.
"Jack" probably spent more time on the ninth victim than on any of the others. She was Mary Jane Lawrence, and on November 9 was found in her room mutilated beyond recognition. The slashing in this case was so brutal that even the physicians were sickened at the sight. The throat, was cut from ear to ear, the arms and legs severed neatly, the breasts cut off and laid on the table and the heart and liver removed as if by a surgeon. The abdomen was lacerated beyond description.
The next attempt was made on November 21 and was the only one in which "The Ripper" failed to accomplish his fiendish purpose. The woman in question had her throat cut within calling distance of a dozen pedestrians, she was discovered in time to receive medical attendance and be saved, yet during the assault she made no outcry, and said she could never identify the man who attacked her.
It was at this time that the only description of "Jack the Ripper" was obtained.
Several pedestrians who happened to be near at the time gave facts from which the
above picture has been drawn. He looked to be about 30 years old, 5 feet 8 inches in
height, and wore a black cutaway coat, dark trousers and a small round hat. As he
walked he turned up the collar of his coat, pulled his hat over his eyes; but it was seen
that he was of light complexion and had a light mustache.
The body of Elizabeth Jackson, the tenth victim, was found in sections between May 3 and June 25, 1889. The eleventh victim, Alice Mackenzie, was found, still warm, in Castle alley, on July 17.
The next of the unfortunate women to fall under the knife was Alice Dart, a notorious character, whose mutilated body was found under the railway arch on Pinchin street. The thirteenth and last of the Whitechapel crimes was that of an old woman named Wolf. Her body was picked up in pieces at Crossford Woods early one morning during the winter of 1891.
Up to this time many letters were received by the London police called "Hell" and
signed by "Jack the Ripper." in which he said he would kill fifteen women before he
stopped, and that he was soon going to Vienna and Paris. Many of these letters were undoubtedly written by cranks and jokers and it may be considered only a coincidence that murders of a similar nature have since been committed in Vienna and
Paris. It is certainly strange, to say the least. But for several years past these letters have ceased to come and it has grown to be believed that Jack the Ripper, if there was such a personage, was dead.
Sincerely,
Mike
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