More Newspaper Articles

[David Orsam]

Joe Chetcuti has discovered some additional newspaper reports on Francis Tumblety that probably have not appeared before on any Ripper web site. Those new articles will be posted on this thread. Here is the first one:

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

December 19, 1888

Page 5, Column 1

THE WHITECHAPEL SUSPECT.

Charles A. Pollack of Jefferson City Recalls a Challenge to Dr. Tumblety.

In connection with the more or less plaid career of Dr. Tumblety, the Whitechapel murder suspect, Charles A. Pollack, formerly of this city but at present residing in Jefferson City, recalls the fact that while the sanguinary doctor lived in St. Louis in 1868 he became involved in a little unpleasantness with Mr. Leonard Loring, a young medical student, which eventually became very serious, as touching the honor of both parties. Loring capped the climax by sending Tumblety a challenge, which was carried by Pollack. Tumblety received the missive with contempt and paid no further attention to it.

[David Orsam]

Before we get started on this second newspaper article, please take a look at Post 16 on this thread below. It was John J. Outley's affidavit. He was the owner of Outley's Photographic Palace of Art in St. Louis. The business was located near Tumblety's medical office in 1865.

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=9202&page=2

Now the article...

St. Louis Post Dispatch

November 23, 1890

Page 9, Column 7

"DR. TUMBLETY."

Some Recollections of the St. Louis Career of This Widely Known Person.

(Written for the Sunday Post-Dispatch.)

The recent arrest in Washington of "Dr. Francis Tumblety" will recall to the minds of many St. Louis people his dashing career in this city during the civil war. As recollected by the writer of this he came to St. Louis about the year 1863 (sic), and established himself on Third street and Pine as "The Great Indian Herb Doctor." At the entrance of his rooms were displayed several wooden tubs filled with dirt, out of which grew evergreen plants, suggestive of the curative properties of roots and herbs. He next had rooms on Olive Street between Third and Fourth, over McAlpin's tailor shop, where he received the afflicted and prescribed for them, never, by a rule of practice, going out to visit his patients. His appearance was rather captivating. He had a very black mustache and jet black hair, long and curling. He wore a navy blue coat and vest, the latter decorated with a single row of gold buttons, buttoned close together. When he rode out on horseback every afternoon at 4 o'clock, he wore a patent leather top-boots, costing $75, and was accompanied by a valet and was followed by a greyhound, which was subsequently donated to the firemen after his arrest. He made a very conspicuous figure on horseback. His fame as a healer spread throughout the city and there was a rush of patients to his rooms. A lady who called at his office for treatment states she was ushered into four elegant rooms, handsomely furnished. Looking around, she accosted a fine looking young man and told him she wanted to see the Indian. He said: "I am the Indian."

"Well," said she, "you look more like an Irish Indian."

He charged $20 for his advice in a case.

But the doctor, notwithstanding his success, soon came to grief. The military power was then dominant, and at the instance of his enemies he was arrested as a spy by the Provost Guard and taken to Washington, D.C., where he was incarcerated for six months (sic) in the military prison. He was charged with being guilty of an unmentionable crime, and it was also given out that he acted under an assumed name; that he was the veritable Dr. Blackburn (or Blackman) who was charged with the nefarious scheme to poison the water supply of New York City.

DR. TUMBLETY'S ARREST

All his office furniture and personal property were confiscated. It is said that he had $80,000 in a St. Louis bank. But the doctor had a friend in St. Louis, Mr. Orrey Wilson, who had known him as a boy in Rochester, N.Y. Wilson was a painter of photographs in Outley's photograph gallery. He had faith in Dr. Tumblety's innocence and he believed that he was unjustly persecuted.

He satisfied his employer, Mr. Outley, with the falsity of the charges alleged against the doctor, and both went to Washington and secured his release from prison.

While in prison the doctor had an attack of typhoid fever, lost all his hair and came out a wreck. In his prime he was a bold and audacious operator.

He visited Hot Springs for recuperation last spring staying over in St. Louis on his return. About three months ago he sent to a party in this city by express some clothing for distribution among the poor. He was always generous and charitable.

It is probable that he went to Washington to urge a large claim against the Government when he was again arrested, but on what grounds is not stated in the dispatches except that of "being a suspicious character."

[Robert]

More from Joe :


St. Louis Post-Dispatch

December 11, 1888

Page 3, Column 2




THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER.



Capt. Peter Tallon Remembers Arresting Dr. Tumblety During the War.



Capt. Peter Tallon of the real estate firm of D.J. Hayden & Co. entertains a clear recollection of Dr. Tumblety, who is suspected of the Whitechapel murders in London, England, when the latter was a resident of this city during the war. The Captain says that if he is not mistaken Tumblety is the man he arrested for being suspected of complicity in the plot to murder President Lincoln, while he was Chief of the United States Police for the State of Missouri in 1864. Tumblety was taken in custody on an order from the authorities at Washington. He was held only a short time when it was ascertained that he was in no manner connected with the association and he was released. Tumblety subsequently preferred a claim against the National Government for false imprisonment.











St. Louis Post-Dispatch

February 26, 1911




HIDDEN MONEY IN ST. LOUIS



...When Dr. Francis Tumblety died in St. Louis in 1904 (sic), it was thought that he was a pauper. But he had left an estate valued at $200,000, and a will leaving a large portion of the estate to charity.




Dr. Tumblety was a character who attracted at different times during his life international interest. He was suspected in being concerned in the assassination of President Lincoln. He was arrested in London as a suspect in the famous Whitechapel murder cases. For years he posed in Washington as the friend of kings, and showed bogus medals which he said were the favors given him by royal personages. In Washington he lived in style and spent money lavishly.




He moved to St. Louis. Here he changed his habits. From a prodigal he became a miser. He worked at small jobs and hoarded money so cautiously that he was able to leave the largest estate of all the St. Louis misers.

[mklhawley]

Thanks for posting David and Robert. Joe has some nice finds. I see a number of avenues to research this "Irish Indian"!

Sincerely,
Mike

[Scott Nelson]

This is from Joe.

A man named Edward Haywood used to know Tumblety in Rochester during the late 1840s. Haywood once implied that Tumblety practiced medicine in Detroit in 1855. But Tim Riordan showed in his book that Tumblety probably did not initially leave Rochester to become an itinerant herb doctor until the spring of 1856. So if Haywood saw Tumblety practice medicine in Detroit, then it more likely would have occurred at a later date than the year 1855.

It seems to me, so far, that nobody had ever displayed anything that confirms Tumblety even opened a medical office in Detroit at anytime.


Detroit Free Press

May 15, 1859

Page One


Detroit Free Press

June 19, 1859

Page One


These two newspaper pages may help us out. I have not seen them yet, but from what I gather, the May 15th article announced the arrival of Tumblety and the June 19th issue promoted his medical ability. There is a good chance that those two newspaper pages were saying that Tumblety has arrived in Detroit to treat patients. But I won't know for sure until I actually see those two Detroit newspaper pages from the year 1859.

I will try to get my hands on those two newspaper pages next month, but if somebody beats me to it, then please go right ahead and post the info right here on this thread.

[Howard Brown]

Detroit Free Press
May 15, 1859
**************




Detroit Free Press
June 19, 1859
**************

[Robert]

From Joe :

Good job posting those two Detroit articles. That helps things out. Those 1859 newspaper clippings give more credibility to all of Edward Haywood's remarks, despite the fact that Haywood confused Ripper researchers somewhat by mentioning the year 1855 instead of 1859.




Here are other Detroit Free Press pages that should speak of Tumblety. I haven't seen them, but we'll let Howard decide if any of them are important enough to be displayed.




July 31, 1859 page 3

Dec 15, 1859 page 3

Aug 21, 1860 page 2

Oct 7, 1860 page 1

Oct 20, 1860 page 2




(I'm not sure about this next one)




Dec 20, 1862 page 4

[Howard Brown]

Joe:

They'll all be up within one hour.

[Howard Brown]

Detroit Free Press
July 31, 1859
Page 3
*****

[Howard Brown]

Detroit Free Press
December 15, 1859
Page 3
*****



********************

Detroit Free Press
August 21, 1860
Page 2
*****


********************

Detroit Free Press
October 7, 1860
Page 1
*****

[Howard Brown]

Detroit Free Press
October 20, 1860
Page 2
*****



The next one is a segment from a larger article on the progress of the War.
Surprised he wasn't shot

Detroit Free Press
December 20, 1862
Page 4
*****

[Mayerling]

Detroit Free Press
October 20, 1860
Page 2
*****



The next one is a segment from a larger article on the progress of the War.
Surprised he wasn't shot

Detroit Free Press
December 20, 1862
Page 4
*****

I am aware of the so-called letters from well known persons that Doc. T flashed around all the time as "proof" of his successes as a physician, but the second article that Howard put down would seem to suggest a connection (somehow) between Tumblety and the Michigan troops (which are at the heart of the headings to the entire article) and somehow to the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. in December 1862 (which actually was a dreadful Northern defeat, wherein Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and James Longstreet, mowed down charge after charge of Union troops sent against entrenched positions at Marye's Heights by the idiotic Northern commander Ambrose E. Burnside). Apparently the full disaster of the battle had not hit home at the time the article was published.

Jeff

[David Orsam]

From Joe.

The Battle of Fredericksburg was over by Dec 15th, so Jeff is right about how the news of the fight was trickling slowly to the north. As we can see, the Dec 20th newspaper didn't know much about the final result.

Well done, Howard. You could almost feel the hatred that military writer in Washington had for Tumblety. It sounded as if the writer for the Boston Post pretty much felt the same way. I knew Tumblety traveled from Boston to Canada in the summer of 1860, but I didn't know about all the enemies he had made for himself in Boston prior to making that trip.

Thanks for posting up all those Detroit articles. According to this web link below, Howard seems to have the magic touch with the New Orleans Times Picayune as well.

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=13891

That Jtrforums thread could now have this other New Orleans Times Picayune article:

April 12, 1881 page 2

As for this Casebook thread we've got going here, let's hope Howard continues to have the hot hand. Maybe he will have some luck finding and posting with these two Tumblety articles from the New Orleans Times Picayune:

Dec 30, 1864 page 4

May 5, 1891 page 2

Howard, I will have a private email sent to you. It will speak of where other Tumblety newspaper articles can be found. Thanks.

[Howard Brown]

The December 30, 1864 New Orleans Times-Picayune reference to Tumblety is simply his name ' T. Tumblety, dr. ' on a list of the yet to be claimed letters down at the New Orleans Post Office.

The pther one is in reference to a robbery down in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

New Orleans Daily Picayune
May 5, 1891
Page 2
***********

[Robert]

From Joe.




A few days ago, I informed Howard Brown of the whereabouts of a handful of "Tumblety newspaper articles." These articles had not been seen before. They are now being displayed on this thread:

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=26102

I'm glad these articles that I've located can now be shared with everyone. You'll notice in the Dec 10, 1888 New Orleans Daily Picayune that it was reported that a London detective was on the dock in New York waiting for the La Bretagne to arrive.