The Hawkses stood on the deck of their yacht as they had thousands of times before, the cerulean Pacific Ocean lapping around them. Now, the sea they loved so much seemed a terrifying void wickedly beckoning. The couple was dragged to the side of the ship and a rope was placed around their waists.

In a desperate last effort,  Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire  Thomas suddenly threw out a kick, connecting with Skylar's groin. Kennedy punched Thomas in the face and grabbed the boat's

It was near the end of 1884.   In three and a half years, London would be terrorized by the fiend known as Jack the Ripper.  Seven years after that, H.H. Holmes would be tried in Philadelphia for a murder that blew the lid off his extensive series of killings and frauds.  Both would be dubbed as unique in the annals of crime, the Ripper as the "World's First Serial Killer," and Holmes as America's first.  Yet in both cases, that distinction would be

Howard and Smith state that despite her condition, Beverly Washington managed to provide the officers with several significant characteristics about the man who had attacked her.  Fletcher provides more detail.  The driver had been a slender white man who looked to be around 25, wearing a flannel shirt and square-toed boots.  He had greasy brown hair and a mustache.  Washington said he had offered more money than she'd asked for and had seemed unaccountably

Before looking at specific suspects, let's summarize what is known about Jack the Ripper from forensic surgeons and possible eyewitnesses.

From the testimony of the various eyewitnesses which police took most seriously, certain probabilities emerge about the killer. One must keep in mind the word probable since eyewitness accounts, particularly under conditions of dim lighting, are Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire  notoriously inaccurate in certain details even when offered by honest