The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer

by Hollandsworth, Skip

  Details of the Tallichet attack are from the Austin Daily Statesman and Fort Worth Gazette on June 3, 1885.

  Details on Oliver Townsend come from the Austin Daily Statesman on January 25, 1880, July 27, 1884, January 7, 1885, February 6, 1885, January 27, 1885, March 24, 1885, and July 17, 1885. The “hard time with hemp” is from the Austin Daily Statesman on June 7, 1885.

  The attacks coming to a stop in June is from the Fort Worth Gazette on June 12, 1885, and from the Austin Daily Statesman on June 30, 1885.

  Howe’s arrest of Ireland is from the Austin Daily Statesman and the Fort Worth Gazette on June 17, 1885, and June 18, 1885. Also see the Austin Daily Statesman on August 5, 1885.

  Details on the Fourth of July celebrations and the Driskill Hotel ceremony come from the Austin Daily Statesman on July 1, 1885, July 2, 1885, July 4, 1885, July 5, 1885, July 7, 1885, and July 15, 1969. More details are from Franz’s The Driskill Hotel, p. 15; Wheeler’s The Old West: The Townsmen, p. 39; and Schlereth’s Victorian America: Transformations in Everyday Life, p. 212. The Austin Daily Statesman reported the building plan of the Driskill on March 12, 1884, May 11, 1884, October 17, 1885, December 17, 1886, May 25, 1970, and January 27, 1973.

  Details on Olds’s visit come from the Austin Daily Statesman on August 11, 1885, and from Olds’s “Texas Notes,” housed at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, pp. 1–13, as well as History of North Mexican States and Texas, pp. 527–29.

  Information on the construction of the capitol comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on July 10, 1885, July 11, 1885, July 18, 1885, and August 6, 1885. Also see The Industries of Austin, Texas, pp. 54–57; The Texas Capitol: Symbol of Accomplishment, pp. 36 and 48–52; and Greer’s “The Building of the Texas State Capitol, 1882–1888.”

  Austin’s heat comes from the San Antonio Daily Express, August 4, 1885. Chenneville on vacation was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on August 9, 1885. “Fishing frolic” was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on August 14, 1885. The baseball game was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on August 29, 1885, and August 30, 1885.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Stories detailing Mary Ramey’s murder, the police investigation, and the arrest of suspects are from the Austin Daily Statesman, Fort Worth Gazette, Dallas Daily Herald, Galveston Daily News, Houston Daily Post, San Antonio Light, San Antonio Daily Express, New York World, and St. Louis Post Dispatch from August 31 to September 6, 1885. Also see the Fort Worth Gazette of November 15, 1885; the New York World, December 29, 1885, and January 1, 1886; and the National Police Gazette, July 30, 1887.

  More details on the Weed family are from the author’s interviews in September 2002 and September 2011 with Weed’s grandson Peyton Abbott; and from the Austin Daily Statesman on October 24, 1895, July 26, 1921, and February 7, 1926. Details on Mary Ramey’s schooling come from the “Austin Public Schools Teacher’s Daily Register Primary Department Session, 1884–1885.”

  Details of Aleck Mack’s life are from the Austin Daily Statesman on January 1, 1884, December 9, 1884, January 29, 1885, and July 18, 1885.

  “Desperadoes in the open street” is from the Austin Daily Statesman on September 3, 1885; “loafing, shiftless, vagrant Negroes” is from the San Antonio Daily Express on September 9, 1885.

  Criticism of Grooms Lee is from the Austin Daily Statesman on September 2, 1995, September 9, 1885, and from the San Antonio Light on September 9, 1885.

  Austin’s black leaders speaking about murders, trying to meet with the governor and mayor, is from the Austin Daily Statesman, September 3, 1885.

  Joseph Nalle’s history is from Jones’s “Joseph Nalle,” in Historical and Descriptive Review of the Industries of Austin, p. 80; the Austin Daily Statesman, June 14, 1884, and March 19, 1911; and the San Antonio Daily Express, September 15, 1885. The story of Nalle earlier running for mayor is from the Austin Daily Capital, March 3, 1884, and from the Austin Daily Statesman on June, 14, 1884. Nalle running again for mayor is from the San Antonio Light, October 22, 1885.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Description of the Capital Detective Agency is from Starr’s History of Travis County and Austin, p. 228. The history of private detectives comes from Robinson’s The Men Who Wear the Star, p. 33; Friedman’s Crime and Punishment in American History, pp. 204–7, and Prassel’s The Western Peace Officer: A Legacy of Law and Order, p. 134.

  Details on the Noble Agency and its detectives is from the Houston Daily Post on February 2, 1885, August 11, 1885, September 18, 1885, January 1, 1886, January 17, 1886, May 25, 1886, and September 30, 1886. Also see the San Antonio Daily Express of October 7, 1885, and October 8, 1885; and the San Antonio Light, October 17, 1885. The Austin Daily Statesman carried stories about the agency on January 3, 1885, January 4, 1885, October 1, 1886, October 3, 1886, and October 4, 1886. Also see “The Houston Police: 1878–1944,” pp. 10–12, and Marchiafava’s The Houston Police: 1878–1948, pp. 1–5.

  Information on the Pinkertons was gleaned from Thorwald’s The Century of the Detective, pp. 91–92; Lewis’s The Mammoth Book of the West, p. 37; Moran’s The Eye That Never Sleeps, p. 132; and Horan’s The Pinkertons: The Detective Dynasty That Made History, pp. 1–24.

  Details on Hennessey’s investigation come from the Austin Daily Statesman on September 30, 1885, October 3, 1885, October 4, 1885, and October 7, 1885; the Fort Worth Gazette on September 18, 1885; the San Antonio Daily Express on October 7, 1885; the San Antonio Light on September 22, 1885; and the Houston Herald on October 4, 1885.

  Details on the attacks of September 28 and 29 culminating in the murder of Gracie Vance, the investigation into her murder, and the arrests of the various suspects are culled from the Austin Daily Statesman, Fort Worth Gazette, Dallas Daily Herald, Galveston Daily News, Houston Daily Post, San Antonio Light, San Antonio Daily Express, New York World, St. Louis Post Dispatch, and Waco Daily Gazette. Further coverage of the story of the Vance attack and the botched investigation comes from the Fort Worth Gazette on November 15, 1885; the New York World on December 29, 1885, and January 1, 1886; and the National Police Gazette on July 30, 1887.

  Dunham’s biographical information comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on May 7, 1885.

  Many of the details about the silver watch come from the National Police Gazette on July 30, 1887, along with the Fort Worth Gazette and Austin Daily Statesman of September 30, 1885.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The various newspapers accounts of Hennessey’s return and his announcement of Jonathon Trigg’s eyewitness “statement” are often inconsistent. It seems that some of the reporters mistakenly attributed Hennessey’s actions to Austin police officers, and other reporters mistakenly attributed the actions of police officers to Hennessey. My timeline of Hennessey’s actions is my best guess as to what probably happened, based on flawed stories. I use the newspapers and the dates listed above for the Vance murder as my source material for Hennessey’s investigation, his press conference on the capitol steps, and the controversy over his key witnesses, Jonathon Trigg and Lucinda Boddy.

  The Noble Agency’s explanation of why Woods had stolen the watch to give to Gracie Vance was reported in the Houston Daily Post on January 1, 1886.

  Information on Mack’s arrest and the accusations that he was nearly lynched, along with Lee’s denial, comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on October 6, 1885, October 10, 1885, and October 16, 1885.

  Detective Himmel arrested is from the Galveston Daily News on October 18, 1885.

  The city aldermen meeting and the $250 reward is from the Austin Daily Statesman on October 7, 1885, and October 10, 1885.

  Other October arrests were summarized in the Austin Daily Statesman, October 17, 1885. James Thompson’s arrest was reported in the San Antonio Daily Express and the Austin Daily Statesman on November 15, 1885.

  Maurice, the Malaysian cook, was not written about in the newspapers until the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888. That is when the story was finally told about
his behavior after Mary Ramey’s murder and his later disappearing after the Christmas Eve murders. Among the newspaper stories that discussed Maurice’s life in Austin in 1885 were the Austin Daily Statesman on November 7, 1888; the St. Louis Post Dispatch on November 16, 1888; the Washington D.C. Evening Star on November 20, 1888; and the East London Observer on October 20, 1888.

  “Detection of killers is as far off as ever” is from the Galveston Daily News, October 25, 1885.

  “If a radical change is not made” is from the Fort Worth Gazette, September 6, 1885.

  “At least fourteen rounds of ammunition” is from the Austin Daily Statesman on September 29, 1885.

  “The servant girl will soon become one of the rarest and costliest of capital luxuries” is from the Dallas Daily Herald on October 1, 1885.

  Aunt Tempe’s death is from the Austin Daily Statesman on November 4, 1885; the San Antonio Daily Express on November 4, 1885; and the San Antonio Light on November 6, 1885.

  Mayor Robertson’s speech is from the Austin Daily Statesman on November 11, 1885.

  That the murders were “carefully directed” and no “ordinary” Negro criminals were involved comes from the Austin Daily Statesman, September 2, 1885, and the San Antonio Daily Express, September 2, 1885.

  The correspondent for the San Antonio Daily Gazette first mentioned the killer as “one of the most remarkable ghouls” on September 2, 1885. He used the “Midnight Assassin” moniker for the first time on September 8, 1885, and repeated the phrase on September 29, writing, “The hand of the midnight assassin has resumed his bloody work in Austin.”

  Among the sources mined for an analysis of the history of serial killings are Wilson and Seamon’s The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence; Ramsland’s The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation; Hickey’s Serial Murderers and Their Victims; and Norris’s Serial Killers: The Growing Menace.

  The types of serial killers known in late-nineteenth-century America are from Wilson’s The Mammoth Book of the History of Murder, p. 34; Hickey’s Serial Murderers and Their Victims, p. 34; Prassel’s The Great American Outlaw: A Legacy of Fact and Fiction, pp. 50–84; and Yadon and Anderson’s Ten Deadly Texans, pp. 53–83. Hardin’s autobiography is The Life of John Wesley Hardin as Written by Himself.

  Spencer’s indictment is reported in the Austin Daily Statesman, the Galveston News, the San Antonio Light, and the San Antonio Daily Express on November 22, 1885; and more details were provided in the Austin Daily Statesman on November 25, 1885.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Biographical information on District Attorney Robertson comes from Daniell’s Types of Successful Men of Texas, pp. 421–28; Johnson’s A History of Texas and Texans, p. 1719; Brown’s Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, pp. 286–87; and Robertson’s “Life of James Harvey Robertson,” pp. 1–15.

  Sheeks’s arrest is from the Austin Daily Statesman, July 3, 1884.

  Robertson’s court record comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on March 16, 1885, and April 11, 1885.

  Details of the mayoral campaign come from the Austin Daily Statesman on November 3, 1885, November 16, 1885, November 19, 1885, November 21, 1885, December 1, 1885, December 8 1885, December 9, 1885, and December 15, 1885. Also see the San Antonio Light on October 22, 1885, November 2, 1885, November 3, 1885, November 11, 1885, November 18, 1885, and November 20, 1885; and the San Antonio Daily Express on December 1, 1885, December 13, 1885, and December 15, 1885.

  Carrington’s loss as alderman comes from Humphrey’s Austin: A History of the Capital City, p. 35.

  Spencer’s trial was covered by the Austin Daily Statesman on December 8, 1885, December 9, 1885, December 10, 1885, December 11, 1885; and by the San Antonio Daily Express on December 10, 1885, and December 11, 1885. Blocker’s history is from Hunter’s The Trail Drivers of Texas, p. 390.

  Marshal Lucy’s history is taken from the Austin Daily Statesman of February 6, 1927, February 11, 1927, February 12, 1927, and March 14, 1927; also see Starr’s History of Travis County and Austin, pp. 228–29. Lucy being named marshal and his first actions is from the Austin Daily Statesman, December 15, 1885.

  Grooms Lee’s last days in office is from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 15, 1885. Lee’s report about fines is from the Austin Daily Statesman on November 11, 1885.

  The high school football game was covered by the Austin Daily Statesman on December 19, 1885. Details about Austin during the Christmas season are taken from reports in the Austin Daily Statesman between November 19, 1885, and December 26, 1885. More details about Austin during Christmas in the late 1800s come from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 7, 1968, December 18, 1971, December 22, 1973, and December 13, 1975.

  Lee turning over his badge is from the Austin Daily Statesman, December 22, 1885.

  The moon on Christmas Eve at its “most effulgent” comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 26, 1885.

  CHAPER THIRTEEN

  Details of Christmas Eve murder scenes, town panic, and Christmas Day come from numerous newspapers, including the Austin Daily Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Daily Herald, Fort Worth Gazette, Fort Worth Mail, Galveston Daily News, Houston Daily Post, New Orleans Picayune, Missouri Republican, New York Times, New York Tribune, New York World, San Antonio Light, San Antonio Daily Express, San Antonio Times, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Texas Vorwaerts, and Waco Daily Express between December 25, 1885, and January 1, 1886. Other details, not initially reported, also come from the newspapers’ coverage of the February 1886 testimony in the preliminary trial of Jimmy Phillips (February 13 to 17, 1886), the May 1886 testimony of the Phillips murder trial (May 25 to June 7, 1886), and the June 1887 testimony in Moses Hancock’s murder trial (May 30 to June 8, 1887). The detail about Burt’s son finding the ax in the Hancocks’ backyard, for instance, was not revealed until June 1, 1887, in the Austin Daily Statesman during Moses Hancock’s trial.

  Besides the sources listed above, other details on Susan Hancock come from the New York Times on December 26, 1885; the New York World on December 29, 1885; the Missouri Republican on December 26, 1885; the Fort Worth Gazette on December 26, 1885; and the Fort Worth Mail on December 26, 1885.

  Other details about Eula Phillips come from the Waco Daily Express on June 6, 1885; the Fort Worth Gazette on May 26, 1885; and the Texas Court of Appeals summation of the case, The State of Texas vs. James O. Phillips.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Although the Austin Daily Statesman was able to remake its front page for the December 25 editions, the other newspapers didn’t print their stories on the Christmas Eve murders until December 26. The information about life in Austin during the week after the Christmas Eve murders, from December 26, 1885, through January 1, 1886, is taken from the same newspapers listed in the preceding note.

  Eula Phillips’s funeral account is in the Austin Daily Statesman, December 27, 1885. More details on how funerals and burials at that time were conducted comes from the Austin American Statesman, August 18, 1991. Eula Phillips’s burial record comes from the Oakwood Cemetery records. Descriptions of Monroe Miller come from the Austin Daily Statesman on April 27, 1880, April 27, 1880, November 4, 1885, November 16, 1968, and September 18, 1976. The account of the shooting at the Southern Hotel in the early morning hours of December 27 was reported only in the Missouri Republican, December 28, 1885.

  The newspaper accounts of the brief arrests of the Norwood brothers are contradictory. I relied on the December 27, 1885, December 28, 1885, and December 29, 1885, stories in the Fort Worth Gazette and Austin Daily Statesman.

  Some of the citizens’ proposals to protect themselves were reported throughout the week. The woman’s letter asking for all Austin females to be given dogs was published, for instance, in the Austin Daily Statesman on December 29, 1885, and the man’s response to her letter was published on December 30, 1885. Governor Ireland’s fire alarm proposal was reported on December 27, 1885. The descr
iption of the electric burglar alarm salesman was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 16, 1885. The “100 policemen” comes from the Austin Daily Statesman on December 29, 1885. For concision and clarity, I grouped all of the citizens’ proposals in one section in this chapter. Besides being reported in the Austin Daily Statesman, the arrival in Austin and the performances at Millett’s Opera House of Abbott and the English Opera Company were later reviewed in the Texas Vorwaerts, a weekly newspaper for the state’s German immigrants, on January 1, 1886.

  The citizen’s letter about the electric lights was reported in the Austin Daily Statesman on January 2, 1886. Other stories and letters asking for electric lights were printed in the Daily Statesman on January 22, 1886, and March 21, 1886.

  The story of the “fake Pinkertons” was not initially reported in the newspapers. Based on a study of train schedules and a report in the December 27, 1885, Missouri Republican—“Experienced detectives are on the way here again to try their skill,” read the story—I am using my best estimate as to the date of their arrival in Austin.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The revelation about “fake Pinkertons” was first reported on February 22, 1887, in the Fort Worth Gazette and the Austin Daily Statesman when an investigation was begun by the aldermen over the amount Mayor Robertson had paid the detectives. On February 26, 1887, William Pinkerton wrote a letter to an Austin citizen laying out the entire story about how Austin’s mayor had hired the wrong Pinkerton agency. The letter was printed in the Austin Daily Statesman on March 4, 1887.

  Details about Matthew Pinkerton’s agency come from Andreas’s History of Chicago, p. 119, and Pinkerton’s Murder in All Ages: The History of Crime, pp. 10–14. Further information comes from the New York Times on November 14, 1884, March 16, 1886, March 17, 1886, March 18, 1886, and October 11, 1889; the Fort Wayne Gazette on September 14, 1894; and the Marion Daily Star of Indiana on December 9, 1895. Details about Matthew Pinkerton’s “correspondence school” come from the Pinkertons’ National Detective Agency files, Box 9, at the Library of Congress. More about the history of Matthew Pinkerton’s agency was found in the Chicago Daily News on May 1, 1897, and February 19, 1918.