History of Sorts

“Hell broke loose” was a  December 1885 newspaper headline relating to the Servant Girl Annihilator in Austin,Texas.

This case had striking similarities with the “Jack the Ripper” case, however it happened 3 years before the Ripper caused hell in London.

Author Shirley Harrison contends that Jack the Ripper and the Servant Girl Annihilator were both Liverpool cotton merchant James Maybrick, who often traveled to the southern United States for business. Maybrick’s wife ended up poisoning him in 1889, after a tumultuous marriage.

In her book, “Jack the Ripper: The American Connection”, Harrison contends that Maybrick was in Austin when the servant murders took place.

I have to admit this idea does intrigue me and I think she might be on to something.

The serial killer, who became known as the Servant Girl Annihilator, preyed upon the city of Austin, Texas,during the years 1884 and 1885. The killer’s name originated with…