The Sydney Tragedy.

Manawatu Herald, 12 September 1895, Page 2

The Sydney Tragedy.

SHOCKING DISCLOSURES.

The extraordinary and sensational circumstances surrounding the death of the young woman Jessie Amelia Nicholl?, whose body was found in a box near the water frontage at Woolloomooloo, caused a shook of horror throughout Sydney. The girl was tli a daughter of highly respectable pirents living at Windsor, and Mrs ' Nicholl9 was complefcely prostrated with grief at the terrible disclosures as to the fate of her daughter. When the girl did not .return home after leaving asten : sibly to post a letter, Mrs Nichofis stirti-d in search of her, and became nearly ft-uoiic when, after two dayfl, no hsf,i ma lion could be got, especially as she had secured information in " Sydney that led her to believe there was something wrong and that an illegal operation wag to be per* formed. Mis Nieholla went back to Sydney on Monday morning, with the^mention of giving information to tfe"i 'police, 'aiTd wits horrfJKfl JEJ" leoi'D the partk-ulirs published in the v Iferafd. Detectives' Goulder, Greaves aipd Jones, who were specially told off to unravel the mystery afcor the box was found, obtained a clue early in the morning, and t6ok possession of premises situated at No. 26, Elizabeth street, city, and known as the "British Medical Institute." The detective* effected an entrance through one of the back windows at aboott 9.45 a.m., and upon enteriog were at once wellnigh overpowered with a sickening smell, arising seemingly from the recent pretence _ of a decomposed body, or chemicals, " or both. The detectives had not been wait* ing long befoie a man, who after* wards gave his name as Edward Thomas, entered the room, and was astonished .upon being confronted hyf \ the police. Upon being questioned ; he disclaimed having had any connection with the establishment, but shortly afterwards he admitted that he was the proprietor of the ** Institute," having purchased it about a fortnight ago for the sum of £75. Upon being" further interrogated by the police he admitted that his principal assistant was " Dr " Sheridan. After this the police had a long wait, and at about 2.80 in the after- • noon Sheridan was observed to enter the premises. He was first seen to enter the building by the officers stationed on the outside of it, and they at once rushed after him and secured him. Fearing that he might be provided with firearms, the detectives searched him, and found his pockets loaded with ajarge number of instruments, some of which would undoubtedly be used for illegal purposes. Sheridan showed great agitation, lie ijs a man of about 45 years of . age. .ha&, practifel as a chemist in various places for many years, and has once before been arraigned and senterjc^fl ■ on a criminal charge. He holds ho English certificate, but has a Frenoh

diploma that certifies to his possession of certain qualifications. In his room many letters were taken, and they showed that he has been j carrying on an extensive traffic of a certain kind. Thomas, who is supposed to have an alias of Edwards, is a much younger man, and the police know nothing of his past. Two other persons, a woman named . Chapman, alias Jackson, caretaker of T the '.' lnstitute," and a man named Sewell/were afterwards arrested. Tbgre is, to say the least of it, Bays tne UeraU, very strong presumptive evidence that the operation in the first instanca took place at a house in Paddington, and not at the 11 Institute." The operation was in every way unsuccessful in the first instance owing to the rough manner in which the operator, who was assisted by a person styling himself an American student, went about the wortt. On the Friday morning a bqggy was procured, and the young woman was placed in it and taken to the place in Elizabeth street. She was naturally a strong, robust woman, bnt on arriving at the " Institute '* she fell into a state of collapse, and it was while in this condition that tho. operation of the abdominal section was performed. She was too far gone by this time for such a severe trial and died antler jfc, The woman Chapman states, however, that it was not until after j]ie girt was deud that Sheridan used the knife, and did fro then, as he stated, to nscertain tho onufe of death. When the gU'l had breathed bor tat on the Fiiday the oorpae was carried down to ! [he front room below, and. there it remained till Sheridan proonrerl the packiug-case on the Saturday. Then, once more behind loeke d doors, the body was lift to itself; nov does the fact of such a forbidding burden being in the house appear to have disturbed the peace of the woman or the man Scwell, who lived in the rooms upstairs. At any rate they occupied their portion of the house as usual, and on Sunday evening tbty let in Sheridan, who came, by arrangement, with a buggy. Then, according to the woman's statement, she held the horse whilst the case was brought out by Sheridan and Sewell. It was with considerable difficulty lifted into the buggy, and the woman released the horse's head, and Sheridan and Stwell rapidly drove away. It appears that a numb?r of residents in the vicinity saw the buggy being driven away with a "large case. Mrs J. Graham, who lives at Padflington, told a JleraU reporter that the deceased came to her place, and told them about a disagreement at homo. Her mother would not let hor have her clot hep, because she did not want her daughter to leave Knowing that there was a disagreement she persuaded the girl to go home. Nearly the whole time she was in the house fhe was crying ; but shi^ffia not give Mrs Graham the id£a'. that there was anything wrong with herself. It was only the trouble at home. She waa engaged to be married, but there was something preventing her marriage with the young man. She had been engaged for something like 2Jf years ; but it was a private matter that prevented tbft marriage— a family mat ter, Tfie marriage would have dis-inherited-her. husband. She kft the house! and Mrs Graham did not see her afterward. One of the moit shocking features of the whole painful story is that while the detectives remained in possession of the premises known as Ihe •• British Medical Institute " several women, most of whom were young girls called at the " Institute " to consult Sheridan. The deteotivea in several instance represented themselves as acting for Sheridan, and they thus learned that [some of the applicants had been operated upon, and were still under treatment, others called by appointment for operation, and others again came to inquire the necessary fees, &c. The detectives obtained the addresses of most of the caller?, stating that Sheridan might call or write to them. Bandies of letters found in the writing doskt in t the " surgery " gave further evidence of the extent of the atrocious enterprise. From what the detectives saw thfy came to the conclusion that the ""trade" of the accused was very extensive.