Did Jack The Ripper Once Live In Cranford? Historical Society To Host Event

CRANFORD, NJ — According to a recent post from Cranford's Historical Society, the infamous serial killer who murdered several women in the late 19th century may have had some ties to Cranford.

Author Luke Jerod Kummer recently discovered new evidence in the unsolved case of an 1891 homicide near the South Street Seaport in New York, which inspired his new Audible Original drama "Takers Mad." The Cranford Historical Society will host an event for Kummer to present his findings and discuss this strange chapter in local history on Saturday, April 23.

In 1891, a woman named Carrie Brown was murdered in Manhattan's East River Hotel. According to a post from Cranford Radio, this hotel was less than a mile from the business of a George Damon — a man who lived with his family in Cranford in the late 19th century.

Following this murder, New York's coroner announced that Jack the Ripper had arrived in the area. As panic grew, authorities charged a North African immigrant with murder.

Meanwhile, according to Cranford Radio, Damon had hired a man by the name of Frank to do work at his Cranford home. Frank lived in the stable behind the house. The morning after the murder in New York, Damon found Frank asleep in the stable and was told he was gone all night and returned home in a "very bad mood."

Five to 10 days later, Frank quit the job and disappeared. Shortly after, Damon found a bloody shirt and a key to the hotel room where the murder took place in the stable.

Damon didn't mention this to anyone for about a decade because he said he didn't want the publicity. He also was said to have felt that the convicted man, an Algerian by the name of Ameer Ben Ali — also known as "Frenchy" — deserved to be in prison even if he didn't commit the homicide.

The Algerian was finally freed over a decade later when Damon produced the "mysterious artifact." The man's sentence was reduced in April 1902, but the real murderer was never captured.

Kummer will present his new findings related to this murder at the Cranford Community Center at 3:30 p.m. April 23.

The Facebook event can be found here. A description of Kummer's book can also be found on Audible.

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