Piece Of Art

THE NEMESIS OF NEGLECT. There floats a phantom on the slum's foul air, Shaping, to eyes which have the gift of seeing, Into the Spectre of that loathly lair. Face it--for vain is fleeing! Red-handed, ruthless, furtive, unerect, 'Tis murderous Crime--the Nemesis of Neglect! Jack the Ripper cartoon was published September 29, 1888 in Punch , or The London Charivai , John Tenniel. The attempted self-immolation by David Parker, 24, at Longfellow Square, Portland, Maine, a block from the Lafayette Hotel, occurred on September 29, 2010. As I have pointed out in recent postings here, the statue dedicated to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was unveiled on September 29, 1888. This date is also linked to the infamous Jack the Ripper murders. The same day that Punch published a caricature of Jack the Ripper, the Ripper decided to strike again. The illustrator of that cartoon would be none other than Sir John Tenniel (28 February 1820 – 25 February 1914), who is remembered today for his i...

Longfellow Square on February 26, 1981. Boston Daily Globe headlines of September 29, 1888 events at Longfellow Square. The Portland Daily Sun has followed up with an intriguing editorial look at recent events...based upon research you first saw here.... Tragedy in Longfellow Square spurs questions, eerie links by Curtis Robinson, Editor of the Portland Daily Sun . Even in a somewhat experience-hardened newsroom, Wednesday's news that somebody had set themselves on fire at Longfellow Square was a shock. The man, who was identified yesterday as David Parker, 24, of Portland, reportedly soaked himself with gasoline in his nearby apartment, walked over to the Longfellow statue and ignited the fuel. He has reportedly been transferred to a Boston burn center. But the ripple effect from the event continues, with police urging witnesses to seek help if they need it. One local property manager noted that witnessing the man ablaze "is going to stay with me for awhile." In the m...