not talk much, as he had lost a lot of blood. Police Chief, Wilbur F. Morris was awakened, at 2:00 a.m. and alerted. He placed every officer in town on alert, assigning patrols along the east and northeast sections of the city. The police took Ballard to Springfield Hospital. Another stabbing nearby Around twenty minutes later, close to 1:00 a.m., a 30-year-old mulatto, Ed Jamison, was robbed and stabbed near his residence, on Reynolds and Ninth streets, about six blocks south of the Ballard home. The only thing the robber reportedly took from Jamison was his coat. Jamison was "severely stabbed" in the right shoulder, over the collar bone, and also across his left breast, splitting down his right arm from his shoulder to his wrist. He was taken to St. John's hospital, where he was interviewed about his attacker. He claimed that he was walking along on Reynolds street, having just crossed Ninth, when he was suddenly attacked by a black man that "rapidly" approached him, grabbed him by the coat, and demanded to Jamison, "Give me your coat." When Jamison refused and tried to step away, the attacker allegedly began "slashing him with some sharp instrument." Jamison reportedly fell, and his attacker, whom he described as "a light colored negro with a slight mustache," ran away. Jamison sustained one cut along "his head, another across his back, and still another down his left forearm." He ran home, where he fainted, and was then taken to St. John's Hospital, where he was interviewed by police about the attack. The police believed Jamison knew his attacker, but refused to name him. It was never confirmed whether Jamison knew his attacker. Early July 5, after the police learned of Jamison's attack, they made a "strenuous effort" to find Jamison's attacker, "believing that he might be the same negro that cut Ballard." However, the following day, July 6, the police dismissed Jamison's attack, stating that it had "positively no connection" with Ballard's attack, concluding that Jamison was stabbed with a "razor or long bladed knife," and maintaining that Ballard was stabbed with a "penknife." Descriptions of assailant The next morning, only two newspapers reported on the events that took place at the Ballard home – the Illinois State Register and the Illinois State Journal – both local Springfield newspapers. They both ran descriptions of the assailant; however the accounts differed: The Illinois