The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-28
The History Of TIE Centre Street At
tempted Murder and Suicide.
"A Mother and Three Children Haunted by q
Fiend-Houseless, Penniless and
Bereft, Seeking for Work.
Wisbrecht's Preparation for His
Bloody Work.
EeU 10 in tho Room Where the Shots Wore
4 Fired-1lusband and Wife In Bellevue.


4 Fired Husband and Wife In Bellevue.
mg, o few minutes after midnight, Of tho frenzy
and depravity produced by lasclviousness and o
Me OF debauchery. The statement OF the ultimate
result OF continued life Of badness does not take
many words 70 tell In this case, - In most
others, 1t was the usual attempt at murder, and
then the attempt at suicide.
But there is long story Of crime and grief and
patient endurance to narrate before the culmina-
tt0n OF the evil deeds OF the wculd-be murderer
was reached in this double crime, and the story
would begin as far back as seventeen years ago,
and would require to travel through daily
ufe OF misery for one OF two persons,
nom ner girlhood to her womanhood; and
tor the other, an almost daily life Of
nebauchery from early manhood to the hour he
shot his wife in tenement room yesterday morn
Ing Such tale as this, however, need not be
told again. for is too familiar to most people who
read the records OF crime, and 1t is scarcely neces
sary In case like this to do more than to state the
facts OF the crime to bring the whole previous his
tory OF the criminal and his victim In their daily
lives before the imagination.
THE woMAN's STORY IN TIE HOSPITAL.
Seventeen years ago Christina Weiskrucker was
daughter OF her parents, who were simple. humble
people, residing in Cologne, Germany. Henry
Wisbrecht was then . young man, about
twenty-seven years OF age residing in the
same place, and O cabinetmaker by trade.
BY ali the artihces he could command
he had gained the affectons Of the GIRL and being
. fellow OF generally lewd propensities, he had
from the start resolved to seduce her. Having
taught the child how to err he had but little diff
Guilty in persuading the girl Of fifteen how to sin,
and the result was that he seduced her and that
she gave birth to child. Everything that the
aged parents could do was done to save
the unfortunate girl from the clutches
Of her destroyer but again he succeeded in euding
their vigilance, and, under promises OF marriage,
another child was born The girl being still young,
her friends believed that, were she to 60 to
America, there might still be some hope that Wis
brecht might marry her, and to this
end advised her. Money was procured for
her. and by secret understanding both left
Germany and arrived, alter lapse OF some months
ofa ships voyage across the ocean, In New York.
After short time tho girl succeeded in inducing
her lover to marry her, and the usual nuptial
formula was gone through with. But being thus
tied down Wisbrecht soon longed for freedom, and
this longing appeared at first in his absence
from his home, and, later on, in par
tial nl-treatment Of his wife. Very soon
the mans real character developed itself more
tully and intensely, and his wife learned that
she had been discarded in her husbands affections
and that night after night the gay young man of
thirty was spending his evenings and part OF
his nights in the company Of other women. The
old, early sin, she knew, would be thrown In
her face were she to assert herself as became her
position as o wife; and, though she heard from
time to time of the evil habits of her husband, she
ventured upon no reproach patiently believing
that time might him OF evil ways in which she
knew he had been travelling ever since he was o
boy. But the waiting was
ALL IN VAIN,
and time .enly brought to her, night after night,
the return Of her husband about two or three
O'Clock in the morning kicks and bruises to her
body and foul and nlthy language to her ears. A
growing family did not alter this state OF AFFAIRS
nor did remonstrance nor the contempt OF those
who knew Of his treatment OF bis wife change the
fact that he was man addicted to the crime Of
treating his wife badly and as the years went by
tience is broken down that the public ear ever
hears OF the weary life that has lived upon 1t and has
% a. iast; ana 50 IN tns case the woman
thrown upon her. For nearly fourteen years she had
been gradually coming to the point OF rebellion
Of whom ten died, leaving now three living
with THIS series Of burdens and misfortunes is not
surprise that the time had come when endurance
was no longer possible, 30, In April, 1872, the wo
man resolved to leave her brutal husband and seek
children elsewhere Alter consulting with the
few friends who had kindly offered and given ner
sympathy during the more recent years Of her hard
life, she determined upon going to Bridgeport,
children with her. At Bridgeport she speedily
few weeks got employment also ior the two girls
and the boy. They remained here for year, Iiv-
more than they wanted of the necessities Or lie.
The wife was content, the childen even more than
50; but In an evil hour the husband again coveted
them, az II the devil prompted him to destroy the
little share OF peacefulness that his wife was
enjoying. During the year that the wife and
leges, cohabited with another woman who gave
birth to child and 1t was after this that he went
to him. ens her ns
nate ns;, woman Won only too readily believed: y
TO New York, and the whole family went to reside
At SIS Washington street. But after very short
pan again to come home late, to beat his wife and
70 use abusive language towards her. A scar she
wore on ner shrunken face which was the result
tive for
FURTHER MALTREATMENr.
AND the kindness she at that time show ed him.
Mnen ne was imprisoned for his offence, In be-
seaching the Police Justice for his hberatioil from
the convicts cell. only embodened him to further
outrage her In tue hope that no harm could come
TO him While they were living at Washin Uton
with another man, who, Mrs Wisbrecht s,Sys,
was an employe in the same establishmen 'vin
Wn,Sh ner nusoand worked and the two carried
cealed. On the wife asking him what Il was Ne
had brought home with him, he replied that n wa
some wood, and that he had paid $50 for 1t. When
pay for 1t he replied that 1t was the other man who
had paid the money. Very shortly afterwards
when Mrs. Wlsbrecht met the wife OF the other en-
ploye referred to above, she ascertained, SO she
alleges, that the two men had stolen the wood
from their employers This was blow to her
that, with all Wisbrecht's badness he had never
dealt before, and with feeble hope-feeble from
the feebeness Of her own mind, as well from the
evil strength OF her husbands Characteristic de-
termined TO threaten him with exposure Of this
crime whenever his Ill treatment OF her
again became excessive But she soon
found on that her determination In this
regard was Just as futile In controlling
the man as thousands Of efforts to the same end
had been before, and only led TO greater persecu-