The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-16
A PHILADELPHIA TRAGEDY.

Wife Murdered While Asleep by q
Drunken Husband-Hc Crushes i'm Her
Skull With an Axe-ClOak, tho Assas-
sin, Arrcstcd-HOw n Little Girl and
His Aged Mother Intcrrogatc Him Over
the Bleeding Body-Result Of the POST
Mortem and COrOner's Inquest.
PHILADELPHIA, March Is, 1873.
send you temperance sermon this evening
which bears on its face an emphasis and warn
ing that oil the pulpit eloquence of New York
and Philadelphia, be 1t never so pointed,
will hardly excel. Charles j. Cloak, q me-
chanic, employed at the Baldwin Locomotive
Works, man who, when s0beT is the
most quiet and inoffensive man to be found, re-
turned to his home, at 2,037 Reeves street, about
five O'Clock yesterday afternoon, perfectly wild
from the effects of strong drink. He was
not quarrelsome, but exceedingly hilarious.
His old mother, eighty-nve years old, aided by
his wife. succeeded in getting him to bed at about
six O'Clock He was too restless to remain long,
and about seven O'Clock he came down stairs,
drank some chocolate and ate piece OF bread and
sailed forth into the street. He returned at ten
O'Clock, and his wife and mother tied his hands,
alter first taking of his clothing, gave hun some
tobacco and
PUT HIM TO BED.
Then Old Mrs. Cloak and Cloak's wife and little
niece of ClOak's, aged IL, whom he had adopted
and Charlie, an adopted son, aged about seven, re-
tired to one bed. Nothing unusual occurred until
morning The old lady had been in the habit OF
getting up at two O'Clock IN the morning 10 see to
the fire. She arose at that time this morning and
performed that duty went back to bed and went
to sleep.
DISCOVERY OF THE MURDER.
About half-past five O'Clock the little girl was
awakened by light shiningin her eyes; she looked
up and saw Cloak standing in the room loo king at
his wife.
looked and saw Mrs. Cloak covered with blood. and
a great cash In her left temple. "Who did this,
II don't know" Cloak repled ''some one must
have come in and done It," and he then burst
into tears The little girl Sc emed to have possessed
an extraordinary nerve for, instead of shrleking
fainting away, she said, "We it's no use stand
ing there why don't you gofo q doctor'" Cloak
where he should go. He was dir ected to 20 to
Twenty-nrst and Vine streets and put on his shoes
and started out. The girl got up ana called across
HIS AGED MOTHER FEELS THE BLOOD.
By this the ola Lady VINO Is very yo @'S WOKE
covered up, reached over on the pillow, and was
Mortified to find 1t covered with bsod.
my God, what's this ~ she cried, and jumped
| out OF bed as quick she could aud get a light.
| Whsn she returned Mrs. Cloak was groaning, but
street. and old MRS. Cloak let her In, but all their
efforts to get word from the murdered woman
s sy
clotted blood from her mouth. Mrs. Cloak fingered
for an hour and half and died at about seven
| o'clock. Cloak did not return to the house, but
was arrested before he proceeded far, and taken to
| the station house at Twenty-third and Brown
THE AXE WITH WHICH HE SLEW HER.
1t seems that Cloak awoke about four O'Clock this
| morning and dressed himself, then proceeded to
the cellar and got an old rusty axe, In which Mrs.
| Cloak, the murdered woman, had inserted broken
handle about two weeks ago. She had used 1t for
be likely to TX 1t. The handle had been broken,
and what was left OF It had been whitfield dow and
into tine eye o. ns AXE
quietly up stars, with the light IN one hand aud
the axe in the other.
| THE FATAL BLOWS
| Having ascertained the position Of his wife he
| placed the light on the manfel and dealt her two
sunk the back OF the axe two and half inches
into her skull. The second blow was not 80 severe,
but merely broke the skull ne then proceeded ie
| table. Then he returned and stood by the bedside
to see her Likelihood ebb away.
| AT ThE HOUSE OF DEATH.
| When went to the house the neighbOrs were
gathered In front OF the doorways and peerng Gu
riously cut OF their windows at the house Of DEATH
| as II there were some terrible enchantment about
| it, The old crones OF the neighborhood came out
OF the alleyways hard ey and crGaked and to 10
| in their younger days.. Then they would look at
the windows as II they expected to see the ghost
| of the murdered woman stand forth INTO the light
Of day and confront the gossps OF the street.
| While in the house policeman guarded the door
|
through knot OF weeping wemen and proceeded
| up stairs to the little chamber where the woman
| met her death.
| A POsT-MORTEM ExAMINATIoN.
| DR.. Shaplegh was engaged IN his Post-mortem
| examination, and pulled the scalp Down over her
| eye to show me the extent OF the wound. Clotted
| blood had gathered around the wound, and the
| doctor removed 1t and disclosed a most terrible
bone. two inches square, that had been driven into
the brain was taken out BY the doctor and secured
| by Q Philadelphia repeater as trophy OF his
calling.
appeared like a hardworking woman, and bore on
| her frame the evidences OF fatiguing labor. Her
sister and brother, who remained down stairs, told
me she had frequently supported the family for
weeks at time, while Cloak was on on MS period
| ical sprees. -
| From the murdered woman's late home pro-
| ceeded to the station house anu found Cloak, his
had come in when Mary called across the street for
| help. The prisoner Is q very respectable intei
| gent-loekng man and neat In his get-up, solidl5
built and apparently about forty-fve years OF age
| He was not inclined TO say much about the muir
| DER save to. deny It.
| CLOAK FULIY COMMITTED By THE CORONER.
Coroner Brown held an Inquest at i've O'Clock
The evidence Of Cloaks mother and the little girl
clear and convincing, and at It's conclusion Cloak
was fully committed In accordance with the yer
duct Of the jury.
A brother OF the murderer Ii on the police force
Mrs. Cloak's brothers are sober, hard-worktna
men, and, In common with all concerned, are
plunged into grief by this NEST horrible tragedy
This temperance sermon will PROBABLY be read by q
million OF your readers. II II saves we lie 81 OBJ
poor woman OF the many In Gil large cities who are
suffering untold misery from drunken husoanss
the story Will not have been told In vain.
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