Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-08-19
FOURTH EDITION.
rhe Reading Suicidal Horror.

FURTHER PARTICULARS HOW THE DEED WAS COM
MIrrEp-SEoLEor SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAUSE
OF THE SUICIDE.
The lieading papers give further particulars
of the drowning of Mrs. Biesinger and her three
CHI drer, mentioned in til Sc columns yesterday {;
After tho recovery of the four bodies from
the canal which was accomplished soon after
death, the fatal plunge having been Witnessed
bv persons at distance, a coroner inquest was
held which rendered a verdict that the woman
came to her death by suicidal drowning, and
that the death of the children resulted from
drowning, caused by the wilful act OF the wo-
man. supposed to be their mother. who was
found with them. AT this time The podies hau
not been identified.
The Coroner states that in his opinion Mrf.
Blsslnger must have committed the deeu
shortly before five o'clock. She fastened the
basket. containing ahont twenty'one POUNDS
of stone, around her waist with a thick cord,
which she had taken with her, which in the
opinion of the Coroner, together with other
circumstances, showed that the suicide was
deliberate one, and that she had, yesterday,
fully determined upon the dee1. She took
one child under one arm, another under the
other arm, and holding the third child close
to her breast i'll front, she jumped INTO the
water and they all perished together Mrs
Blssnger WAS dressed i'll loose black cape
and plaid dress, which in its wet condition
looked like de.Aine. She had very finely
worked pocket handkerchief about her. and in
her pocket was wallet containing about SIX
dollars IN currency. There was also printed
slip of newspaper containing the name OF her
husband, and two letters were found i'll her
pocket These letters were taken by the Coro-
ner, and were found to be dated August 9th and
10th, 1865 The letters were couched in the
most endearng language, commencing and end
ing in the manifestation of the strongest ties OF
love- respect and esteem They were
signed by the first name of her husband and
these were the only letters found on her person.
She had them in her pocket and from appear
ances she had read them the last time yesterday
on her Journey up the river bank. All her cloth
ing was on her person, excepting her hat which
had hoated away. The unfortunate lady would
have become IL mother to another babe IN lew
months. The children were very nicely dressed.
1t is stated that the little ones in their child
ish innocence helped to gather the stones along
the tow path, with which the basket was filled,
to sink them and their distracted mother in the
water or the canal
Mrs. Louisa Bissinger, the deceased, was the
eldest child of the late Frederick Eben, who re-
sided iu this city mauy years ago. She was born
III this city and lived for many years with her
parents who kept the Auenbech Hall restaurant
and other places. She was married to Philip
Bssnger about ten years ago, and has had sX
children, three of which died natural DEATHS
and three lost their lives yesterday as recorded
above.
PUBLIC OPINION IN READING.
Through private sources we learn that the
very general belief at Reading is that Mrs. b.
singer was led to the commission OF suicide by
the neglect of her husband. 1t is understood
that young lady of that city had estranged tho
affection which Blssinger once bore for Ills wife,
and appropriating it to herself so wounded the
spirit and nrieyed the heart of Mrs. BisRlnger,
that in her distress she WAS driven to the ending
of her days in this sad manner. The letters
| above alluded to, it ls broadly hinted, were
portions of a surreptitious correspondence
between Bissinger aud the young ladv
(whose name it is mot necessary
to mention) which had been intercepted
and placed HI possession of the wife. These
with other circumstances, OF recent date are be-
lieved to have been the immediate causes OF the
destruction of life. To the children, especially
| the younger. a boy, Bissinger was very much
attached, aud the suppositon is that the mother
drowned them not only to prevent another wom-
| an from "lording 1T over them, but to increase
| the modification of the husband and to bring to
| him sadder realization OF the blow inflicted.
PHILIP BIssINGER,
the husband of the lady who suicided, is the
proprietor of one of the most widely and ex-
| tensively patronized beer saloons IN leading.
He is also the leader of the Reading
ManneIchor, fue musician, and
highly respected. His place is a
| il q sort Of Board of Trade, where the business
men of the city meet at 10 o'clock almost regu-
larly each day, aud to whose convenience lie has
| set apart room for business purposes. lie wei
| to Reading poor boy, married his wife While Ill
| humble crcum stances, and after his marriage
| his mother in law, who was then conducting the
| saloon, and had made considerable money, quiet
| ly retired leaving the management to Blsslpger'
| who has also made some money out OF 1t. lie
| had been married for about nine years, the toul
! last of which have been, we understand, years of
great care and anxiety to the wife growing out
| of neglect Ill the manner stated above.
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