The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-18

mrDs Joreeys
Mrs. Jersey is at the bottom Of the At
lantic, her demented husband is chattering
to himself in the sunshine up in Rockland
county, DR.. Hammond is dead by his own
hand and strangely assorted man and
wife, the daughter Of the murdered woman
and the son Of the man who probably killed
her, are left to explain to their curious neigh
bors and host Of detectives drama they
do not understand. No more startling story
of the sea has come to hand lately than this
to the waves from the steamship Cuba, No
vember 20, last year. Nineteen years ago
this woman was handsome girl of seven
teen, and married person of 'feeble intel
lect"-that is a gibbering imbecile--pos-
sessed of enough money to be called
rich in the country. If this act was
not the result of family pressure it
must be taken rs ON evidence of an entire
want of womanly sensibility. Last Novem-
Der she left her home and came to this city
on her way to Europe, rs given ont. With
her was friend of the family, DR.. Ham,
she drew nearly ten thousand dollars in
money, and on the 9th of November she
took passage on the steamer for Fernandina,
Florida. She seemed to be alone. On the
first night out she was i'll and medical pas
senger came to the rescue and gave her
dose OF hydrate of choral. One woman,
with keen feminine instinct saw the two to-
gether and concluded that they were not
strangers to each other. From the dose of
chloral Mrs. Jersey never recovered. All
the next day she lay unconscious, breath
ing stertorously and with her mouth
open, the. brain oppressed so far that
death by paralysis Of the muscles that
carry on the vital machinery was i'm
minent. Had the medical passenger been
SO disposed he could at almost any moment
early in that day have saved her life, for
strychnia, the efficient antidote, is of course
in every steamers medicine chest. He was
in her room great part of the time that
day. She died that night, was buried almost
Immediately, and the medical passenger left
at the first port they reached, though he had
taken passage for another port. With him
went apparently the money the woman had
drawn from her bankers, as it was not found
in her effects and is not accounted for. Now,
the problem Of the story is, was this medical
passenger on the ship the DR.. Hammond who
was with her when she left home for this
city? DIR. Hammond returned to his home
on December 10. The steamer left this port
on November 81 and reached Fernandina in
ten days, say December Z. 1t reached Port
Royal the day before, or the second
day before--on the 9Th, therefore, or
the 5th-and there the medical passenger
went ashore. Starting from Port Royal on
either the 9Th or the 9th, therefore,
he had ample time to reach Rockland county
by the 10th. He gave out on his return that
he had been to Alabama. which seemed safe
enough in view of his precautions, and would
agree happily if he had been seen on a
Southern train by any person that knew him.
If the medical passenger was DR.. Hammond
he had every reason to suppose the woman
would neveragain be heard of by her friends.
She seemed to be effectually out of the way.
They believed her in Europe, and he be-
lieved that he had destroyed that day in her
stateroom all papers that could ever give q
clew to the identity of the woman so hastily
buried at sea. But solitary envelope had
been overlooked, on which was written
her daughters address in Rockland county.
That sent the detectives thither, and when
they appeared DR.. Hammond committed
suicide. Suicide in such circumstances is
confession.