South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-11-10
Letter from New York.
N,ecid! Corresposdence.
NRw YoRK. Nov. 6. 1885,.

time / have been u guest ut the resi-.
dence OF friend living in brown
stone house near the Union Club, and
have admired the fine yards and hou.
ses from the large windows. Tse o.
Their night came letter fronNmy
friend containing this extract: You
will remember how You used to watch
those lovely children who played in
sight of our window. Every morn-
ing have arisen at seven o'clock 10
see the little ones at their games
There were three of them; each had
beautiful long, silky hair. The
youngest-a glrl-tive years old; the
two acknowledgements six and Sc
ven. Their sweet tempers and limo.
cent ways made them seem like an.
gels playing in early sunlight. This
morning l missed them. They
were no longer playing soldiers, nor
marching up and down singing sweet
songs. or play ing hide and seek with
their mother, who is a tall, graceful
woman, intellectual and refined. |
went down stairs and said to my bro
Their: Where are those children this
morning? He said nothing, but hand
ed me the Herald, and to my horror
| saw in big, black headlines that the
children were dead. Their mother
had shot them in front room at the
top OF the house. The statement
seemed too awful to be true, AMI e
ven now / look out where the sun
floods the grass plat, but there are no
voices, no children playing soldier or
blinds mans buff with their mother
The doors are closed, the windows are
darkened. and the neighborhood
seems wrapped in gloom
1t would seem that October has
been fatal month for New York
For the most part the weather has re-
sembled murky London. A bright
October sun was n rarity indeed, and
there must have been something in
the muggy atmosphere to breed Gu.
lamities. First,we had crazy French.
man running amuck in q thoroughfare
crowded with lady shoppers, and deal
ing death blows right and left with a
pair Of colnpasses. Then an employe
OF the Third Avenue Horse Railroad
Company tries to shoot his uncle, the
president of the company, and, under
the impression that his shot was eff
tective, blows out his own brains with
the same weapon. Then the Park
Theatre fire, which missed only by Il
few hours being human holocaust.
The climax of horrors was capped,
however, on the last day of the month
by the murder Of the three bcauti iut
and innocent children, mentioned a
bove, by Il iunatic mother, who subse-
quently takes her own life. DR.. Sc.
gum, the father OF the murdered
children and the husband Of the luna
tic in question, is Il man known to
entertain peculiar views ON the SUBJ
ject Of insanity. That phase OF in-
sanity resulting from nervous disor,
ders he has made a special study. Ii
is reported that he would have been
called as an insanity expert in the
Guiteau case but for his peculiar l.
IDEAS. No one questions the Doctor
high standing in his profession, and
the most profound sympathy is ex-
tended on all sides for his dreadful
misfortune. But it is rather remark
able that man supposed TO be an
adept i'll diagnosing the insane phase
of morbid nervousness, hysteria, etc,
should have failed to discover that
his own wife was a luuatic.
A great deal has been written Of
late about the closing OF the great
house Of A 7. Stewart s. Co, and
some writers have grown sentimental
over the closing OF business that has
been so prominent before the public
for a quarter of a century. The truth
Of the matter is that the business is
going on the same as ever, only un-
der different name. Judge Hilton,
since his memorable attack upon the
Jews, has found the trade OF the
house steadily decreasing. 1t is an
open secret that the house has lost
money every year since Stewards
death. Mrs Stewart, while nominal
~ the proprietor of the business, left
everything to the control of Judge
Hilton. Mrs. Stewart must be over
seventy years of age, yet she affects
girIish airs and always appears re
splcrdent in brown wig. youthful
dress, and lavish display OF dia-
monds. 1t became apparent that
something must be done to stop the
waning fortunes of the house of a. II.
Stewart & Co. Nothing less than
heroic treatment could hope to RENE
dy matters that were going from bad
to worse. Judge Hilton hit upon the
happy idea of changing the business
N name, but no; in fact. The retail
department had long been under the
control Of Mr. T.. j. Denning az so
perintendeut That branch of the
business could therefore he readily
/ TUNED over TO him The d;suositiou