Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-03-15
In Desirium Trrmess . Mssser Hurts Hev
Baby from . Wis6sv.
New York Herald.


Baby from . Wis6sw.
New York Herald
In east Fifteenth street. within good
stones throw Of the river, stands row
Of tenement-houses. which for squalor
and dirt are almost the equal Of the dens
Of misery near the headquarters Of the
Board Of Health in Mott street. Near
the centre Of the row is No. 5l1-
a house built in accordance with
the plans Of some one whose OBJ
iect seemed to be not to waste a
single inch Of ground in the construc-
ton of a teuement-house. A substan-
tial and at the same time profit-yielding
monument to this gentleman's mastery
economy in real estate is erected In the
rear Of No. 5l1. Ii is in the form OF a
complete five-story tenement which has
been adroitly sandwiched in between
the rear of the houses in Fifteenth
street and the rear Of those in Sixteenth
street. On the third floor of this rear
dwelling live John McClosky, his wife
Annie, and his two children. Mamie
and Annie, aged respectively six aud
two years.
4 SLAVE 70 DRINK.
When McCloSky and his wife were
married, seven years ago, McClosky
was an intelligent and Industrious
young house painter. but he had one
fault-he was fond Of the company of
friends who were given to drink. As
he drank himself. in the course Of time
the wife learned to like drink, and be-
came a confirmed drunkard. Nc
Closky was somewhat slow to perceive
the turn affairs had taken. At last,
however. he grew fully alive to the
situation. He sought to cure his wife
of the evil habit. aud even stopped
drinking himself for time. All efforts
were in vain.
TAKING THE PLEDGE.
Last week McClOSky and his wife
the latter having emerged from an I'M
usually prolonged spell of intozication-
decided that for the sake of their two
little children they would make one
more effort to reform. On Saturday
last the usual weeks earnings were not
spent in drink, but a portion of the
money was set aside as the foundation
for the new savings bank account. The
wife went before priest and sclsRnly
pledged herself TO abstinence. She
kept her pledge, but she suffered fright
fully. The old thirst came back to her,
but she brayely fought it OF. She
would remain faithful to the promise to
her husband, to her pledge to the
pricst--ior the sake Of her little ones
she would remain faithful.
SUDDEN INSANITY.
On Thursday night she aud her hus-
band went to bed shortly after 10
O'Clock. She had had hard struggle all
day against her appetite for drink, and
was in a highly nervous condition.
The husband soon sank to sleep. Some
three hours later-about | O'Clock y.
M.-he was awakened by noise in
the room. Looking up. he saw in the
dim light his wife standing at the win
dow in her night-dresS with the
younger child in her arms. The win
dow was thrown up, and the mother
was swinging the infant as if to hurl it
out. The husband uttered horritied
exclamation, and. springing from the
bed. called to his wife. At that instant
she threw herself forward and east the
baby out OF the window into the yard
below.
The husband. reaching the window,
caught sight Of the child as it fell. 1t
struck the corner of the fire-escape,
bounded thence to a clothes line, struck
again on a second line lower down. and
then fell upon the stone flags in the
yard.
4 FIERCE STRUGGLE.
In the mean time the wife hal run
back into the room and was carrying
the second child to the window The
husband grsppled with her. Mrs. Nc
Closky struggled iiercely to throw the
child out. She is strong woman, and
her husband had all he could do to hold
her back. The struggle lasted long time,
but still no assistance came. Strug-
giles and cries and blows were Of no in
frequent occurrence in the rear Of No.
5l7. At last the neighbors were
aroused, not by the struggle, but by
the meanings OF the child lying in the
yard with its skull crushed in.
Aid was finally given to McClosky,
and his wife was oyerpowered. She
was mad with delir,um freRSas. She
was arrested and taken TO the Twenty
Second-Street station-hOuse. The child
was borne to Bellevue Hospital. where
il died at II o'clock yesterday morning.
The wife was arraigned in the forkyille
Police Court. She was in dazed con-
dition. She declared that she imagined
that some harm was impending TO the
children, ard that the only way to save
them was to put them out Of the win
dow. She was committed to the Tooinbs
pending action Of the coroner.
On the reush ss Eisasy.Eishi.
London World.
Sir James Bacon. with whom the
Office and the designation Of Vice Chan
eellor viii pass away into the history OF
our judicial system. holds gallsntly on
10 the bench. though. as the papers have