New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-08
WHAT Mr.. FISH SAYS.
FURTHER LIGHT UPON MISS REFERS DEATH
STATEMENTS OF HER PHYSICIANS.

STATEMENTS OF HER PH1slClANs.
Several newspapers of this city published as
local yesterday extended account Of tho death
of sale Reber Laing at Carstadt, village in New
Jersey. All these stories were elegraped from Ceve-
land, shown in the account OF tho matter pub
lished in the teeg RI phi news Of TIE TRIDUSc
A reporter OF THE TRIBUNE. who had met James d.
Fish several occasions and knew his hour OF supper
at Ludlow Street jail, met him In the VISITORS room
yesterday afternoon about the supper hour and had an
extended conversation with him on the subject
Of Miss Reber's life and death NIr. Fish took
q published account OF the affair and with lead
pencil over the whole story, drawing lines here
and there through what he pronounced untruhfu state
ments lie passed over without marking the account OF
Miss Rebor's early life in sandushy, her ovo OF music,
her intelligence and lovely disposition merely empha-
sizing the truth OF these with nod OF the head lie
drew the pencil first through the lines her mother died
in her childhood. Her father was subsequently
married to tho who survives him." merely saying;
" That Is not true, her mother Is still living"
Passing on Miss Reber's acquaintance with Franklin
f. X LANG whom she married, Mr.. Fish put black
mark on the statement that angs parents wealthy
and lived In Brooklyn. They lived in Now-fork, said
he. lie denied that Lalngs parents were bitterly OPP
posed TO his marriage with an actress and that when
they were married in 1850 "thc parents OF the young
man well nigh cut him adrft" Mr.. Fish said that there
was no opposition denied the story Of Laings cruelty
TO his wife saying: "Sallie always told that lie
was kind to her." and then he called attention to the
statement: Laing thought the world OF his wife, fairly
worshppng her." commenting, THAT looks hardly con-
sstent does it After her husbands death Mrs Iaing
returned TO mother in Sandusky On her return to
this city, ono account sald she occupied an elegant
suite OF rooms at the Hotel vendomc" Mr. Fish said
that she had only plainly furnished room Then she
event TO apartments In new dat near Sxteenth-st.
aud broadway tho cost OF which Is said to have been
borne by James d. Fish" Mr.. Fish drew line through
the Of the statement aud said decidodly "Ihat
| not So"
qy,o next massage ron this timo saie was no
Ion ger OH the stage d. Fish, then president OF
the Marine Bank frequently called at the house OF Mrs
Nugent in West Thirty fourthst, before Iaings DEATH
and took sae and her sister Alice ont to dinner Fish
WAS constant visitor at tho theatre where saiie ap
| peared" 81 never called on her." said Mr. FISH, en-
phaticaly, "whllo her husband was living often saw
Lang aud his wife at restaurants but never spoke with
! them know Laing only by sight l Was only an oc-
casiona visitor at the theatre where she played" He
passed over without comment the account OF
| his being in sandusky In August last, when Mrs
| Iaing played there and OF his sending a
telegram to sandusky on March IL announcing her
death Mr.. Fish next came to Mrs. Gramliohs account
OF the death Of sae eber ut the house or Mrs Onger
DR. Phelps has been to to-day" said he,
and he tells me that the Gramlich woman and Mrs
Olinger are deadly enemies; you can take
Mrs Gramlchs story for all 1t IL worth"
Then he added: cit Is true that Miss Reber went
10 Carlsbad on February "a she went on February g.
fhappen TO know about that,
Fish left untouched story OF his visits to Mrs. Laing
at Carlsadt and carrying her fruits and flowers every
other day. merely cOmmontng: 81 was not there as
often as thst I went thore four or five times"
Fish was here the day she died." the story ran, saw
the baby and left the o'clock train for New YORK
Dr. Phelps, OF Rutherford the physician In charge
and left the house when Fish did, Mr.. Fish
drew line through the end Of the sentence beginning
with the words Dr. Phelps" and said: did not see
Dr. Phelps at all at that time As to the TAN man
and the short man" who arrived at Carlsadt on the
G31 train from this city with large square "oouen
box" Mr. Fish said he supposed the men wero uhuer-
takers lie did not know who they were or anything
about them The box he thought. was merely an lee
box As for the statement that Dr. Phelps SAID AZ the
depot all right" Mr. Fish romarkeo'
DR. Phelps told to-day that he was not there NJ an
and that there was not any truth In that
n,rt NJ tho story. As for tho story
that two men dragged the box containing
the body through street while 1t took several men
TO lift It to the Mr. Fish considered INC it ~
Inconsistent and Part and parcel Oh the
station Agent Gramich was represented as saying;
believed something wrong lie saiu te yV ~
all Tsht k nSyS ' SAID Mr FISH drawing his
pencil through the statement thet tns o" hPeayIi
Inc words something was wrong; trina !"
take my affidavit that that phsr. f tSSt miss
Reber was married Mr.. Fish or had contract t o,
@ for ii so and received in payment check for $780,
Mr. Fish said with smile aud shrug OF the shoulders
this interview took place" lie had nothing to say OF
DR. Phepss call on him on Monday puC nt 10 Mr.
d asTnSn Mise Rebers brothernaw which read
Look out for breakers. Letter on tue way ,eoranb
he said: "Now you know something aoOu. b.
messages Is there any protect~ srO mnssage
Dir Fish was late for his supper and rose TO go, we
as hecn ecuIarly associated with Mlss ReDers IN the
accounts OF this matter. Did you Vst ner ~ O"ii'
from any other Interest han that OF :. that good will
II do for me to say anythngi The newspapers
believe nothing that say have nothing 10 sS On rb
point you mention Yet, Will, however, say tns, a tp
family OF Miss Reber to-day have az high regaru tol
me any could ask You may llhu , suio pebeSs
niacance that fact Mr.. Layman miss t'nIars
and set right on that point How Iohs n ,awohie
Miss Robert For many years enc h"u ~
Dr. Phelps was found bya TRIDuNE reporter IN the
office OF The bergen County Herald az mnaiookins
man. perhaps fifty years OF age with wnte h apu a
beard, mild eye aud honest M ,d - on
OF speaking. II first saw Mrs LANG, nc SAUL III
February 30 at Mrs Olinger's homo, ana Learned 9as
she had been at Carlstadt for two or three W1 49, &
child GIRL was born February "a. TWO OF inTee Ways
thereafter she told that her name was p h hSamS
thatshe twenty nine years Of age ta' n ht t,ne
Franklin y. Lang had died only that tHo' based
| nv certificate OF her death and the plIII n
OF child The progress OF her recovery was periee
satisfactory except that she was troubled MIN %
stomach an afction OF several years standing WIS.,
| ited her daily When called March ! Ionna ner
quite sick She told that she had eaten Az, Io]o ~
| oranges and some CLANS dnd bad drank bottle Oh
ginger ale the day before. remOnstrateu WIN e, a
abe said that she knew what her stomach % her that
morning Mrs Holland, who said that sue was ooiscu
to 70 Phsdslpha where saS was Was n danger
ous condition. and that had no hope OF her recoNcIy
Mira Holland then asked me to let her Know II yh
Mr. Iaing was much worse She was unconscious,
aud that she going 90 de- when Sa sSt hs