New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-15
MIR. MURRAY HURRIED OFF.
HIS YOUNG WIFE CALLS IT ABDUCTION. 4

sensational story OF alleged abduction was
brought to the attention Of Justice Duny az tho
Jefferson Market Court yesterday. Mrs. John d
Murray, Of No. l3 Washington place, hand
somely dressed and apparently refined woman OF
twenty-five years. accompanied by her mother
and her lawyer, Mr. Day, OF Lord, Day and Lord,
appeared before Justice Duffy and stated that
on Saturday last her husband, John Boyles
Murray, age seventy, had been taken from his
home in Washington place by his sister, Agnes
Murray, maiden lady Of sixty-fve years, and
with the assistance Of o man who pretended to be
q detective q woman named Alice Stephenson,
and the cabman, had put him into coupe and
had driven, as she believed. to No. 241 West
Fourteenthst.
Mrs Murray said that she and her mother, Mrs
Leiss, went out shopping on Saturday morning at
about 10 o'clock. When they returned, they
found policeman in the hallway, who said that
two women were upstairs and about to take her
husband to the hospital She ran mp TO find her
sister in-law, Agnes Murray, and the woman above
mentioned in her husbands room, urging him to
go with his sister They subsequently, succeeded
in taking him away against her urgent protests.
Mrs. Murray was greatly agitatcd while telling
her story. and her lawyer asked for an arrest
warrant. Judge Duffy instead issued summcnscs
for the two women, directing them to appear be-
fore him day. 80
GETTING OUT A WRIT OF HABEAs CORPUS.
Later in the day Mrs. Murray's attorney SO.
cured in the Superior Court writ Of habeas
corpus, commanding the production Of old Mr..
Murray in court. Up to late hour last night
it could not be learned that the court officers
had succeeded in serving any Of the writs.
Mrs. Murray was found at her home. No. 13
Washington place. last evening. Her mother,
Mrs. Leiss wife Of Dr.. Frederick Leiss, who lives
said that before September, 1886, her husband.
who O member OF the wealthy family from
whom Murray Hill derives its name, and who
had been q widower for twenty years, lived alone
in the house His maiden sister, Agnes, came
occasionally to see him, but she always quarreled
with her brother, and had begun u suit-at-aw
with the rest OF the family about the property
left by their mother.
This property was said to amount in value to
about $4,000 for each Mrs. Murrays father,
DIR. Leiss, inventor and graduate OF the
Universities Of Heidelberg and vi taris, rented
o portion Of the Washington place house, and
brought his family to live there. In the following
December Miss Felicia married TO Mr. Murray.
She exhibited her marriage certificate, signed 6y
the Rev. Dr. G. Il. Swope, OF Trinity Chapel, tho
witnesses being William Ely and H. Henriques
She said that the sister, Agnes was the only
member of the old mans family opposed to the
marriage. His brother Bronson Murray, of No.
258 West Fifty-second-st., favored it. There arc
two other sisters who married and are IN Paris
Eight months after the marriage Mr. Murray
became ill with disease Of the spine, and was
attended by Dr. Fordyce Barker and Dr. 4. Fowler.
few weeks ago he became affected by blindness.
Dr. Agncw called in only two weeks before
his death, and after an examination said that
cataract had formed on each eye Inc sister,
Agnes insisted that leeches should be applied, ana
that if this were done he would recover his sight
This the physicians said would be useless; beside.
the patient was not strong enough to undergo the
loss of any blood, but Agnes Kept urging her
theory upon her brother
HOW MR.. MURRAY WAS TAKEN AWAY
Mrs. Murray said that when she returned rom
shopping on Saturday she found the sister and
Miss Stephenson, with whom Agnes formerly
boarded in West Thirty-first-st, on the second
floor of the house. They had broken
in the door of her husbands room and her
husband in charge Of two female servants. After
her return her husband expressed q desire 10
remain where he was, hut aitcrward mrtly ny
persuasion and partly by force, the sister sue
cecded in carrying him away She was aided,
Mrs. Murray said by man named Kelly; the
iantor of a building nearby, who was brought III
The carriage containing the women and old
Mr.. Murray was first driven to the New-forK
Hospital Hero, Dr. Martin; the housc;surgeo,ni; nous % ,i
examined the old man and decided that he could
not be treated there 1t is asserted that the party
then went to No. PAL West Fourtecnth-st;. the
home of the Stephensos But it MA Tas Mnrre1 den,e1
was there or had been there. II is supposed ny
some that Miss Murray has taken her brother
to Greenfield Hill, Connecticut where she owns
q farm.
THE POLICE sERGEANTs STORY.
Sergeant Foody, of the Mercer Street Police
Station. said last night that Miss Agnes Murray,
whom he described as troublesome old lady,
came there about IL o'clock on Saturday morn
ing and asked that policeman be sent with
her to No. 13 Washington place to protect her
from assault Rather to satisfy the woman than
anything else, Policeman Kiernan was sent with
her. This officer says that on arriving at the
house, Miss Murray asked him to break in tho
door of the chamber on the second floor where
Mr. Murray was. This he declined to do, SO
the two women Miss Stephenson had arrived at
this time) tried to get in The noise aroused tho
blind man, and he Querulously begged TO be
taken out apparently not knowing what
was the matter. Finally little servant girl who
was with the old man opened the door, and the
sister ran in and made hurried preparations for
taking him away Mrs. Murray came in while
this was going on and protested which caused
the husband to hesitate about gcing... The sister
prevailed however, and assisted by Miss Stephen
son. Kelly and the cabman, got him out OF tho
house and into the cab in spite OF the wifes efforts
to prevent II: r,,.,
st.. said yesterday that he should spare no ex-
pense to find his brother and to punish his sister
for her conduct. She had for years been making
troube he said in the family.