Thomas County cat., 1889-11-28
A wrongsd wom.n's Revenge.

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! NEW YORK, Nov. 23.-Stephen Pot
kus, secretary and treasurer Of the
Brooklyn elevated railroad, commits
sion merchant and member of the Cot
ton Exchange, was shot down in Full
ton street yesterday morning about
ton o'clock by Hannah Southworth
who emptied five chambers of 3s-cal
iber Smith s. Wesson revolver into
Pettus' head and body.
Fulton street was full Of persons
whose number was swelled by the
crowd just coming in from the Fulton
ferrybOats. A man who saw tho shoot
Ing said that he had noticed the woman
acting strangely OH the boat as though
lab0ring under great excitement. As
Pettus was walking up Fulton street
! the woman suddenly sprang forward
until close behind him, so near that
she might have struck him with heI
hand. Then she fired five shots from
new silver-plated revolver, each shot
taking effect. i.
Pettus staggered and tried to run in
the nearest doorway. But the self.
cooking pistol of the infuriated woman
was too quick for him. Covered with
blood he fell against the door, which
swung open with his weight, and the
dying man ran inside, rushed behind
the counter, out again, and fell dead in
bloody heap at the foot of the stair
way leading to the next floor.
Mr.. Pettus was fOrty-two years Of
age and lived at 49 Eighth avenue, cor
ner of Union street, Brooklyn. His
wife Is an invalid and there are no
children. His business associates are
shocked beyond measure by his death.
The cause of the tragedy as stated by
an acquaintance of Mrs. Southworth,
who has known the particulars Of the
troubles between them for some years,
dates back to an outrage committed by
Pettus upon the lady, and which had
been concealed from any one except .
very few Of her most intimate friends
for a long time. It appears, as il
alleged, that the acquaintance with
Mr.. Pettus was developed into friend
ship on account of the intimacy Of Mrs.
Southworth's woman friend with him.
The story goes that this lady was in
the habit Of attending theaters and
taking lunches with Mr.. Pettus and
upon these expeditions was in the habit
Of taking Mrs. Southworth with her
from time to time.
The natural result of this kind of as
sOci4tiOn led to an invitation at the
close of matinee one afternoon in New
York City, on the part of Mr.. Pettus
to Mrs. Southworth to call at a certain
residence near by. upon the pretext Of
seeing friend Of his. AS the house
was in the neighbOrhood and in q re-
spectacle part of the city, after some
explanation ON the part of Mr.. Pettus,
calculated to quiet the lady's appre-
tensions as to the strict propriety of
the proceedings. Mrs. Southworth con-
sented.
They were ushered into a parlor,
where, to Mrs. SOuthwOrth's cOnsterna-
ton, they were met by a colored man,
with the air of waiter, from whom
Mr.. Pettus ordered hottie of wine.
Mrs. SOuthworth, being frightened ut
her surroundings, demanded an ex-
planation. and was reassured by Mr..
Pettus that every thing was all right.
In the meantime she was urged to take
glass of champagne, which she did,
having been accustomed from child
hood to the use of wine upon proper
occasions. In few moments she lost
consciousness and knew nothing more
of her surroundings until the follow
Ing morning, when she walked up, find
Ing herself in bed in this strange house,
with no one about her, with no ono
within call whom she had ever known.
She soon discovered that she had
been wronged while unconscious, and
she had been abandoned to make her
way upon recovering consciousness rs
best she could. Overwhelmed with
shame she returned home, and giving
some excuse as best she could to her
family for her absence, she attempted
70 conceal her disgrace by keeping it a
secret.
In the course Of a few weeks, how
ever. to her CONSERVATION. she discov-
cred that some one must be taken into
her confidence and that absolute secrecy
would soon become an impossibility.
In her extremity she appealed to
Pettus to assist her and still save her
good name. In time she decided at tho
instance Of Pettus, in order to protect
the name of her widowhood, to consent
to malpractice. She was sent to an in.
terror city in this State, where at a
hotel, among utter strangers, she was
attended by physician under whose
care she lay for weeks, lowering be.
tween life and death. She was at length
restored to shadow of her former self.
covered with shame, her life wrecked
and her physical health irretrievably
broken. In order to avoid exposure at
the time of the outrage Pettus, it is al
legged, made the most profuse promises
OF substantial provision for her.
Upon her recovery, after abou. a
year, she reminded her betrayer of his
promises, but was only met with de-
paf&