The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-03-25
MURDER FOR MONEY.
Shocking Crime Near the
West Shore Ferry in
Weehawken.
4 WOMAN THE VICTIM,
And a Union News Agent Under
Arrest--She Showed a Roll Of
Bills and Was Felled
With a Coup
ling Pin.

Mrs. Louisa Berndr lies aG the point OF
death at her home in West New York
from injuries received at the hands Of 9
young ruffian last night
Patrick Murphy, an employe of the
Union News Company at the West Shore
Railroad depot. is locked up at the Wee
hawken police station, and win not be al
lowed to see or converse with anybody.
He is suspected of having committed the
crime.
The probable murder has created a
tremendous sensation in North Hudson,
where Mrs. Berntats il s.niversallv known
and respected. Her death is only ques-
tion of few hours, according to the
statement OF DR.. Lang, the attending
physician
The details of the murderous assault
show it to be one of the most bloody out
RACES ever committed, and this morning
an angry mob collected about the police
station in Weehawken and the temper OF
the crowd was such that II
it was positively known that the
prisoner was the murderer, beyond q
doubt the police would have hard time
TO prevent the crowd from taking the
law into their own hands.
STORY OF THE OUTRAGE.
The story of the assault as far as it can
be CLEANED from Charles Berndt, re-
markably intelligent boy, who accom-
panied his mother on the journey to New
York, which had such sad ending, is in
substance as fOllows:-
Yesterday afternoon at two o'clock
Mrs. Berndt, accompanied by her boy,
left West New York to purchase some dry
and fancy goods for the store which she.
owns After visiting several places
in the city the mother and her son started
for home at about seven o'clock. They
boarded the 7:SO ferryboat Of the West
Shore Railroad at the foot of Forty-s6c-
ond street, and arrived on the Jersey side
ABOUT ten minutes to eight O'Clock.
Arriving on this side of the river Mrs.
Berndt uncansciously exposed roll of
bills. There were several tough looking
young fellows at the ferry entrance
and the boy Charley now says
prisoner, watched where his mother put
the money. This is the lads story. After
replacing her pocketbook the two began
the journey up the road.
Anyone who travels this road at night
knows what it is. 1t could not be better
adapted for crime such as was commit
ted last night.
The mother and son had proceeded
about two blocks up from the ferry when
footsteps were heard in the rear, and the
child turned to his mother saying,
Mamma, think some one is following
us.v
the mother paid NO ststtSSHss:Ss. te the
child, and made little of his fears.
just as the mother had finished speak
ing, ruffian ranup stealthily, and hissed
in the woman's ear:--"Now I've got you,
d--n your
A DAsTARDLY BLOW.
The rest of the story is better told by
the child himself.
"This man. said he, pointing to the
prisoner, STRUCK my mother with some
thing, knocking her to the ground
He then knelt on her and took the
pocket book from her dress pocket and
ran away with all his might. | looked
speak and the blood was flowing like
water from her head
II then screamed for help and Starter
Wright, of the North Hudson County
Railway Company, came down and hired
a coach and sent my mother home"
The news OF the CRIME spread like wild
fire, and pretty soon there were dozen
Hawkshaws on the track of the unknown
assailant. The boy furnished very good
description of him. and as it
tailed with that of the prisoner
a hunt was instituted, but the police were
unsuccessful until this morning in lind
ing him. Policeman Timoney and re-
night, and at nine O'Clock located Murphy
at the stand of the Union News Company.
A DAMAGING STATEMENT.
He was called from behind the railing
and the nippers were put on him, but he
was not told of the crime he was sus-
pected of. The policeman, a re-
porter and the prisoner board
| ed car. On the car the
| prisoner made an admission which will
| bear hard against him. Without any So
| licitation he said that he did not care as
| the boy could not identify him. This the
| police consider very significant
! Seymour and formally accused of the
| crime. He denied it in every particular.
| The boy Charles who was present pos
| itively identified him as his mothers
| assailant. He was then remanded to a
| cell
The weapon with which the assault
| was committed would kill horse. It is
\ the largest coupling pin now used by
railroads, and is called the flat pin.v 1t
was found, covered with blood, near the
scene of the crime.
The blow was struck with full force,
| and DR.. Lacy says completely shattered
| the skull and smashed bone into the
| brain.
| AT noon today Recorder Seymour and
| Roundsman Clifford went TO West New
| York to take the woman's ante-mor tenn
| statement, but she was unconscious.
| Mr.. Bemdt who is head plumber on the
West Shore Railroad, is almost crazed
with grief and will not be pacified. The
| dying woman has four children.
Tha Buyer Got the Commission.
Vice Chancellor Pitney was engaged