New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-04
INVITING DEATH TOGETHER
HUSBAND AND WIFE COMMIT SUICIDE.
THEY TAKE THE BABY WITH THEM, TOO
SMALL. CAUSE FOR THE DEED

SMALL CAUSE FOR THE DEED.
One of the most pathetic stories in the history
of Hoboken's numerous suicides was developed
yesterday through the finding of fhc body OF
woman near the Rotterdam steamship piers. The
woman had a beautiful infant. apparently ABOUT
three months old, clasped tightly 10 her bosom.
so tightly that it required considerable force 10
unclasp her arms. She was we'll dressed, and
apnarentlv n person in comfortable circumstances
As it afterward proved, the appearances in her
case were deceptive. She was poor, and her pow
crty drove her and her husband TO suicide and
TO take the life Of their innocent babe.
The woman's BODY had been at the morguc
only n short time when it was Identified as that
of Mrs Wendlandt. the wife Of Franz Weno-
landt. OF No 146 Park-ave., Iloboken. Letters
received by the Rev John +. Freund, pastor OF thc
German Evangelical Lutheran Church, ana py
Henry Kaiser. in whose house the Wendlandts
lived. showed conclusively that husband and wlie
had mutually agreed to end their lives ana thao
of their baby and all because woman 10 whom
they owed $50, and who held chattel mortgage
on their furniture, had instituted foreclosure
proceedings The furniture was TO be sold yester-
day
In the Rev. Mr. Freunds mail yesterday morn
ire was piece of note paper, folded over anu
fastened with a thin strip of paper, as II t''c
writer was too poor OF in too great haste 10
procure an envelope. Mr.. Freund was shocNeu y"
reading the following, written In German
Highly Esteemed sir: Do not condemn ine H. mo
should not be any more when you receive tcse I'M.
Poverty and mcanncss OF an uhMUpanS % @ vom tbrongh
ms 10 death. What owe you Will Teach you on.oe,. @ -
my father from Germany. Farewell ana PTeSsrnEg ,Sn i0r
me "a kindly remembrance Ni'''D
few hours aftcrward Mr.. Freund was In
formed that the bodies Of woman ana clinu
taken from the river were at the morgue and he
went there. He identified Mrs. Wendiandt ae
onco.
Mr. Kaisers letter read:
When this letter reaches your hands wv We VIII ,ho Io
longer be among the hNig; ialinIs wv; Who ba.
had loaned 40 until the "a l't'' puo n,,r he
broken her word to-day ana deprTea ~ Do ~ V "fcnSc
ionrincs has driven to death. Don tthe Vilctt ~
thDt for our sake you have 50 Inuch trouble III , to
house Accept thanks for your EHIaeS in avn Would md
such loyal landlord a. We have NO; a% wFTn INT
uS Ntiu rho box upon the garrct which holds our
letters and pictures please Destroy ana ,tn sTe rb
you aS gentleman. Will fulh our las' nc, %rsnSs IN n"o
book and our pictures, which are both wrappeu& In ~ .
newspaper please reserve as souvenir u our Wem
Ory. =.
Nh Kaiser also heard Of the finding OF The nodies
and identified Mrs. Wendlandt at the morgue'
The letters tell the story of the motive for the
suicide Wendandt and his wiN Wat 70 house,
! keeping a few months ago. PRIOR 70 thal tiiiie NV
| they had boarded with man named NoDie anu LIS
! wife. in Park-ave. They borrowed SO IRON
Mrs Noble with whlcn to ouy iurTp, fnruit1e 'n as
! gave chattel mortgage on the fuThituie M a'
! eccurity Recently Mrs Noble demanded the rc-
! turn of her money, and as the Wendlahd'e WeLe
unable to pay IL, She began foreclosure piocce"'
1Ioth Wendlnndt and his wife, who, their friends
say. had evidently seen better days, coud no.
bear what they considered the dls8tace ol s'i'i. i
their furniture sold for debt, and theS e'i"en'S y
Determined upon suicide as a refuge loI 'nrn .,1
| tronbies Thcy left the house in the evening an,
IL is said that they were afterward seen III huuso
square Park, which fronts on the itret ,o,e,be
| nrnhable that they lcaped into the water togeueI
| from the river walk, and the bodies of tie "oni'H
and child hoated down WIN the uue 10 'e - h
| ship pier No trace OF WendIahd.s oouS Ill In
! been discovered, although men WIN grIPpiihs
! rnns worked about the steamship pier All my
| II is possible that the current may nave carried =
further toward the middle of the stream 80 sma a
| r. escoped the steamship pier. IL has peeh suP
| tod that pcrhnps Wcndlandt did not commi
Suicide, but those who know him scout ihe luet ,t
Wcndlandt was author and mmslcla.l' tn. an.
d,d occasional work for the Belletrlshs'ne'
Journal " n New-York publication. lie was apou'
thirty wears old and his wife about twenty s'ntn
| The ueirhbors say they were handsome conp'
| and evidently unaccustomed TO thelr pour SUI
In speaking Of them, the Rcy Mr.. irrnnd abon solG
| nine months ago. and knew then that they WIZ WIZ
nroI ~ occasions and obtained for Wendlondt plac,
ol" 90 or0onist i'm German church in lAyonne' nH
II brought him only small salary; HIS WIZ WIZ
govc birth TO a handsome boy about three non,n
| 400 and NJ the time | loaned him some money
H. ,fo ,ns vcrv sensitive and | did not 60 to m:
,so IRE eirco then because | was afraid he might
worry about the Nancy. lie wrote me seVeTa n(
letters saying he did not intend 10 chra' me- % ,I ,h,
| ,Lot be would pay me as soon rs ne Go' me
moncy wrote TO him not to worry about II.
Mr. Frcund has taken charge OF the nod'es an'
| will rive them n decent burial ..n
| WIZ X hi, wont In the house yesterday after
roNn M' after he had heard of the suicide and sa,(
10 Sergeant RATHER that he supposed ne w w",I ~,
have no trouble now In getting p,Ss.Ss'n , 80 om,
s"rniture The sergeant invited him 10 get on' m
and them gave orders that rothing IN the apart
| ,rants should hc tOnched.