The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-02
THE LITTLE JENNINGS.
Their Mysterious Aunt in
Oakland.
SAD SCENE AT THE MORGUE,
Good Care to Be Taken Of the Wee Or
:, phans-Ths Trust Confied to DR..
Worth.

t. No'danger that eight year-oId David Hen
ming .and his little sister. Bessie. who were
left orphans by the tragic death of their
widowed mother on Wednesday afternoon.
+ viii be thrown on the cold charities Of the
world in some asylum.
Mrs. Henning probably OWNED what her
end would be. and had accordingly given
directions as 10 the childIen's future dis
position.
One watched over them. and in the dark
est hour of their distress-unapprecia OF
course. by them on account of their extreme
: youth-the good Samaritan came.
That good Samaritan was DR.. Sidney
Worth of 426 Suffer street, himself a man
OF family.
He had been the Hennlngs' family physi-
clan.
The mother had frequently asked him to
assume such charge of them should any
thing befalI>her.
The charge now came to him almost as a
: AS recently as Monday she had said to
him: 1922 =.
III anything ever happens to me, doctor,
you will send my children TO my husbands
relatives in North Carolina.
I 'The children win be"sent there as soon as
the proper proceedings in probate and
guardianship shall have been instituted
These the doctor will probably undertake.
unless the relatives OF the orphans nearer
| home are found in the meanwhile.
Mrs, HennIng was a woman who Kept
her own counsel and did not make con-
fd ants of neigh6ors and acQuaint ances, and
DR.. WORTH, as the family physician, was
permitted to know more of her affairs than
perhaps any other living being. -.
Sympathetic neighborS took care Of the.
children alter the death of their mother.
and they will remain there probably until.
other arrangements, or until they are sent
East TO their grandfather and uncle. the
little girl; 8 years DID, being with Mrs. j. h.
Hawkins, living in the corner fat at 29lF
Washington street.
- 1t is. not true, as reported, that George c.:
Shreve. the well-known. jeweler, took them
to his residence at iii. Pine street. or that
he Is THE godfather of little Bessie. -.
=. Howard II. .Henning, tfeirfather died in
1885, and had long been:employed by Snreve
81 Co.
BE was a fine Waterman, d skilled me-
chsnic aud a:valued employe. :-... -
Sad circumstances. surrounded his death.
lie suffered from such mia lign ant form. of
BtghIs disease that for several moths
+ before his taking off he was blind.
Bessie came into the world al this pc Rod,
to be JOY during HIS last days.
= The father never beheld his offspring
His eyesight was gone.
He knew Of her existence only by the
sense OF touch.
Mr.. ShIeye became cognhant of these
sad circumstances.
Bessie was a cunning, bright tot His iu-
terest was aroused and he has never forgot
ten the family of his once va ne workman.
Bessie WAS the recipient of Iayors and fire.
.QGent meInentOes. This was his interest in
the family.
- Mrs. Cara j, Hennjng that was is be-
iieyed to have-one living relative in lCsfor-
nia-an unmarried woman, living in Oak
land. -. 2.
The silence of this sister is a thing which
DE-. Worth cannot understand =.
He knew little. of her save that her name:
is DE; Cora. With that scant knowledge he :.
sought TO. communicate with her by tele--
graph. -. -..'.*.:.: =
Inc doctor betook himself to one of the =.
public Libraries and Consulted the latest
Oakland dictionary. he foHni that there
Is a. Miss M Elizabeth De Cora living at
957 Castro street, aud that she is a ticket
agent OF the Southern Pacific Company at
Seventh and Broadway. $500. =:
= He NATURALLY concluded that this must be
tie soughi-f0r relative. 4 telegram was
sent her at the address glvea saforming her
Of .:he calamity which. had Defslien. Not
withdrawing this message ana the publica-
tons in the newspapers no answer mas been.
received. &c.,.
This secrecy or lack of interest on the
part OF the sister is utterly inaXplcabIe IL .
Mrs. Henning was estranged from her
relatives.
: A feud of long standing had separated ).
them. -
She had told her physician that she id
not wish to be troubled with them. =
The youth Of the tive children precludes
the thought that they. can realize the. Gallant
ity which has befalen them. Wedne sdayr
night was the first in their exstence when
they. were. not inn0centiy sInmbeEing at
home s:,fe-under loving mother 5. waite hful
care. 49, -. :.
The fat at 29t7. Washington street, III
which the tragedy was enacted, was locked
yesterday. :: =: =
The warm hearts Of sympathetic neigh.
bors had been opened TO the helpless. found
lngs;' -.
: These same :neighbors had also effaced
what few traces there were: to tell OF the
sangufnary deed of the day before.
lie children. accompanied the doctor TO
the Morgue for the highest yesterday inern:
ing; TheiE eyes were sN .oilen aud red from:
crying. - -
They had been, told that mamma is i.
dead" More they knew.no..|
What this impaired they CO uld not grasp:
They Stared: in childish wonder aud
afnaZement
a day had brought about complete.
clahge OF surroundings and cOndi tons. =: T.
Every one pitied them in their foTIorn
state, and they. were the objects Of lender
soicitude; nor did they comprehend the
reasons for this = :. ,->..: :. F.: ="
The1nqnest was perfunctory proceed:
ing. The only witnesses examined were
the family physician and Herman +. Hem
pie, the grocer at Broderick and Washing.
ton streets, Mhe had been: summoned and
found the, body on the sofa in[the dining
room with the iyory-handled carving-knfe
piercing the left breast and the right hand
still grasplpg the weapon. : -.
Little Dave was questioned also. and
without appreciation Of the importance Of
the declaration, made the following state
ment. which would show that the act of
suicide was preineditated: -: :: (.
MY mother gave the knife to man and
said he could sharpen it so that it would
cut o.. =:
'.She did this few days ago.. -; ~
The: verdict was suicide while tempor-
arily insane" w. :: =:
The estate is enough, IL judiciously
handled. to give the children a fair start
In life.
Mrs. Henning left about. $500 in bank
and Sf42 was found ON her person.
" The double fiat at 29i7 Washington street
is unincumbered and is valued at .S7O0u or
$4,000. = -: -:
a search OF her documents has been
made. but no will found. - -:
Aside from the supposed sister in Oak
land, the only known relatives are the
father and brother of her hush nd. living
in North Carolina, To- wh0m the children
will eventually be sent. 49,.
The funeral will take place this. forenoon
at IL o clock from the house on Washington
street, and: the body will be laid In the
family plat In: the Masonic Cemetery,
where the remains Of the husband: lie.