New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-10
A MYSTERY AT THE MORG UE.
TWO WIDOWS CLAIM THE SAME HUSBAND.
DIFFERENT PICTURES IDENTIFIED AS ThoSE
OF MAN MANY YEARS DEAD-Bolh
WOMEN WANTED 4 PENSION

WOMEN WANTED TL'oiN-''
The authorities at the Morgue are much puzzled
and considerably exercised over parauoA~ai e'o' u
Identification which has Just come to light. several
DAYS ago n woman who described herself as MIS-
Catherine saucr. widow OF No. % Rcidave., Brook
lvn visited the Morguc and recognized photograph
No. oO65 as the picture OF her huSoahu Joseph
sauer who died twelve years ago. oauer WIS p'cheu
up with fractured skull at Eifteenth-st. ana SNth
ave on November 1G 1850. and died soon after
His body was sent to the Morgue, ana being uhuen
tilted vas buried in Potter's Field Mrs. saucr when
she identified the picture said that her husband had
bcen a marine engineer in the Navy Yard and was Il
veteran of the late war She wished to get ceruhcate
of his death In order to obtain a WIDOWS pension"
The widows Identification was recorled a'u
she was referred TO the Board OF ie"i"
for the death certificate she also went 10
the Coroncr's Office, where she made afhdaVtS 10
the truth of her Identification, and also iurils'eu
nancrs ard references to prove that she the dead
mans widow. .
The dav following her visit to the Morgne' Mr
Finnegan assistant morguc keeper. made an odd aus
covery. While looking over the photographs on i'ie
he found another picture, No. 5sO when hau aiso
been identified MS that Of Joseph Sauer mehora"-
dunn on the back OF the card showed that 1t had peeh
recognized on August 10, 1890, by Mrs. Catherine
eanor of No 9S Reid ave-, Brooklyn There was
only Il slight discrepancy in the history OF the deau
man as given by the two women. The first socalieu
Mrs saucr said that the dead man was gihS"Iui'
thirty five years old who had been In thiS country
t>cnty wears at the time of his death. The woman
who made the last Identification said that sauer mad
boen I'm the United states nineteen years
When questioned by reporter Mr.. Finnegan re
oud tho circumstances Of the first Identification.
uc.rlv tbree wears ago. on the day 1t made a
mIddcaged woman, accompanied by three men, caiieo
ot the Morgue and viewed the photographs iha'
NJ a Ight.haired man. with wart on the right SIDE
of his nose was picked out as Saner' Inc woman
made some remarks about securing q pension or
insurance money. The man who was identlhed had
been drowned at PIER l. North River. on June B.
1-sO
one Of the men with the woman said he was her SON.
The Morgue Keeper says that the two women WHO
have identified sauer's picture are not the same.
A rcnorter went to No. 58 Rcidave. and Inter
yrwrd thr second Mrs. saucr. she was du'nlouhdeu
q, ,.arn that another Photograph had been identified
~, that OF her g.dcad husband BY another ""hau
Mrs. eaucr Is an honest appearing woman VINO mas
comfortably furnished home. She has two grown
children She showed papers which fuIy proven her
10 be- the person hc said she was. Nellher snc h'i
her daughter could give the least cIew to the "oha
WHO had made the first identification. she siiu sue
had been Informed OF her husbands o'a'h al w.
lime II occurred and friends had Identified the body
but did not make their recognition pubic Tor lear
Of the noiorcty attending it. sauer had been man
~ int.mpnrnte habits. Besides the widow wa 100
poor 10 give the body decent burial She says she
had spoken freely about her claims 10 pension
Mr. Fnncgan 4, OF the opinion that the first idenuh
cation wa, made for the purpose OF li1uu' ho
,hi,ls tbot some person who knew Mrs. Saucrs
btory and planned the fraud TO obtain life Insurance
money or the pension 10 which She was emitted
ON the other hand II the first Identification l. an
honest one Mr.. Finncgan would like the young man
and his mother who made II 10 call at the MorSue
and learn Of the new complication which mas arseh'
I'm the mean while neither OF the Dodies "'n'l h''e
b., n Identified u, Sauer has been dIslnteTed ana
given decent burial.