New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-04
NAKED AND STARVING.
FREDERICK w. STEGGER FOUND IN AN
ABANDONED HOUSE IN JERSEY CITY
HE is sEvENTY-NINE YEARS OLD AND WAS
DESERTED BY THOSE WHO HAD AGREED

DESERTED BY THOSE WHO HAD A"hEED
| TO CARE FOR HIM
While Policeman Whalen. OF the sixth PfT'no''
was passing the house No. Al Palter,on's' 'c',''
City Heights. Friday night, woman told MN ,"i'
the children In tho neiehborhood had hearu hu'.
noises In tho house, and they believed the pu"''e
was haunted. She said 1t belonged 20 Ernst W',"e
who with his wife had moved TO brooklyn h'S'
Tuesday. The woman said that the house had oeen
| unoccupied since then. Whalen went In the yaru
and forced entrance through rear ""iuo"
There was no furniture In the building. and IL ap
pearcd to be deserted.
The policeman lighted n lamp which had peeh
supplied by neighbor. ard assembled to the seco"u
floor. There in n devoid of furniture he ionno
lying on old mattress Frederick W. SeEs'''
seventy nine years old. The old mar was ertireN
nude, and almost dead from exposure and saiVa-
ton. Segger was removed to the City HoSpl'a'
after some neighbors had provided clothing Ter MN
| and the ambulance surgeon had given qhanuty Oh
smuantS TO him.
There Is curious story connected with the ais
cOvery of the abandoned old man. Sceger Tor niahS
years kept public house in Newarkst.. between
Grand and Adams sts. IIObOken. lie made much
money, which he invested In real estate, ana ac-
quired fortune estimated at from 100000 to Fl'o
900. His wife died twenty-five years ago, ana
short time afterward he contracted Il common'aw
marriage with Miss Annie Barslott. OF No. 361 Newark
wife. The couple lived happily together and one
| daughter born. who IS now married and hves
In IIoboken Steggcr and his wife finally quarreicd
and separated.
Soon after the separation SicgGer engaged Nrs
| Hanscl rs hOusckeeper. The woman. soon after be-
| Ing Installed in stcsger's house, prepared room
| there for her brother, George Bel and he became
| one Of the household. After a year Mrs. llansel
| complained that she about to become mother
and she insisted that Stegger should marry her lie
refused TO do this and Mrs. Hansel began legal pro-
| cecdings against him. Before the lawyer would act
in the matter he insisted Mrs. Hsnse should give
him q written transfer Of Onehaf u all the property
| she secured from Steggcr. Records In the county
Registers office show that Stcgser subsequently CON
viewed TO Anthony Englebrccht, the lawyer, IA number
| ~ bouses and mortgages Fnglcbrecht effected
compromise OF the legal proceedings against stcgger
and on September %. 1902. stcggcr and Mrs. hahSe'
| were married by Justice Rusch OF Hoboken.
Soon after this the old man was arrested upon 'he
complaint OF City Physician Simon that Stege"r "dS
a lunatic lie committed TO the County jan
BY Recorder McDonough but stcggcrs daughter by
his cemmon.law marriage learned Of this ana secure"
the release OF her fnther. He was harmless ''''
/ beetle at this time.
Not long after this Stegser conveyed 10 Mrs Iianse
through Assenblyman Max Salingcr. n poce oil prop
cr,y in Willow ave. Hobokcn. valued at 5000 ana
this was followed by the conveyance oil properly Ut
| patPrSOnSt.
living in the house occupied By Mrs. llanSel inc
con ,Ideration in the deed was that wuig and his
wife should take care Of Stcgger long ms he lived
Tho property secured By Wtig was valued al s''a"'
When this property had been parted with by s'oss'r
he went with the Wittirs 10 live there. "h'" MS
daughter learned that her father had been taken 10
No Al Paterson.st aud that he had disposed OF all
MS property house obtained by Witfis be
ing the last Of his possessions. sho coh>nit'''
s,ate senator W. D. DAILY and he secured the appoint
ment OF a commission Of unacy TO inquire into INC
| mental condition OF Stcggcr. Tho Jury iound '""'
stegecr had been n lunaiic for 1T least thrc" years
| which covers the time In which he par'eh WIN MS
property. The report OF III" commission was ."'
| armed hv yicet,hnncellor Bird who appointed John
| Grimm A LAWYER n guardian OF Stcgger. Mr. "rihi
| WAS required 10 give 81 900 bond. lie dtcimd 10
| 40, saving there WAS no visible estate 10 be CARD
| ,or few DAYS ago lawyer james A. Gordon ron
scented 10 act as guardian. and he VIII quaiy as ~"
| to morrow. .,
| ON Nav 81 Mrs. Pauline Geroch' q" NO ~
| charleS-st, Jersey City. who. II Is sad II MUM" "
the police in NewYork became N. po'e,soI :" ,s
The t,lr .,ory house that Mrs. lIans' hnh "bu,,
from the old man when thr law" W.. .nwcime nbi,
rnc history Of the property. and at 81" was r"r'hHs
ling a lawsuit. the woman r'pi'n ,.r,,o, M. ,ccn
over s,csscr and there Is nothing on the records
against the property ,.,,, hv w,tt,c and hi,
wife and also by stcggcr. who signed away wh% h,
| ever rights h. might nave In the properly ID ~
husband c' 6nly avs that all Of the persons who
,.,c lorn parties TO depriving Mr.. stcgser OF III,
property ' " lar me facts before the Grand Jury
rie said the transfers Of the pf1lrrJ =" c"n,; cam
oeh cT, ana v ,na IT, nj The properly he
>icss EnsleD %% IN prS naera 1 Of
cry wa wa r"ney which he had from time to time ad
| vanccd To at"gger.