Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-04-17
A ROMANTIC TRAGEDY.
A Beautiful Spanish Belle Without a
a Wedding Ring.
ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY
Strangely Mingled in the Lives of
Three and the Death Of One.
Peter Birba Commits Suicide
When the Forgeries and Thefts
He Had Committed for His
Brother Were Discovered.

CINCINNATI, O., April 16.-On the
first day OF April lady and gentleman
arrived at the Hotel Emery to remain
as guests of the house for some little
time.
For more than one reason they were
people who would attract attention.
In the first place the lady was extra
ordinarily beautiful.
She was slender and rather small,
with the perfect olive complexion and
the dusky eyes of daughter Of the far
South. Then she had way OF making
little smiling, confidential remarks to
her husband in musical Spanish. When
she spoke thus her accents were as un-
ineligible as they were fascinating to
the other guests OF the hotel.
When the husband registered james
Birba and wife, New Orleans" he ad-
mitted to Clerk Maxwell, In confidence,
that they were on their wedding trip,
and that they expected to spend con-
siderable portion of the honeymoon in
Cincinnati. The past two or three
days Mr.. Birba has seemed somewhat
worried at times, especially when his
INQUIRIES at the desk OF the hotel have
elected the reply. that no mail was
waiting for him. Yesterday afternoon,
for the fifth or sixth time during the
day, he asked Chief Clerk Maxwell il
any mail had arrived for him.
mo mail yet," was the reply, "but
a telegram came a few moments ago, F"
"a telegram" exclaimed Mr.. Blrba.
"Let me see it,"
He tore the envelope open with nerv-
Gus haste, and then, with the instinct
i've dramatic action of his race, crushed
the paper in one hand, pressed the 9TH
er hand over his eyes and groaned
"My God!"
"Have you received bad news?" asked
the clerk.
bad news! My Godl Look at that!
Ny brother has killed himself!'
The telegram which Mr.. Birba hand
ed to the clerk read as follows:
NEW ORLEANS, April Is, 1898.
"To Mr.. JAMES BIRBA: Your broth
er killed himself in our Office at 10
o'clock this rlorning. You had better
return at once.
Brown q CHoATE, Attorneys"
The cier1roffered his sympathy 10 the
stricken man, and asked him If there
was anything that the proprletors of
the hotel could do for him In the sad
emergency.
Nothing" said he, with gesture Of
thanks. ~ return to New Orleans in
the morning. l will tell my wife. l
will go to my room and do not permit
any one TO disturb me. This is almost
too great to bear"
With that he went to his room, No.
81, on the parlor floor.
Clerk Maxwell knew that Mr.. Birba's
bill at the hotel was unpaid for a'week,
but of course he did not think OF OBJ
truding such a matter as that upon his
attention when he had just received
such shocking intelligence. He had no
reason to believe that gentleman, such
as Mr.. Birba was undoubtedly, would
permit such an obligation as a hotel
bill to 60 undischarged. Therefore the
stricken Mr.. Birba and his wife were
permitted to remain undisturbed until
7 O'Clock last evening. Then, to the
astonishment OF the hotel people, 1t
was found that the Birba's had gone.
When it was finally found that
the room was vacant beyond
doubt, a pass-key was brought into
requsition and the door was opened.
The room was in confusion, showing
plainly that the occupants had made a
hasty departure. Gathering together
whatever Of value they could carry with
them. The only article OF worth re-
naming in the room was small trunk,
brand new, and, IL was locked, the con-
tents were matter OF conjecture.
The following dispatch from New
Orleans explains with most startling de-
tail, the strange disappearance OF Mr..
and Mrs. Birba:
New ORLEANS, La, April 15.-Death
by his own hand was the fate OF Peter
Birba, Secretary of the Southern Sirup
Manufacturing Company, this morning.
He was defaulter and forger.
He entered the law Office Of Brown &
Choate at 10 o'clock and found himself
in the presence of President CaTreras
and other officers OF the company. A
consultation was about to be held.
Birba had confessed to defalcations
amounting to 50, ,314 and to knowledge
OF forged checks to the amount OF
So, 700. He said, however, that the for
geries had been committed by his
younger brother, James. He also said
he hadrtaken money out OF the safe for
his brothers sake. James Birba is a
high roller since his father died and he
came into possession OF some property,
and be has spent money with a
lavish hand. The defaleation and for
geries were discovered by the company
a week ago. About that time James
left tiown quietly for Cincinnati, hav-
ing eloped with Miss Josephine Hovas,
Spanish belle, of this city. Miss Ho-
vas is supposed by her relatives to be
visiting friends In the North. When
Peter Blrba entered the consultation
room this morning he was handed let
ter by the President. The letter was
from his brother; dated Emory Hotel,
Cincinnati, April 12. He read II
through, put it IN his pocket and then
pulled out a pistol. He flourished
the gun around and at sight
of 1t President Carreras and the
lawyers lodged around the room and
succeeded in making hasty exits. They
were debating what to do in the hallway
outside, when there was loud report,
aud then the sound of q heavy fall.
They rushed into the room and found
Birba dead with his brains scattered
over the carpet and furniture. The let
ter from James was pitious appeal fol
financial aid. He said he was 10 hole
in Cincinnati and had only succeeded IL
getting out Of IL with the help OF a tick
ct broker who advanced him some
..onov ua conId GET a foh In Cfnrin