New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-26
AFFAIRS IN BROOKLYN.
A CHRISTMAS DAY TRAGEDY.
AN ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE IN
THE INSANE ASYLUM.

ALFRED +. WALKER SHOOTS his INSANE WIFE
INr1iCTING SLIGHT WOUND. AND TURNS
HIS PISTOL. on HIMSELF WITH
DANGEROUS RESULTS.
Alfred +. Walker. a s.enographer ana Npe"i''e''
about twenty-five years old, who has SHOWN >!
toms of insanity, and was dependent because ne
was out of work. yesterday shot his young "''e'
Mary F. Walker, in the New-York State insane
Asylum In F.atbush, where she was a patent IN
nct.ng a scalp wound, ana then shot and mortaHy
wounded himself
The tragioal AFFAIR occurred while the patients
in the asylum were receiving Christmas Nsl'oss'
and greatly excited the demented people III .iis
ward where 1t happened. About O'CLOCK the pS
institution OK the Fiatbush group of buildngs foi
merry known as the Kings County Insane ASYLUM
humming with gossip. Visitors VINO hau Sc
cured passes at the office were talking TO iHehds
and relatives confined there as Nnaucs anu t''7
pace was as cheerful an insane asylum can pe'
Some of the visitors had with Christmas gifts
for their unfortunate friends and there was
great deal Of the Christmas spirit in that refuge OF
unfortunates, although the doctors ana nurses
watched carefully for signs OF excitement among
the most irrational inmates.
Walker just before O'clock appeared IN the
Office of the asylum and asked for pass. saying
he wanted to see his wife. DR.. Sylvester. in charge
gave him a permit to visit her, ana ne Went u
Hall No. g. where she was confined lie seemed
quiet and rational. ard as 1t is not the custom
at the asylum 10 search visitors nobody knew 'hat
he had 32-calibre revolver OF American "'"Ne !"
MS hip pocket.
Walker met his wife in the hall she Is ABOUT
twenty three years old ard she had been at the
hospital since May .. 1895, being treated FOR recur-
rent mania Size often violent, ana decideo'y
Irrational and had been insane at intervals Tor
number of wears She had been transferred to the
hospital from Wards Island. Her mother, 1t IS
sale WAS an epleptic, and Walkers father died
in an insane asylum.
Walker and his wife met, ard, as is customary,
he was allowed to see her in bedroom ADJOINING
the hall on the main floor. Two OF three nurses
were NEARBY.
They had been in the room only two or three MIN
u,es when the head nurse. Mary Jane ODaie'
heard the sound OF a pistol shot in the ROOM III
the next moment she Mrs. Walker running
along the hall with her hand 10 her heau anu s'oAo
drifting from the bedroom door
Again there came the sound of pistol shot ana
the nurse running to the bedroom saw 'hai WaAei
had shot himself, while sitting on his chair. lheie
was a blackened hole in his head Just pehii' H'S
right ear and his head lolei on his breast as he
sat there unconscious. Under another chair near
by on which his wife had been sitting Dei'ie "e
shot her. lay the smoking revolver
The nall was Immediately in ar uproar me de-
mented people there, of whom there were auou'
forty became greatly excited and were WIN UNI
cu.ty controlled by DR.. Tracy, in charge OF 'he ha'
Dr Elliot and other physicians and the nurses
Mrs Walker had been slightly wounded on 'he
he ad A bullet from her husband reNo.Ver hau en-
tered the skin the right temple, and. picughihg
its way along the skull for two inches, had come
out Of the skin. making scalp wound that is not
serious She excited and incoherent' but not
frightened the shock had instantly added to her
mental disturbance.
When Tribune reporter visited the hospital last
n'ght she was sleeping quietly.
The occurrence had mentally upset all the women
NJ O
screamed loudly The women screamed whenever
they a man, even If ne were one OF the Well
Walker was still unconscious. and brain matter tie,
S MAS Sezns rom rs hS Hospital raced up
building and the limp BODY was fied mt n ana
LAY, had the appearance of a foreigner. and was
dressed in clothes that might have been WORN.
was said he might die at any moment: The bullet
had gone D hrS9h he hs 9T S5ne and lodged
No friend or relative had gone to the hospital to
crazy Wife Tribune reporter last night talked
hospital; Dr. Sylvester his ASSISTANT and Dr. Tracy
q Han No g. They said that the walkers ksd h aea
confined in the hospital several times before re-. ana
was never RATIONAL that at The Walkers hSd Ved
whence Mrs. Walker had been sent to Wards Isl,
f Fat Then O' Walker had gone 10 BTooyn
where he had lived with his mother Mrs; Mary
despcndent because he was out of work, and had
often visited his wife when she was conhhed at the
Mrs Walker was a native OF ireland, where she
had uncle. said TO be wealthy; Walker wanted
to have this uncle ana other relatives IN Ireland
allow her to go there. and wanted them to pay her
passage there and support her. lie had asked Or.
sylvester to write these relatives Of his wife for
this purpose. and on December Is sent the doctor
the following letter from Greenpoint:
Dear Sir: The last time was out TO the asylum
letter to my wfc's friends Perhaps you misaid
my address. l would have been out to see you in
the mean time. but the mental worry of being out
OF WORK with family Of four dependent me, the
only income being the small wages of younger
Of meianchoy If you viii kindly state the condi-
ton OF my wife's health, and what answer you
received from "e' '''-. HiFRED T + %SAKEKER.
No 200 Green-st.. Grcenpont"
tenement o. which few rooms had been occupied
by Walker, the younger brother. Edward; Mrs.
King Walkers mother. and Alfred Walkers two
The ,neishborhooa is a poor one and the rooms ap;
neirhborhood said that Walker undoubtedly de-
Inen'ed at times: lie had acted irrs;ionally, mt
tenants and people who lived near by 1t is said
he had made murdorous threats in the hearing of
Yesterday morning he had been in the yard OF
the house, acting strangely and making motions
that led people to believe he carrying PISTOL.
lie had lived at No 200 Greenst. with his relatives
for about month ard half He was of German
descent, II is said, and his wife had become in
sane at intervals, generally after her children were
born
The asylum was pat under State control on
affairs has improved since then About six years
ago mailman named Dougherty. who had been
discharged as cured, returned and shot and killed
DR.. Lloyd. the assistant superintendent and tried
10 shoot some OF the other doctors He cap
after d chase Dougherty was the man who per-
sstenty annoyed Mary Anderson, the actress.
HANGED HIMSELF IN A CLOSET.
Jacob Dier a young man living at No CT Douglas So