The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-03
STORY OF TEE CRIME
A Miserable Existence Spent in
a Shanty--Drink's Usual
Consequences.

The crime for the eXpiation of when
until dead was peculiarly brutal one.
"F'ishn Jonn was changed by the neck
He shot and killed his wife about man
past eight o'clock on the morning ol
June last, in front of the mouse NO.
Howell street. this city.
The murder was wilful and the facts
relating to it tend to show that 1T was
the result of long deliberation and care
ful preparation. The murderer. VINO IS
sixty-four years old. of medium helght'
slender figure with white hair and beard
admitted his guilt readily but nervousiy.
Czech and his wife had a miserable
shanty on the meadows west of the
Baclxensack River, and in the Township
of Harrison, and. this shanty has been
the scene of many wife beating, drunk
on carousaI, feasting and fasting.
Czech when he worked. was generally
engaged in digging trenches on the mead
ows to be used for draining the marsh.
His wife frequently sold fish which she
and her husband caught, and for SO
doing the pair were known to many as
..Fish john and Fish Mary"
Tbev had one child, Rose, fourteen
wears old who some time ago became
tired of the family in the shanty and
hecame a servant in a family living at
peelsskill N. Y. Czech was never con-
sidered by his acauaintances an agree
able man. He was irascible and quarrel
some. particularly so when on a spree
His treatment of his wife frequently
forced her to leave him until he got
over his debauch, when she Wouia return
to her miserable home.
>7rLyD HIS ARREtST.
|. A. .bont fifteen minutes past eight, on
1nne Mrs. Czech went to the house of
Iobn Pretzmann, an umbrella maker,
who lived at No. 1 Howell street. The
bo,,se is the last one on the street go
mo toward the TIackensack River, and is
about three blocks from the stream.
..Eysh MARY, knew the Pretzmanns very
uell ana when she entered the uncar-
peted basement the family We're az
breakfast. She seated herself near the
door and told the Pretzmanns that her
husband was on a spree and she had
been forced to leave her home. She SAID
she was on her way to the polce statlon
TO complain of him and that she INTENDED
to cause his arrest for failure 10 sup
mort her. While Mrs. Czech was telllhS
the Pretznanns her story, Willie Pretz-
mann, a boy or Twelve, saw ltei iuSpeeiiu'
Czech. approaching the house Willie
opened the door for him to enter, but
noticing his wife seated in the basement,
Czech turned on his heel and exclaimed:
.1lT fix the - - - -.
He retraced his steps across the street.
Otto Pretzmann, a young man, saw
Czech turn the corner as IL to cross the
meadows, and he told Mrs. Czech that
her husband had gone. The woman had
been too terrified at the sight Of her
husband to say word until assured that
Czech was not near.
A few minutes later she remarked that
she would continue her walk to the
police station, and she left the house.
She opened the gate and turned up the
path. Czech had been watching for her
appearance, and when her back was
turned toward him he hastily crossed
tn9 street.
FIRED THREE SHOTS.
In front of house No. Czech over
took the woman. He spoke to her. She
turned her face in a startled manner
toward him. Czech was not more than
four feet away. He did not appear to