The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-02-18
MURDER MOST FOUL
A Brutal Husband Dellber-
aIely Cuts His Wife's
Throat.
THE MURDERER IS AT LARGE
Spearling Had III Treated His
Wife and She Was About to
Seek a Divorce.
Under Pretext He Entices Her
Into a Room and Nearly
Deeapitates Her.


son street fiat This mornings tragedy
was enacted by Christopher Spearling,
q German, forty-four years old, who
killed his wife Helena in their bedroom
shortly after ten o'clock in their cozy
fat at No. 224 Madison street.
Spearling was employed in the hide
and fat factory of Alderman Schneider,
On Henderson street, Hobolen. For the
past six months he has been a heavy
drinker, and frequently came home and
abused his wife On December IT he
was arrested for being drunk and sent
to the County Jail for sixty days. He
returned home last Wednesday, and i'm
mediately began to quarrel with his
wife. She put up with him and decided
to bear it until last night, when he
again came home intoxicated and struck
her.
WANTED A DIVORCE.
This. morning she told him she was
going to get a divorce and asked him
to accompany her to the station house.
He said he would. This was about a
quarter to ten o'clock. He then went
into the small bedroom adjoining the
parlor. and she went into the kitchen to
nut on her coat. In few minutes he
called her to come into the room, and
she said she would as soon as she got
on her sack In the kitchen with her
was his aged mother, Mrs. Matilda
Spearling, seventy-two years old, who
lived with Them Young Mrs. Spearling
asked the old lady to help her on with
her coat. which she did, and then the
unfortunate women went to her nus
band who locked the Kitchen door after
her. so that his mother could not see
them.
DELIBERATE MURDER.
No one but the husband knows what
passed between them. At ten O'Clock
he came into the kitchen from the bed
room. Passing his mother without say
ing a word TO her, he went downstairs.
On the lower landing he met Mrs. SOPHIE
Behn-o who lives on the lower hoor,
sweeping the had
Good morning, Mrs. Behn,'' he said;
.Tve just cut my wife's throat; guess
she's. done for at last.
So saying he leisurely walked out OF
the house and disappeared. Mrs Behn
thought he was only fooling, and Went
on with her sweeping.
few minutes later she heard scream
from upstairs, and then Spearling's WORDS
came back to her. She rushed up ano
found the old lady crying and wringine
her hands Mrs. Behn yelled Murder!
and neighbors from all directions came
pouring into the house.
THE MURDERER ESCAPES.
and several officers hurried to the scene
but We're too late to catch the murderer' r
who had by that time made his escape
DR.. Simon had preceded them, and When
he arrived found the body had been re-
moved from the bedroom TO tne KIIcneI
Coroner Volx was Immediately nouded
and he removed the body to MS snop
old She was married to Spearling eigh-
teen years ago in Germany, and came 70
Mrs. Eliza Zang, of No. 107 Henderson
street. Hoboken was Immediately notl-
fed OF the murder, and she and her nus
band, Charles Zang, hurried to tn, the
and when there swore like trooper
and fiourshed it in a menacing way
thTeateniing niin to k speaTln On Arrest srg
him 20 keep him from doing something
rash. He was subsequently released.
HIDEOUS WOUNDS.
A Jersey City News reporter VISITED
the scene Of the tragedy shortly after il
occurred and saw. the murdered woman
ering the wind-pipe, and the cut reach
ing 70 the bone. Another cut, about tWt
inches long was upon the chin, Whlcf
looked as if the deed had been as she
was about to turn away. as the cut OF
the neck was light under the right ear
but clean thr9agh To-, so the he n5nas nons wa gade m
the floor alongside the bed, and upon IN.
bed were blood stains which looked as I
he had wiped his hands n upon Pc h,sn sne Tneei bsss
TIE body was in the kitchen covered W
with e0tRs5 FIST 1ae HsR01Hf65 Home dfied
The rooms are nicely furnished ant
have the appearance Of being the hom. hom.
Of neat and 60 egnfor.aple Fanny sa,aa rneS
at TO. 224 Madison street. There are four
rooms; a parlor, two bedrooms and
Was committed in the small bedroom ad
joining ythe. .parlor.
The nurderer's aged mother, the muir
dered wolnan's sister, and several sym
pathetic friends were all in the apart
isaents of Mrs. Werner, directly opposit
the hall The poor old woman q, was as, shaa Ak
her grief was too great, and she was bs
yond shedding tears. The shock vii
Mrs. Hang. the murdered wcman's sis
ter, however, cried so that her sops coul'
be heard blocks @ away: Iy,,s, 1,15r, I511r
The murderer was a thick set man
Eve feet. five inches tail, and had strafs
& Cling red beard and moustacie. When 2
left home this morning he wore diiapii li2i
of gray clothes and soft plush hal
About fifteen minutes after ten o,sh23el Gel,
towards the Hit. The carpenter callcC
to him and said :.
ssHuIlo, Spearling, what's your hurry? 2
TIE murderer made no reply, but in
c1eas ed his speed and kept on towar
FIS VICTIM VERY POPULAR.
Tie murdered woman had no children
She was we'll liked by all VINO lsnety Re.
and often helped a poor neighbor. ob
often worked out to make enough I
keep the wolf from her door and sup
nerted her mother-ia-law, without eve
co.rnlain:ng to her brutal husband. tn
ne.ghfo3rs say he had often threatenc
4 is KIN her and they had ADVISED he
"a nave him arrested.
The murderer. is still al large, but til
ro,ice say they expect to capture ilif
so'1'S ALACST DECAPIT ATED.
DR.. ConY Yarse vieWe6 the dead Dog
this afternoon at the CoronsT's under
afaking es absishrnsnt and proqounce
the cut as being the deepest one ne . eye
saw. Tha razor had severed the VI WIN I
nine the jufsIlar vein and cut an eignt
az an zach into the spinal eoiumI
Death, the doctor says. came az 5le lhe ou, ~
side within thirty seconds a1ter sne "a
9sDiearling, ii was learned later. aske {
his wife for money enough lasy nasnt