The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-08-12
FELL DOWN STAIRS.
so-Year-old Lena Holman Breaks
Her Neck,
HAD BEEN INTOXICATED.

| oho nos poen Living beyOnu Market SCfoo0
Bridge Alone, But Had Many Female
Callers-She Was Married and Leaves
Son and Two Daughters Whose Wher1-
| abouts Are Unknown,
Picture yourself In a room, IL feet long
| by IL feet wide with but one window to
admit air but not light. Tho floor Is bare.
| In one corner stands n table, In another
several baskets which serve as receptaclel
for worthless trinkets and filthy clotheT
and In third Shiny mattress and piit
low. Upon the mantlepiecs stand cup,
q hat and tho faded photograph Of q vile
looking man.
Such surroundings exist in the tene.
ment house of Mrs. Walters on the cause
wny beyond Market street bridge and in
the dingy room this morning lay the body
of Lena Hoffman, 80 years Of age. She had
fallen down stairs about ESQ o'clock and
had broken her neck.
The house In which Dutch" Lena, as
she was familiarity known, is one of those
rocks which are an eye.sore to any come
munity and ono in which crime and inn
morality have run unchecked for years.
At present there Is but one family. bu
the police remember when there were as
many AS three, and the house frequented
women. To-day the family Of John Law
renee occupies the first floor. Lena lived.
upstairs In the back room described There
are about five other rooms occupied night
ly by whoever desires
Lena found employment in Market
street cheap restaurant, and when she
went to what she called her home about 10
O'Clock last night it was after she had i'm
bibed quite freely of that which destroys
both soul and body.
At the house beer had also flowed freely
and when the woman whose body now
lies cold in death reached the place there
began sort of a jolliiication which was
joined in by many disreputahc characters.
The noise continued until midnight. Then
all was quiet. Lena had worked off much
of her debauchery and had gone to her
room to rest on the filthy pallet of straw.
No one heard her again until Joseph
Whitney.
He was sleeping in down stairs room,
which opens directly at the foot Of the
little narrow stairway composed of twelve
steps. Lena's room opens within four feet
of the head of the landing. Joseph says
he heard the woman open the door of her
room. Her walk led him to believe that
she was still under the influence of liquor.
Us she staggered, or seemed to. All was
quiet for II moment, Then a body fell al
his door There was no moan of distress
or cry for help. All was as still as it had
been a moment before
Awakening himself from his drowsiness
he arose and tried to open the door, but
could not and then walked outside the
house and through side door to the foot
of the stairway. Lena was lying there
with her head on the floor and her body
on the stairs. She was still, but the man
believed that she was only stunned, so in.
stinctively he rushed to an outdoor hy-
n r. n II =, hn Al e a
ed it over the head of the woman. But
there were no life.giving qualities in the
water. The body was still and tho count.
cnnncG liyiu.
BY this time tho occupants of the house
were up and had crowded about the un.,
fortunate woman. They picked up the
lifclcss body roughly and carried it up the
narrow stairway again into the dismal
room and laid it ON the mattress. A dirty
apron covered the face. The clothing was
likewise dirty and consisted Of IL wrapper
OF cheap blue material, under clothes
s.arce and which had once been white.
The shoes were worn out and the stock
ing discolorcd and dirty.
The personal appearance was that of q
woman who had no sense Of wOmanly
pride. The hair was cnrelcs5ly done up.
The countenance was stamped with life
of Gabauchcry. There were deep worn
wrinkles iii the checks, sunken an;Fbleared
eyes and every feature in fact indicated
that she had lived life of shame.
But there was a time when Lena did
not haunt such u place rs she met her I'M
timely death in She WAS married and by
that husband who has long since died she
had a son. Lena in some way became
separated from her child and two sisters
and while 1t is not definitely known
where they reside the people IN the house
say in Philadelphia. The woman also has
a father but nc. tnc ever saw him with
his dan shter, Eere. Lena lived alone as
has been Se.u, but hor callers were many.
'Incre were some few women Of her own
class but The majority were mem
Police Ulcers Maloney and Lyons saw
that crowds Of curious people did not enter
tho house, until Coroner Stllham arrived
apd took charge of the body. He will
probably not hold an inquest rs DR.,
J. y, Y. Bocksom pronounced death due
to tho breaking Of the neck.
The coroner has taken charge of the
worthless belongings A life Insurance
receipt book, which showed but few pay
incnts, was found, also small plain ring,
sovera! pictures and other articles common
to a woman,
Lena Hoffman was said to have been
about 80 years of age.