The evening times., 1896-12-08
DIED OF 4 BRlkIEN HEART
Dramatic Scene in a New York
Police Court
-
HUSBANDS POIGNANT GRIEF
Theodore Leon Saw His Wife In the
Pen. Charged with Drunkenness.
Fell TO the Floor and Expired Two
Hours Later-Released TO Attend
Her Husband at the Hospital.
HUSBANDS POIGNANT GRIEF

Her Husband at the Hospital.
New York, Dec. S.-Saddest OF all the
tragedies uf the year was that which began
in the Yorkvilie court yesterday and ended
in the Flower Hospital Awife'sshane cul
minated in the husbands death. The doc
tors called the ending heart failure. 1t
was the breaking of heart through grief
a { the plight Of the woman he loved.
When Magistrate Crane took his place
upon the bench, yesterday morning was
not unlike that OF many others that had
precededit.
The crowd was a motley one with only
here and there - face within IT thai did
not seem to hold kinship with those be
hind the bars of the pen. one man, who
| sat sorrowfuily apart on one OF the benches,
! WAS noticed by the magistrate. he had
| been there before on mission similar To
that which brought him yesterday. Mr..
| Crane leaned over 10 his clerk and sad
that he was glad for the sake of the nerv-
Gus watcher that he wUuld find no con-
| firma ton of his fears.
PLEADED FOR HIS WIFE.
The man was Theodore Leon. OF No. ll15
Second avenue, Il travelling salesman, i'll
lcomGortabe circumstances. He had been
| 10 the court before To plead for an erring
| vile. who had been addicted To intoxi-
| cants. A blue-eycd, sweet faced little girl
had Joined with him To save her mother
| from the workhouse. The magistrate had
| granted their request, and felt their posi-
ton keenly, for the woman gave evidence
OF early refinement
| That WAS on Friday last. Twice before
| in the same week she had been arrested
! for drunkenness, but discharged. On the
J third time, and when the workhouse
lnN in I.Nst ,Ftttf nj
the little daughter stepped upon the bridge
| to plead for her He was well dressed, and
! spoke with the air of n man that had seen
the light go out OF his life, and had little
hope OF its return.
II know" he said that your honor
| has been patient with my poor wife. and
| ] thank You FOR it, hut, sir, she has had
much trouble and in drink has tried to
| forget 1t. She is my wife, and, until she
| began to drink, was a good wife. AT
present, drink is her only fault
GAvEHER ANOTHER CHANCE.
God knows that is grave enough, but
| 1t is something from which ! think ! can
win her. To send her to the workhouse
! would lie To destroy our home and cast a
shadow for life over cur little daughter.
! For the sake of the little one, who Will
ask you for her mother, l beg you let
! her CO." ia
| The man broke down Completely, and the
( little ttirteen-year- old girl, in tears. asked
! the II aRistrate to let her mother go home.
! Magistrate Crane did SO.
/ For your sake he said to the hus-
band, land for the sake of the child, OF
| whom any one should be proud, viii let
| your wife go home with you. And, now"
| he said, turning toi the woman, IF you
! cannot he sober for. your husbands sake
! and for the sake CT the child, nothing can
| reform you. This ought to be sermon
Z f.E fha.. asEI...
| from the pulpit. Go now, but if you re-
| turn, ! warn You that will commit you
| as an habitual drunkard. -
That was on Friday. on Saturday the
unfortunate woman fell again. She had
/ not been at home that night, and the nus
! badn, with forebodng OF i'll, went TO the
: court at the hour when prisoners were ar
/ raigncd. He was pale and nervous and
| that was why the magistrate, as he looked
| over tue calendar and saw no woman
Named Leon uponit, was glad of it.
FELL DOWN UNCONSCIOUS.
Nearing the close OF the calendar, how
ever, the name OF Sarah Archer" WAS
! called. In response there came out OF the
pen a woman still handsome in spite of
the traces of detalch. She wore black
alpine hat, with a Hungarian feather, a
black gown and black dolman. She had
reached the bridge before Leon saw her.
| Then the husba nd totter-d to his feet, and,
throwing up his ha nds, he cried in a brok-
en- voice:
My God, what am to do?''
The Sarah Archer OF the police blotter
was his wife. He made a step toward the
prisoner, as if he would embrace her, but
dropped to the floor unconscious. PATROL
men Quinn and Smith, by direction of the
| magistrate, removed him to the anterooIU.
4 FURRY ambulance can was sent to the
Flower Hospital, and in I'll @ meantime every
tf
success. He was unconscious, and the pal
lor OF death was upon him.
When her HUSBAND collapsed Mrs. Leon
was put into the pen. The awful scene
had sobered her 20 realization OF the re
suit OF her drunken bout. She made des-
perate attempts to get TO her husbands
side, and moaned pteously:
"oh! l have killed him. 1t was all my
fault have killed him.
"A BROKEN HEART"
The courtroom was in an uproar Mag
istrate Crane left his seat to do what lie
could personally for the unfortunate man.
To him the distracted woman appealed
for her release, that she might minister
to him. The ambulance came and the man
was taken away.
'Syncope," OF something like that, the
surgeon said.
"A broken heart" was the comment of
the magistrate ''Win he recover?'
1T is doubtful was the surgeons reply
"A wife's place-even an erring wife,
said the magistrate, as he went back to
his place, lis by her husbands side at the
hour of death. Should he die, memory will
be a life punishment"
Thenhe called the woma upon the bridge
again. She trembled as she walked along.
and kept exclaiming:
II have killed him at last! He told me
l was breaking his heart 1t is all my
fault If he Dies
Il trust said the magistrate to her,
this terrible occurrence will be warming
to you and will cause you to give up the
accursed habit You are discharged. Off
Ger Kenny, will you take this woman to
the Flower Hospital, SO that she can be
with her unfortunate husband?''
Three hours later Leon passed from un-
consciousness into death. His wife, pros
trate beside his bed, was with him TO the
last, but could win from him no sign of
recognition.
EOTIGHT GANG. OF THIEVES