The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-28
WAS BUTLER MURDEREDf
SUsPIoIOUs DEATH OF A NEGRO
IN VEST EIG HTEENTH STREET

or Poisoned-Hts wife Under Arrent-Sho
says re Played Cards on saturday Night
with Two EviI.LooEinE white Mcn-His
Rooms Appear to Have Becn Robbrd.
James Butler. n negro, AZ years old, was found
dead in his fiat at 22l West Eighteenth street
yesterday morning under circumstance which
lead the police to believe that no was murdered.
Tho police have Two theories regarding the
cause OF his death. One 10 that lie was killed
BIZ n blow with q sandbaR and the other that no
died Of poison. His wife, Siecalour Butler, %
years old, was arrested last night and locked up
on suspicion that she knew more about his death
than she had told.
The first knowledge which the police got of
the case was through Mrs. Butler. About 8
O'Clock yesterday morning she went to tho
West Twentieth street police station and told n
story about having been put out OF her mouse on
Saturday night by her husband. whom shc left
playing cards with two suspicious-appcaring
white men. when she returned yesterday
morning she could make no one hear her at the
rooms and suspected that something had hap
pened TO her husband. In compliance with her
request Policeman Eckman was cent around to
the house with her.
The house is q double-deck tenement and tho
Buffers rooms are on the fourth floor. In COM
pany with the ~janitor. the policeman and Mrs.
Butler went to the rooms. There is o doc < open
ing from tho parlor into tho hall and another
from tho kitchen. Mrs. Butler insisted that the
parlor door should be forced open, q circum-
stance tho police think suspicious. It was in
the room into which this opened that tho body
lay. BY tho j~anitor's directions tho other door
was forced. When the party got into the front
room they found Butler dead in bod. There
were no marks of violence on tho body and no
evidences In the room of q struggle.
It seemed evident that q game OF poker had
boon in progress In the room just before But
icr's death, and that whoever was there had
been drinking. Just in front of where Butler
lay, and within 10 reach could he have sat up,
was q poker hand containing three aces, q jack,
end an eight spot On tho floor on the other
side Of the table was another hand made up of
queen, . ten spot, Q seven, q nve, and o four
spot. Part of the remaining cards of tho pack
were on the table. and others were spread on
the floor, as II they had been thrown away in
anger or disgust.
q, On the table was an empty bottle. which had
contained red wine, and a whiskey bottle nearly
empty. and beside them was q glass with q little
Whiskey in 1t. In the dining room the table was
found set for Q meal, and in the kitchen was a
pie. Neither Of those had been touched. and
Mrs. Butler declares that the food was just as
The wardrobe, bureau drawers, a trunk, and
other receptacles for clothing in the rooms had
aa,S Ssfn epe1Hod, s snd po riassSoso' fo apPSS anI So tes
and q purse were found lying open, and q card
case was beside them. There were no valuables
Mr.. Butler told tn; police that her husband
and vent %ah to bed. Il was his CUSTOM aut11S she e'0 de-.
olares, to stay in bed all day on Sundays or holi-
days. md II any one came to visit to sit up in
while in bed. and also had her serve bis meals to
him on the table where the cards and the bottles
were found, Some tin. In the afternoon Of
Christmas. she says, two white men called at
One Of these men she said she had seen about
three weeks before, when he came at supper
time and told Butler that he had q new game to
money. The man then produced six small
boxes. put bits of paper into three Of them and
u in'D Dd shs s Ssee a s. b h Ras refHR s shuiIe q q she nSS ss. 8
about and offered to let Butler have his.pick
for p and to give him the %cSnteats Of either
and won some money.
When the two men came in on Saturday the
Ing hat T game cav q wh Tile the Ss three roe began playing
light compilation and a stubby Iie6t.colored
%sii fnown TINS in the in sas hRBSiSSo ssAy sm rs pFe sss
negroes, where. he has been playing his game
recently. OF the other man no description has
Mrs: Butler says that she busted herself get,
t slaEnt ai ans w fSsaa L was ses sas s %sn td RPairY he'd S snd
said she believed they were cheats any way. At
S ssS .s1s hays ssz ! S II friend, s%. . sTs to to i i = .hss way:
She declares that she was frightened and that
phe left, after going to the bureau and getting
her watch. a pair OF cuff buttons. and other
The. night; sh so says, she spent with Jesnie
d4 aT piGst. OF sh aso s sSyents She eVeH Wsnt On b sam.
but Stts 3no knocking at thol her own door |:
answer. she Is'v Went into IT the II nat Of Mrs Es.'t Smith tn
across the hall and spent the night. Yesterday
Detectives Perkins and schumm we're sent to
t ths neishSor rRs Sr tsey p foTalnnGf t tRat M 1IESiBFl stle en-
had got a check cashed on Saturday morning.
seti6 the d fisSS%ss Suspicion saF coward M tsi' B tFies.
She had gone to the restaurant Of Keough &
edsWsas On an shs teGF srfels S soM q a f R%nk 5 for James mes
isr. asked Mr., Powers sSs s tq cash it; MY husband
more money, II know James" said Powers,
land he's }. Al All right dsi but the check b q. is not in;
Vent out. In i've i've II m inufeseG Pow see 't told a the
police, she was back, with her husbands name
forged, and that it Is in her handwriting.
The police say that the woman who is under
arrest is his sixth wife. and that he did not
law iw' requires SiGSsi in get getting rid Of one sH wife and md
taking another; He came TO this scIty
from Atlanta, Ga. fourteen years ago, and
established himself in the house cleaning bust
ness. That is, he took contracts to clean new
houses after tho builders had finished work and
getting them ready for occupancy. He also
cleaned windows and did withdrawing and
similar work. He, had a good business, but ten
years ago one of his ey.wivcs threatened to
make trouble for him through the law, and he
fed; At that time his late employer, Garner.
worked for him. Recently the troublesome wife
died, and in June Butler returned to New York.
Garner had built up n business in the house
cleaning line, which he calls the Manhattan
House-cleaning Bureau, at lib West Twenty
sixth street. Butler went to him and begged for
money for u meal. Garner gave him 81 and
then said:
IF you amt too proud you can 90 to work for
me. Once you was my boss: now I1lIbe yours"
This was agreed TO, and Butler went TO work
for a salary of $3.50 Il week, and in addition he
was have 10 per cent. commission OH every
Job he brought to the bureau. Garner pays III
his wage accounts in money, but he gives checks
always for the 10 psr cent. commission. The
$3.50 check was one OF these.
OF Mrs. Butler the police say that they know
little. she says that she was married once be.
fore to Butler. That was In 1890, She lived
with him thpsn vaara and thnn fhnu