The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-27
HUSBANDANDwIFE KILLED
DOUBLE TRAGEDY ON THE RAIL-
ROAD TRACK NEAR UTIOA.

Tho Husband Had Been 1nnanely Jealous, ana
HAD Threatened His wire. and Il Hs
Thought TO ne n Case OF Murder and Suicide
A Letter That Points 20 Preneditation.
UTICA, July 2e.-John Phelps and Rubio. his
wife, were killed on tho West Shore Railroad q
short distance west Of Utica at about 500 yes
terday afternoon. whilo walking on the track
they were struck by the day express wcst.bound.
Mrs. Phelps was dead when picked up by the
trainmen, and her husband lived but q few
minutes.
The tragedy was possibly an accident, pos
sibly a most terrible crime, q combined murder
and suicide. Mr.. and Mrs. Phelps were young
he 90. she 20. There was no train coming to-
ward them from the west. and the approach Of
one from the east could hardly fail to be heard.
Those who saw them said that as the train bore
swiftly down upon tho couple the woman
started to get out Of the way. but the man seized
her and pulled her struggling back on the track.
One Of the mans legs was cut off and his head
and body were bruised. Tho woman. although
instantly killed, was not so badly disfgured as
her husband, her injury being a crushing in Of
the skull.
Mr.. and Mrs. Phelps lived at 279 Sunset ave-
nue. in this city. They were married last Christ
mas night at Clark Mills, which was then their
homo. Phelps used to run a meat market there.
About the LIST Of April they moved to Utica.
Both were Of good families. Their marriage.
however, seemed to bring nothing but sorrow.
and, according to the testimony of neighbors on
Sunset avenue, the fault lay with the husband.
He seemed to be insanely jealous Of his wife.
This jealousy did not stop at unfounded sus-
picions or unjust accusations, but often the
sound Of blows was heard in the upper rooms of
the house whore tho couple ~llved-heard not
only by the family which occupied the lower
floor. but also by those in adjoining houses.
Phelps did not stop even at blows. but threat.
ened his young wife's life. Once he saw her
looking out of the window onto the street.
IF I catch you doing that again" he said,
"IIl put q hole through you bigger than o
cheese"
Cries of "Help!" and Murder!' were heard at
times by the neighbors, and on the night before
the Fourth Of July the sound as of one striking
another with q lash WAS heard. Then some one
called in q policeman, who started toward the
station house with the brutal husband. They
went about a block, when, the prisoner begged
of, promising all sorts OF things and saying that
II his arrest became known he would lose his
Sta%faSn and lRs S" him GO. Alter nth that things tsinFS
we're moro quiet on the upper floor OF 279: The
ten,li a %So d q not Tx know %ot tho y S%I sn cou nS%
moved in. They said that the domestic unhap-
piness continued; One evening Phelps saw bis
lives next door. When she got home, he asked
her who sho had been talking with. She told
him, and he said: "oh. 1 thought it was a
man.
II was about 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon
when me e, i tbssr So@ couple were YER, last ,i,as seen Mrs IN W She
liam J. Brown. who lives near by. saw Mrs.
Phelps going up tho avenue, while her husband
met is not known. Henry Bell OF New Hartford,
the Delaware. L~ackawanna and Western gate
shore tracks some time tin later in The day. VI" His
attention was especially attracted by their con.
S Ss s,id "TTh6e s w were acting MnE, IKE st a couple ~ 4e0 of Kid he
would chase and catch her. and then she would
try to get away again.
The only theory by which the fatality can be
explained as accidental is that Phelps and his
wife were qnarrelling, and she wanted to get
her doing so, and in his excitement neither saw
nor heard the approaching train. Others who
h tbsy tb Of .h Pb tTos9 nsr. Ss'Tssn or ' iopc sSSuB Bis w say
to take that walk over the West Shore toward
s se5 old I'D h hom fits with M the sC,e int, intent !. Of Of putting p ndp IAN an
affirm or deny 1t are sealed in death. II there
not, instant expiation, and II there was an acct.
dent. only the man who lost his life was to
Phelps was employed in the grocery store OF
Robert Evans in this city. and the following let.
Ter, written with a lead pencil on q billhead OF
OF which firm Phelps was formerly a member,
was picked up in the store this morning and
turned over TO the Coroner:
DEAR GRANT: When l am dead have Tom Yates fol
my undertak"r; Please pay my funeral expenses
self. Tell Lewis that l forgive him. JOHN PHELPS.
On the reverse side of the billhcad is written
the address: Mr.. Grant Hunter. 81 Albany
street, Utica" The note is without date. Mrs
Hunter was a sister OF Phelps. The above ap
pears to give color to the theory that Mr.. Phelps
laboring from temporary insanity due TO his In
tense jealousy, had determined to make way
with both his wife and himself. The Lewis
mentioned in the letter Is a brother Of Phelps
with whom he had quarrelled some time ago.
The lnQueSt was held at CLARK NILS this lore
Hoffman. fireman OF train l. were sworn. From
their evidence 1t appears that whom they first
saw the couple they were engaged in a scuff1e
Phelps had his arms around his wife. The
whistle was blown, but no attention was paid &c
II, and the engine struck them both. The yer
diet of the jury was:
THAT John Phelps ard Rubie Phelps, his
wife. came to their death July 25. 1897, by be
ing struck by engine 26, drawing train l on the
West Shore Railroad. about one mile west Of
Capron, in the gravel-bed curve on said road
that the Jury exonerates tho said railroad com
pany and all its employees from any blame IL
the matter"