The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-13
MARY BERCHER A SUICIDE.
BR0ODING OVER TROUBLE, SHE
DROWNED HERSHEY.

she wrote TO Her brother That she In-
tended TO XIII Horseif-EHer BODY Il
Found In the East River Mine Days Later.
Mary Borcher, an orphan, 90 years old, with
some property in her own right, left the apart
ments Of Morris Lovy, with whose family she
lived, at 434 East Eighty-second street, about
10 o'clock on Thursday evening, June 3. Her
departure was sudden. Whom she walked out
Of tho fiat she turned to Mr.. and Mrs. Levy. as
sho crossed their threshold, and exclaimed:
Farewell to you ALI"
Yesterday morning, at 5 o'clock, her body was
found floating in the East River. at the foot of
Commerce street, Brooklyn. It was discovered
by tho steward Of the tug Edward Luckenbach,
which was tied up at the Atlantic dock. When
first seen the body was floating between the tug
and tho Cox coal scow, Bostwick, No. 8. Capt.
John Speor. Capt. Speer sat in the cabin door
way Of his boat, when no heard tho Lucken-
bach's steward call to him.
II say there. Captain, there's a body down
here In tho river between your boat and mine.
Judge it's a woman from the length OF the hair"
Capt. spoer looked toward the spot to which
tho steward pointed and he saw the body. The
two men made fast a line to tho body, and then
the steward notified the police. Five hours
after the body was discovered 1t was
towcd ashore and sent to tho Morgue. Thero
were no marks OF violence on tho body except q
slight cut on the right side Of tho head, in all
probability produced by contact with something
in the river.
The girl woro a plaid jersey, a skirt Of some
maroon woollen material with o long nap,
through which wavy stripes OF blue ran. q blue
and white striped undcrskirt. and n white pct.
ticoat. The stockings were black, and the under
clothing, many articles of which bore the initial
"B " in red. was white. Tho skirt reached just
below the tops Of the high. black, button shoes.
A few shreds of a straw hat still chung to the
matted dark brown hair when the body was
taken out Of tho water.
The police found nothing on the body that in
Dictated its identity. At the Morgue. however.
when the clothing was removed, papers were
found in the bosom of tho dress which lod to
Identification. One of these papers contained
the following:
."We find that, at the death OF Blassius Ber-
cher, no had the %iol!owiug personal property:
Catholic Knights, $1,000. Total. S4,46o, and
R Mst eS@ shes fesa,v sd3e SpiaPeh' 1ss shsro was S2'4oo'
WRITES, tnS f by MT. M Sia9 81 Levy sHS I lsPiEE EASY Tf Eighty dhts:
second street, city. This copy is TO remain In
parts. May 4. 1857" eF'nef until y De"'i ''-
a letter dated April 20. 1897, was addressed
mcnt that the guardian for tho Bcrcher heirs
20. owing to his inability to fnd certain voueh.
ers, but that he would file the accounting on the
ceipts and disbursements made by the guardian.
wa AFTER ess hinlaie ests shsss pspe Tbs the H.t Sb,rfs IDENTITY dent ~
the girls life was told to a Sun reporter yester-
day aftSrqoon by Mrs. Morris Levy. who said;
Mary was a child. leaving. two other children.
William and Frank; the former being now 20
in 1886. he left the bulk OF his personal estate to
second wife. A man named Henry Cooper OF
Fort Smith was named in the will the guardian
The stcpmother treated the children badly.
and a short time after the fathers death Mr..
S6 o0Ips r 6Top az bu the hit litt ifro ones e. !, East to IND q
The children remained with their aunt for a
short time Then they had to strike out
guardian refused to pay for their care, claiming
that the aunt,s CHARGES were too high.
Joseph's Home in Bond street. while Mary went
out to service to a Mrs. Menneken at Tonipkins-
Menneken six years. Her mistress then died. and
Mary came to NewYork. finding employment as q
S %as in. the sf noass Of th q M ias soRlo ,nSs ss ss EG5Hsa
seventh street and Fifth avenue. When she
left there she went to board with Mrs. Scheren
Twins.
wages. In addition, she had about 81 900 from
her fathers estate. A I Mrs. Scheren's she met
Mrs. Paul Lindeman, whose husband was then
o' " = o.. MID bIhuSLI
tween Mary and Mrs. Lindeman a strong at
S siH FebF FparHs q III This year Mr.. and Mrs. Lin.
deman hired the fiat on the ground floor Of this
the iHs'fai fiat and iS,E III the e"r ren ner M In March rH5" MaFy
and the Lindemans quarrelied. and about II
asked II 1 would give her a Place 10 sleep in
She said she had been put out of her fiat. Itook
her in, and this has been the only home she has
had since. She told me that some one had got
about all her money.
After she had been with me about ten days
the Presbyterian Hospital. When She came out
she told me she had been in trouble. mentioning
days before she went to the hospital She
got got from from her %- lawyers certain PAPERS, whist
papers found on the body. The letter. to the
lawyers was a copy Of one received by then
"on the evening Of june 3 = M rot Levy with tn.
The SRI seemed e bo in excellent spirits: Aboa,
10 o'clock she said she Thought she'd retire. Sht
in her trunk. In = few minutes she came
she mad. She carried in her hand q small bun
die Of papers. As she opened tho door leading
! to ne main ha u she turned to US and said:
. With that she bolted from the room ant
halls were dark and he was some distance DO
: hind her when she slammed the street door
!; w @nse TO- to te's se tsa'l He ' esm s.sef back S1o u Mas h1
| and we looked over Mary's trunks. I'll,
. papers which Nj. Levy had copied and which
we knew Mary kept In tho trunk, were gone
!; Then l found a letter written by Mary to hcl
brother William. She said the writer was goins
!; but herself. She expressed the wish to hav,
= a quiet funeral, with a wreath OF white roses OF
4 u white casket. She also asked that one car
: riage follow the hearsc. Whatever money sn
: left she willed by that letter to her brother vii
> liam.
Mr., Levy reported the case to the East Eighty
eighth street station last night. The next da,
he reported 1t at Police Headquarters. He wa
fold there that n general alarm could mot h
q sent out until the girl had been miss
ing a week; My husband thought tina
strange, but he could do nothing. William
7 Bercher did not believe his sister meant wha
she wrote. but now we know that she did. One
= before she tried TO commit suicide. She con
!, ccaled n pair OF my shears up her sleeve, bu
r Mr.. Levy caught her just as she was about t
use Them
that of Mary Bercher. 1t had been remove
Q previously from the MOrgue to an undertaken
by order of William Bercher, who Is an cleo
triclln In lie enulnv Of ILn Mnstern Electr ri