The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-24
q occurred. There was exactly TWO

second occurred. There was exactly TWO
hours between the crimes.
GrounGIegs Jealousy and exeesslFe
drinking promoted Garrett P. French to
make an attempt upcn his wife's LIE and
Kill himself at their home. No. 81 Mont
gomery street. He is DEAD and ms VILE
IS dying at the Jersey City Hospital
French. who WAS So years old. was a To-
connective engineer, and, until the 18th OF
this month. has been IN the employ %
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. ttis
wife, Johanna. is 81 years old, 2 lheIe
are four children, Wiles u years udu'
Garrett. o; Birdie, T; and Oliver .. Ihe
family occupies rooms on the tniru moor
of a four-story fiat owned by Hugh Coyle'
French had been drinking heaVliy ioi
some time. He ran a drill engine be-
tween the Yards in the lower part OF the
city and Waldo avenue, On the hill. On
the 18th of this month Nj. GarraDrandt
SUPERINTENDENT of motive power, suspend
ed him on account of his drinking ffapi.s'
and after that he drank more heayiIy,
and the other tenants were so much an
noyed that they complained TO the iahu-
lord.
/, The Trenches were notified that they
must leave the fiat and they had secured
rooms at No. 121 Brunswick street, TO
which they were to move today. On Satur-
day evening French, who was then under
the nfluence of liquor, took ms daughter
Birdie to Fred Paynes pawnshop IN New
ark avenue and redeemed a 34-cailpre
revolver he had pawned there some time
before, He told Birdie not to say any
thing to her mother about the revolver.
On the way home he went into several
saloons. and when he reached home with
the child about O'Clock he was quite
drunk. His wife upbraided him Tor being
drunk and for taking the child INTO
saloons. French told her to mipd her
own business. Then he took his son
Willie into another room and told him
that he intended to kill his mama, but
enjoined him not to tell her anything
abn,,+ II Ltrercb left the house shortly
afterward and Willie told his mother
about his fathers threat. s
Mrs. French put the children to bed, nut
was afraid to go to bed herself, as she
thought that her husband might return at
any moment and kill her while she was
asleep. French got home about z O'Clock
yesterday morning, and Went 70 Steep.
The beds had all been taken down pre-
paratory to moving today, and the mat
tresses were on the floor in the bedrooms.
Willie, who was awake, saw his fatner
put the revolver under the pillow. Mrs.
French sat in a chair during the remain
der of the night. Her husband got up
about $3.50 and said he was going out 70
get a drink. She told him that he had
better stop drinking and persuaded MN
to stay in and nave his breakfast. After
breakfast French said again that he was
going out for a drink, and went IN another
room to put on a collar and neckt1e.
Willie found the revolver under the Pill,
low where his father had placed i. ard
gave it TO his mother. Mrs ffencn
started to go down stars Win Inc iued
Of putting the weapon where her nus
band could not find it, but he saw her
and she had only reached the head OF the
stairs on the floor below when he overlook
her. He wrenched the revolver out OF her
hand and fired three shots at her, TWO
Of Ihe bullets struck her in the head and
one in the hip, and she fell on the landing
with her head hanging over the top step;
French then shot himself in the head
ard in the left side. and he fell IN the
hallway with his feet hanging over the
stairs. Two of the children. Garrett and
Oliver, Witnessed the shooting.
The police were notified. and Mrs.
French was taken TO the hospital. French
died soon after the shooting. 1t was said
at the hospital last night that there was
a Bare chance that Mrs. French
might recover. She was unconscious and
very weak and the surgeons did not probe
for the bullets.
body who knows the woman says,
groundlessly jealous. He told some of mis-
friends that she was in the habit OF meet
ing another man at the house OF a muTual
friend at night when he was engaged OIL
his engine. He hired a private detective
TO watch the house and asked h police
man on the beat to keep an eve on her.
French's life was insured for S3,0f0 n
his wife's for 81, coo. The children We're
taken to the home of their grandfather,
Olive French, No. 7S3 Ocean ayenue- Car
ret says that his father told MIN on
Saturday night that if any trouble oc-
Cured he and his brothers and sister
go to the Uncle Jim's house. The
uncle lives with his father. Oliver French,
at No. 1888 Ocean avenue. The boy also
saws his father told him yesterday morn
inc that if he should die the boy was to
take his watch and remember him always;
Mrs. French had her husband arrested
about three weeks ago for beating her
and he was fined IS in the First Criminal
Court and placed under bonds not to
molest her. French said then that he
would be willing to take ten years for 1t
n,lxx n fam piobt q on he Ga III in n harToOTl
at Montgomery and Monmouth streets
that he would catch his wife yet.