Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1898-09-23
A DOUBLE TRAGEDY
Wealthy Woman Murdered
by Her Suitor.
AFTER WHICH He KILLS HIMSELF
Mrs. Ella Wilson Had Rejected the
suit of James o'NeIIl-Armed, He
Enters Her brooklyn Home and
Lays In Wait For Her.

Lays In Wait For Her.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2S.-Mrs. Ella L.
Wilson was murdered yesterday after
noon in her home s37 Union street,
Brooklyn, by James ONein. a Coney
Island railroad man. who. according to
statements by the police, had been call
ing on her for several months and OF
whose attentions she had attempted to
rid herself. One bullet ended her life.
ONeill then shot himself in the right
temple and must have died almost in
stantly.
The bodies were found not three feet
from each other. The woman fell on
her face, with her feet pointing to those
of the man, who lay on his back, with
the revolver by his side,
The scene of the double crime Is In
neighborhood where live many men Of
Brooklyn whose names are we'll known
in business, political and social circles
Not a stones throw from the house
where Mrs. Wilson lived is the hand
some home Of Lieutenant Governor Tim
othy L. Woodruff. About the same dis
lance away lives Edward NJ. Grout
General Stewart L. Woodford, minister
to Spain. and Otto Huber, millionaire
brewer are also neighbors.
Mrs. Wilson's home, a broad three
story brown stone structure, which she
leased from Leonard Moody is one Of
the handsomest in this fashionable
street, and its furnishings indicate that
she was possessed Of more than a mod
crate amount of money. Checks for
amounts in the neighborhOod of 800
were found in silver decorated pocket
books and in a desk in an upper room.
Many slips for the recording of deposits
in the Sprague National bank were
found by the police, as were also dozens
of stubs which showed that from real
estate owned by her in the boroughs of
Manhattan and Brooklyn Mrs. Wilson
had an income Of 5000 or $500 a month.
Her husband, James Wilson, who was
largely interested in real estate. died
about ten years ago and left her more
than 100000.
O'Neill, about whom the police have
learned nothing, except that he was in
charge Of trains at the terminus of the
Culver route at Coney Island and that
he was a frequent caller at Mrs. Will
sons home. was not attractive and
dressed with the lack of style compell-
ed by a small income.
1t was at least four hours after the
the Bergen Street station knew of the
tragedy. a frightened woman was the
cause Of the delay
Mrs. Wilson had been out in the fore
noon. She returned home a few min
utes after l O'clock. Miss Martin, who
said she lived in Summit. n. j., and
whom the police allowed to go home
without learning much more about her
called at the house about half past ]
o'clock. She wanted to see Mrs. VIII
son. The latter, with her hat on and
dressed as she had been when she re-
turned from her trip, opened the door
According to the story told to the po-
lice by Miss Martin, Mrs. Wilson said to
her:
II am entertaining a visitor now and
will be busy for a few minutes"
Then" said Miss Martin, "she took
me to a room up stairs and told me to
wait there until she called me in very
few minutes / started to take off my
hat, when suddenly I heard two pistol
shots in quick succession. 1 heard
noises as of two bodies falling. There
was not another sound"
Terrified and almost hysterical, Miss
Martin dashed down stairs and out OF
the door, which she closed. She ran
down Union street to 1856, where lives
Joseph Wilson, a brother-in-law OF the
woman who was murdered. He was not
at home. She told a fragmentary story
to the women of his household and
then ran to the Butler Street police
station, where she notified Captain
Brown that she thought a terrible
crime had been committed. When he
learned its location, he sent word to
Capt2fn White of the Bergen Street
station, In whose precinct the crimes
were committed.
Detectives Scanlon and Wilson were
sent to Mrs. Wilson's house. Wher
they reached it. they found playing in
the little area beside the broad high
sto0p the two children of the murdered
woman. William, 10 years old, and
Ralph. 6. Neither knew of the terrible
tragedy that had taken place only q
few feet away from them.
Scanlon and Wilson. by going through
a store in Seventh avenue and climbing
over fences, reached the door Of the
rear basement. 1t was locked. They
broke it open and went up stairs. In the
big dining room in the rear Of the first
floor they found O'Neill lying on his
CAGE, with his head against the andirons
of a broad fireplace. He was dead. There
was a bullet hole in his right temple
Beside him lay his hat, and the revolver
with which he had ended two lives was
near one of his hands.
Scarcely three feet away from O'Neilrs
body lay that of Mrs. Wilson. The body
lay on its face, partly in the parlor ant
partly in the dining room. The head
had struck against the bottom front
projection of a piano and rested there
Death had been caused, evidently in
stantly. by a bullet that entered th'
right temple and come out behind tbs
right ear
There was not the least sign Of z
struggle. ONeill must have killed him
self without moving from the spo
where he stood when he committed
murder.
British steamer In Danger.
ST. JOHNS. N F., Sept. 23.-Th'
British steamer Ethelaida, Captain