The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-29
HUSBAND SHOOTS BOARDER
FAD BEEN JEALOUS SINCE HE RE-
TURNED FROM THE WAR.


Says the Man He Loft to Take Caro- OF His
Wife SupplRnted Him-Wfs Saw tho
Struggle Between tho Two Men-Both
We're Wounded and the Boarder May Die.
Jealousy was the cause OF pistol fight early
yesterday morning between Robert j. Lusk
and his former friend Richard Kenworthy In
which Kenworthy was shot twice and dam
Rerously wounded and Lusk received a slight
wound in the fleshy part OF the arm. The fight
took place in the Lusk apartments on the top
| floor OF the fat house at 281 West Sixteenth
street. and in the presence Of Mrs. Lusk. who
| fed when she saw KsnwortAy fall He is now
In the New York hospital with an even chance
| OF recovery. and Lusk is under arrest. Mrs.
| Lusk has told the police that there was no
ground for her husbands Jealousy.
| Both OF the men were members OF the
| Twenty-sscond Regiment. N. q. n. Y. When
J the war broke out Lusk. who was the supern-
I tendent OF Postoiilce Station @ got leave Of alb
sence both from his duties aud from his regi
ment and went to the front, asking his friend
Kenworthy. who is ~ years old. nearly ten
| years his junior. 10 look after Mrs. Lusk md
| the two children. In order to look after them
| eiTectually. ksnworthy changed his abode to
| the Lusk apartments. On his return from the
war Lusk. it is said, saw evidences that the
boarder had become a more popular member
vi lne nOuSoHOlu IMAM UlulSell IlV betlus W
have done nothing at home. however. but no
took to drinking and moping. with conse-
Quent neglect OF business that cost him his
position to which he had returned after the
war. Six weeks ago he was reduced to a clerk
ship paying only half his former salary OF
$1,000.
On Sunday night Lusk drank steadily all the
evening and started home at / o'clock About
80 O'Clock Policeman Cahi OF tho West
Twentieth street station heard pistol shots
from the house at 20l West Sixteenth street.
and entered the hallway. where he met Ken
worthy cropping his way along tho wall
I'm shot" said Kenworthy. You'll find the
man that did 1t on the top floor. He came at
me whom was In bod"
Cahill ran upstairs. and with drawn revolver
entered the Lusk apartments and ordered
Lusk whom he found in an inner room. to sur
render.
All right" said Lusk. Il expected You. III
give up IL you won't inJure me"
III not hurt you" returned the officer
What did you do 1t for?"
That devil was going to steal my wife
away" said Lusk. as he handed a. calibre
revolver to the officer
Meantime other policemen had come and
had sent in an ambulance call The New York
hospital surgeon found that Kenworthy had.
been shot in the right breast and the right leg.
He became unconscious as he was put into the
ambulance. l.usk was taken to the police
station.
It's another case OF the star boarder," he
said bitterly to the sergeant. aud would say
nothing more.
Mrs. Lusk was not In tho fiat when the police
arrived. having taken refuge with her children
In tho apartments OF some friends In the same
building. Afterwerd she said that she had
seen the two men shooting at each other, and
had seen Kenworthy fall. Why her husband
should have attacked Keaworthy. she says sho
does not know. At the station the police dis
covered that their prisoner was slightly
wounded and sent him to the hospital also
where he spent part Of the night praying that
Kenworthy's wounds might not prove fatal.
In the room where tho fight took place the |
police found Kenworthy's 22-calibre revolver, |
with two empty shells in the cylinder. and five |
loaded cartridges on the floor. The cylinder
had fallen back From this and the OF he r crcum-
stances the police believe that soon after Lusk's
return he quarrelled with his boarder. the |
quarrel terminating in his drawing his pistol
ans shooting Kenworthy. who also drew his |
pistol. The fact that there are several bullet |
holes In the wall where shots went wild. and |
that the cyclinder OF Kenworthy's revolver was
thrown back. knocking out the cartridges would |
indicate hand to hand struggle in which Ken |
worthy succeeded In wounding his opponent |
only slightly before his weapon was knocked |
from his hand All five cartridges in Lusk's |
pistol. which is said to be relic from the Maine.
were fred.
Lusk was arraigned In Jefferson Mark ct court
yesterday morning and remanded. He seemed
dazed and with difficulty collected himself
sufficiently to answer tho Magistrates ques-
tons At tho New York Hospital 1t was said
last night that Kenworthy was doing better
than had been expected at first. He is an cleo
trcian and Is unmarried. Mrs. Lusk. who 10
80 years old and rather pretty woman. is a
daughter OF the late James Fitzpatrick at one
time Tammany leader Of the Seventh district.
Lusk's reduction from his superintend sncy
OF the Post Office station has been taken up by
the National Civil Service Reform League,
which demanded his reinstatement. on the
ground that he was illegally reduced, His
present position is in Post ONCE station c. at
Bank and Hudson streets.
Both Lusk and Kenworthy made formal
statements to the police at the hospital yester-
day morning. Lusk said that he came In aud
found Kenworthy and Mrs. Lusk in the parlor
and that Kenworthy began the shooting Ken
worthy said that Lusk came to his door and
began the shooting and that he then red one
shot at Lusk