The sun., 1901-08-17
SHOT IN The MORTON HOUSE.
WONiN COMPANION SAYS ENGf-
NEER tONUfTTED SJICIDE.


Andrew NJ Lester. "A steamboat cngiuce:
az Tweniy-slSth street. Sheepshead Bay.
committed suicide az the Merton Hpuse
last night, according 10 n woman who was
In a room with him NJ the time The woman,
who said she WIS T.,zie Anderson, a corset
operator. and refused - say where she
lived was arrested and held 10 await tho
action Of the Coroner Coroner Baus"h.
who viewed the body and quest ionei the
woman said that be- was not prepared 20
accept the statement Of the woman that
Lester had committed suicide. because
there were few marks Of powder on his
head to show that the pistol had been fired
AZ very close range, and they might have
bsen quarrclliug
The couple went go ~" hotel about .
O'Clock ard Registered ~ VI Tester and
wife They were assigned tn a room
on the fourth floor About & o,I,rk. MIR
laws. the hou-ekceper. who was IN th"
nest room folding led linen. heard pistol
shot She ran downstairs and told the
clerk In the hobl at the time wor- Blu
nings aud Shs'han the precinct IeteC-
tive- They went "a the room aud found
'he man lying on the foot near closet.
There was bullet wound on the right side
90 his head and a revolver Law on the Noor
beside him He was undr,.-~ed ard A.
was the woman. who was lying on the bed
The woman told the detectives who tho
tnan vas She said that he as an engineer
on the steamboat Montauk. which runs
to shelter island and that he had lost hi-
Job in IN" morning She had promised
10 meet him ~ the steamboat landing but
didn't, hut kept ~" engagement AZ 1hir-
ieenth street aud Third aveuu" az o'clock
After going 10 ia" lIiel she said. she went
out and bought some fruit when she
returned Lester had ordered tao glasses
~ whiskey He drank one and told her
To take the other She refused hacau-,
size had had enough, she said and be- went
90 his trousers and took ou' q revolver.
Then he walked a 'ew steps aud shot hin-
self
The Woman'- story Wa confused and
contradictory. She first told the detec-
tiy,,s that sh. had only known lester a
few davs Then she aid sh" had known
him for wears loved him dearly and was
Jealous Ot his wife. Sh" l. "a large, heavy
woman. l. about - years old and j, not
handsome
The story that Coroner Bau-ch got from
the woman when be- reached the hotel wa
different She told th" Coroner that She
and Lester had tcrn fpollnc
Il told him he could not walk a straight
line she said to Coroner RausCu, -lNs.
oatl-s III. was too drunk tie said h- could
and GOT hi- revolver Hr walked acro-S
the room and near closet put the revolver
90 his head and shot him-et
She also told the Coroner tina; she had
boon on the Montauk with Lester for three
davs. They returned Yesterday morning
and when the boat got in he waE discharged,
He had BEEN drinking heavily for three
weeks shc said Evidently she had been
having few drinks herself Detectives
SheehAn and Binning- seemed 20 suspect
murder The shooting Nas entered on
the station blptteT ~ suicide
testers family NJ Sheepshcad Ray,
were notified bv the police and has BODY
was taken To an undertaken shop. He
had 81 in his packets and several handker-
chiefs. collars and ties
Coroner HauSrh said that the only reason
he had to think that It Wa not case of
suicide was the contradictory statements
81 the woman and that IL appeared that
the revolver had bcen held som" distance
from the mans head. a. there were only a
few powder spots near the wound
lester lived In lweuty--iNth street near
Voorhees, avenue, She-pshead Raw with
his wife. eighteen year-old daughter Helen,
and his mot her. who l. 20 YEAR old They
are all members 81 the Sheepshead Bay
Me,hodlst Church Al the hu,I~' - was
said that Lester had teon III with typhoid
fever and had been away from home