The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-24
DOUGLASS
CONFESSION.
Man WHO Killed wife and Tried
Suicide Before Coroner.
HIS STORY OF TRAGEDY READ.
Husband and Wife Agreed 10 Ole Because
Of Their Poverty PIbng Auditors
Listen 10 the Sad Recital.
HIS STORY OF TRAGEDY READ.

/
ed bullet wound just above his heart.
| pale. listless. with his chin resting on his
chest. AXel Douglass sat IN Coroner Zuc-
cas- court yesterday and listened TO his
own statement OF his fatal shooting OF
| his wife and his attempt at suicide.
The tragedy occurred on April l. IL Wns
| one OF those actions that picture ia viyid
| outlines the battle OF the hopeless poor
| for life and happiness. The yonng sweds
ablaze with love for his young wife
whom he could not support. ana who
would not relnqulsh her opportunity TO
support herself, took her life and at
tempted his own.
In the Flower Hospital, IN the expecta-
tion and hope OF death, he made the
statement which Policeman Cunning
ham read to Coroner Zucca's fury.
Save for the sobs OF "A matrpnly look
ing woman among the Score of more Of
spectators. there was absolute silence
This was the statement
My wife was working i'm Harlem at
the time and ! was the janitor of the
place on Lexington avenue She had
come down TO see me. and was lying ON
the bed crying i told her I wanted her 10
come back and live with me. but she said
we hadn't enough money and we'd better
wait until fall.
II can't wait l answered her
"I was walking up and down the room.
and / told her the best thing was for us
both TO die She said Yes but wanted
20 know what we should do about the
baby. l said:
=" i have a home for baby.
'She was crying all the time.
'1nen / took my pistol from the shelf
and 1 said:
" 'Good-by, Alma.
'She didn't answer or move Then l
pointed the revolver at her. She was
holding her hands i'm front OF her face.
Then I placed Il close 10 her and fired
twice.
"Afterward 1 stood up straight and fir
ed at my own breast.
n wanted 10 die and so did She
The prisoner never raised his head from
his breast during the reading OF his
statement. The woman among the spec
tstors continued To sob. The coroners
jury found that Douglass-who is only
twenty-four years old and delicate look
ing--was responsible for his wifes death
and he was remanded TO the Tombs.
HER STORY OF THE DoUGLAssEs.
The woman who wept for the young
husband left the court room with her
handkerchief TO her eyes. She is Mrs.
THEODORE Frankenburg, wife of the 1an-
tor Of No. 141 East Fifty-fourth street.
by. whom Axel Douglass was employed
at the time of the tragedy There. i'm her
cozy basement home, she told this story
OF Axel and his young wife,
I'VE advertised for an assistant janitor.
We could pay only s. a month. with
meals and lodging. The others would not
work for that Axel said: Five dollars is
better than nothing
"IIe was poorly dressed and looked fill
fo~. / made him a bed i'm the storeroom
of another apartment house for which We
cared, around the corner.
Later a young woman called TO see
him. She was attractive, with a fine fig
ure. Her clothes were neat. She said that
she was Mrs. Douglass. She told me that
was not her husbands real name.
She called several times | learned
that they had a child two months old.
who was being cared for by a friend i'm
Brooklyn. and that she was working
again for the same family i'm one Hun
dred and Eighteenth street. Harlem, who
employed her before he married her. once
she took from her purse a lot Of pawn
tickets and said;
This IS all / have 10 show for all we
have IN the world--for the gold watch ne
gave me, for my nice clothes and for all
the household things we once had.
ANY one could see how she had suffer
cd, and how hopeless she was of the flu
ture. What can married people. with no
household goods, do with 81 a month"; She
was now independent. Her wages were
three times his. He was jealous of that
lie wou.- sit In the kitchen and plead
with her and she would shake her head
and go away.
"oh. how he loved her. After she was
gone he moped and his head hung on his
breast.
"A week before the shooting she came
again. Axel kept saying TO her:
Come. Alma, Alma, come.
"She shook her head and went away as
before.
1T was two days after this that Axel
came To me, his eyes sparkling. Some
furniture men had offered him sll a
week He said he would now be able TO
support his wife and child
You will need furniture said. You
must save money. You can still attend To
the lights and take care OF the ashes and
the garage, and 1 will give you your
meals and your bed. Thus you can save
each week the whole Sll
SHE SAID 1T WOULD END.
"Axel wrote a letter to his wife The
next night-it was the fatal uight-he
went out at o'clock In the evening lie
had hardly gone when his wi came iu.
I told her OF Axers good fortune She
sighed aud said II would not last She
waited till nearly 10 and then said that
she must go or she would be locked out.
Before II Axel came into the room and
said;
7 have killed her tried TO kill my
self Sec"
.IIe raised his arm. like this His chest
was covered with blood. Ny husband
cursed ANel
I'VE took him 10 the drug store and
then went Co see what couid be done for
his poor wife. She lay dead on the floor
OF ANel's room ne had met her on the
street aud taken her there"
Mrs. Axel Douglass told Mrs. Franken-
burg that her maiden name was Andcr-
sen and that she had brother living IN
Jersey civ Dnnelnss. 80 hn toll hnr