New-York tribune., 1902-02-16
SHOT HER LOVER. THEY SAY
Continued from first page.

sert that she was at her home in Brooklyn on
Friday night.
When the girl was being questioned in the po-
lice station her father Frederick W. Burns,
went to the police station. He not per-
mitted TO see his daughter. Burns has been
well known athlete. He seemed to be overcome
with grief over his daughters arrest. He left
the station and returned with Foster L. Backus,
former District Attorney Of Kings County
whom he had retained as counsel for his daugh-
ter. Mr. Backus demanded the privilege of talk
ing with the young woman, but this was re-
fused. Burns saw his daughter taken down
stairs to cell. She called to him and he tried
to speak to her, but the police kept them apart
Later Mr.. Backus several detectives going
in the direction Of the cell, and made demand
that he should be present at any further ques-
tioning OF the prisoner. When this was refused
he denounced the police for their alleged unfair
ness in dealing with the prisoner.
Mr. Krotel came out from the captains office,
hurried out OF the door and started up Church
st at a lively gait. Mr. BacIus pursued and
caught up with him under the elevated station.
He returned in a few minutes and said to Cap
tain Halpin: Captain. the Assistant District
Attorney has told me that the prisoner is IN
your charge now, and now demand the right
to see my client" The captain said that this
was Impossible, as he had strict orders from
the District Attorney not TO permit any one TO
see her. Mr.. Backus raised quite a storm in
the police station, but unable to gain his
point Assistant District Attorney Lord soon
arrived and gave Mr.. Backus permission TO go
down to see the prisoner. Mr. Burns. the girls
father was allowed to go down also. but was
not allowed to say anything to his daughter ex-
cept that Mr.. Backus had been retained as her
counsel.
Mr. Backus said later that the police had en-
ployed unusual methods, when the negro hall
boy and the night clerk of the Glen Island Hotel
were taken to the station to identify the young
woman as the one who had been in the hotel
with Brooks. He said that the negro was taken
directly to the girls cell and asked to identify
her. The girl afterward was placed in a sep
arate with three other women. The other
women were not dressed in any way like the
prisoner and her clothes being Of a most pro-
nounced and fashionable cut, were strikingly
different from those worn by the other women.
The negro then told to pick out the woman
who had been in the room with Brooks, and
he picked out the prisoner without question.
When Mr.. Krotel was asked what he had TO
say as to Mr.. Backus's statement that the pris-
had been improperly treated, he replied:
''Oh. we'll, that was only done in the case of
the negro hall boy His testimony isn't of much
use. and the thing is not of great bearing in
Mr. Krotel declined to express any opinion as
to whether the police had acted lawfully or not.
He afterward said: "Oh well. detectives are
liable to do anything, you know"
He said that when the young woman was ar
rested she told that Brooks was dead.
''She said" said Mr.. Krotel that she knew
she was charged with having shot Brooks But
where is Walter?" was one of the first questions
she asked, when we spoke to her. She has not
yet been told of the young mans death. She
has cool head ever found on any
body. She denies positively having spent the
night with Brooks and says that she left him
about o'clock and went right to her home in
Brooklyn. Her father and mother were out to
the theatre, her come in. Ac-
cording TO her story, she reached home about
Z o'clock"
Florence Burns held prisoner at the
police station last night, charged with homicide.
She will be arraigned before magistrate this
morning. 1t was ascertained last evening that
Brooks and Florence Burns recently visited the
Rev. DR. Robert Rodgers, of the Church of the
Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, and asked to be
the minister marry them. 1t was said that the
minister refused to perform the ceremony unless
the consent of Brooks's parents could be OBJ
tanned. 1t did not appear that Brooks had
made any attempt to get their consent
Dr. Weston the coroner's physician, who per-
formed autopsy on the body of young Brooks,
said last evening:
'NThe wound was on the right side of the
head, just behind and on level with the top
of the ear. It penetrated about inch and
half into the head. The ball took a diagonal
course"
When asked whether the wound could have
been self-inficted. he said that it was not out
OF the range of possibilities that BROOKS had
shot himself
There was an absence of powder marks" he
continued and hardly see how the shot could
powder marks. However will not say that he
did not shoot himself"
The dead mans father visited the hospital
after the autopsy had been performed and got
permission TO remove the body.
Florence Burns recently lived at board
ing house at No PA West Forty-second-
ST., kept by Mrs. Hitchcock. Alice Hitch
cock a daughter, last night spoke with con-
siderable bitterness about Miss Burns, aueg-
ing that the young had left the house
without giving notice and leaving behind an un-
paid board bill of $50. There disappeared at the
same time a quantity of wearing apparel be-
longing to Mrs. Hitchcock. Among the articles
missed, Miss Hitchcock said, a blue, lace
trimmed dress. valued at S75. Miss Hitchcock
said that Miss Burns became a boarder in the
house about two months ago. Miss Burns was
then receiving attention from Brooks and she
told the Htchcocks that she engaged to be
married TO him.