The evening world., 1902-05-13
BABY BROUGHT
FAMILY TROUBLE.
Mrs. Sophia Henken Secreted
Her Sisters Infant and Com
mitted Suicide When Order
ed to Give 1t Up.

An unwelcome child came TO Dora
Fischer last month, 1t brought with II
same and bitterness and death, and to-
day the police of this whole city are
looking for the little one.
They do not know whether II is dead
or alive. They know It led to the sui
eide of Its mothers sister. and they are
not sure that before this crime was
committed there was the graver one
OF murder-the murder by the aunt OF
the child that brought the shame on
the family name, innocent and helpless
though IL was.
The woman who killed herself was
Mra, Sophia Henken. the wife of Harris
Henken, a tailor of No, i3l Graham ave-
nue., Williamsburg. she was thirty years
old and had two children of her own.
Her husband was prosperous In a Sim
pie way and there was no cloud on the
future Of the married pair.
Two months ago Dora Fischer. a SIS
ter of Mrs. Henken. arrived In this
country from Germany. She told n
story OF having been wronged by a
German army officer, Her parents had
sent her 10 America In order that the
consequences of her weakness might not
stain the family name in the home
which had been theirs for generations.
worried over Disgrace.
But Mrs. Henken was proud OF her
name In her new home. She did not
want the finger of scorn pointed at her
house and she worried over what she
called the terrible disgrace. Still she
chung to her sister.
The ch!ld was born In the Henken
house April Is. Mrs. Henken took 1t and
cared for 1t. When the mother was
strong enough to get OH her feet she
asked for the little one. Her sister told
her that she had sent 1t away 10 an In
stitution In order that the neighoors
might not know that 1t had arrived,
The mothers love in the German girl
submerged all sense of shame. She
wanted he- child back no matter what
the neighbors said, and she told her SIS
ter that she must have 1t. The sister
refused TO tell her where 1t was. Vow
ing that she would get 1t. Dora went
away. She took a room at NO, 2S Sanos
~lstreet, Brooklyn. and every day or two
abe went to Williamsburg and demanded
Sher hid.
on Saturday a man called al the Hem
ken house. He told Mrs. Henken mat
he was a detective from Manhattan ana
that he had come at the request OF
Dora Escher to force her to give up the
baby. Mrs. Henken would give him no
k%atisfaction, and he went away saying
Sat IL by Monday evening the chiu
Itt'k not produced he would arrest her.
'"/ Her Suicide Followed.
/. Mrs. Henken told her husband of this
B., tsit. He says tina; he advised her 10
Ave up the child, that 1t belonged %
he mother and to no one else, III h
he promised to do so. He left his home
Yesterday morning as usual to go to MS
shop. when he returned for his lunch
con at noon he found the dead BODY OF
his wife in one of the rooms.
h had inhaled gas through 4 tube
which she had attached 10 the Gas-jet.
Her W two children were away at
school.
TIL. williamsburg poli:s are looking
for the child. They have no report from
Police Headquarters indicating that any
detective was authorized to threaten
Mrs. Henken with arrest II she did not
produce the baby by last night. All
the city institutions will be searched m
the effort 10 hnd II.