The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-24
John {. Law, Old and Osspond-
ent, Fires at His Kind Relative
WAS SUBJECT TO DELUSIONS
Thought The Injured Girl Was a Party 10
His WIiss Absence, After He Had
0Tlysn Her From Home.

New York, Sept A.--Tortured by pow
erty and depressed by his inability TO
obtain work because OF his age John +.
Law shot his niece. Miss Agnes l.. Nafs'
a public school teacher at noon yester-
day
She was hurrying from the school at
One Hundred and Forty-sepenth- street
and Courtlandt avenue 10 her home at
l0Il Boston road for luncheon when Law
saw her at Third avenue and One Hun
dred and Forty-hfth street He crept up
behind her and shot her with a revolver
OF small calibre.
The bullet struck a corset steel and
glanced off without doing harm. Miss
Nafs screamed, ran a few steps and
tainted. Law was arrested by Policeman
Templar. Magistrate Cornell held him
in $1,000 bail. and he was locked up In
Harlem prison.
Law is II years old. He was a sue
cessful milk dealer years ago until he
failed, and then for long time was .
collector for II. S. Tuthills dairy at
Seventh avenue and One Hundred and
Twentieth street.
NIECEs PAID HIS RENT.
Two years ago the OLD man lost his
place. He got work from time to time
but he and his wife were reduced to
dire need. They took little apart
ment at 991 Boston avenue year ago
and the rent was paid by Mrs. Laws
nieces, Miss Nafis and her sister.
Poverty preyed on the old mans mind
He became at last prey to the delusion
that his wife, 65 years old, had become
unduly fond OF her nephew. William w.
Nahs, who is 81 years old, married, and
a clerk in the Bank OF New Amsterdam
weeks ago, an affidavit full OF charges
which were investigated and found to be
untrue. Nevertheless the old threatened
TO kill Nahs. Law wrote on Sept. this
retraction:
with cool Judgment on my part ana
being a prisoner In my own home, and
my wife on her knees. before God I have
consented 10 admit that / might have
been mistaken and of course ! withdraw
my threat to harm you, but from this
out we are strangers.
This is to be delivered to you on con-
dition that you give my wife note stat
ing the warrant out TO put me on bail.
to keep the peace for six months. be
withdrawn"
HIs RETRACTIoN ACCEPTED"
In exchange for this Law received this
document:
Mr. j. f. Law:
On your promise and as a gentleman !
will withdraw the warrant which l have
out for you. Issued on Sept. 2.
WILLIAM NAFIS.
p s. accept you apology and am
sorry this thing happened.
Law drove his poor old wife away
from home at the pistol point on Sun
day evening. Monday morning he told his
neighbors they would hear from him
through the newspapers, and he sailed
out with his revolver.
II was looking for that villain" he
told reporter after his arrest. II hoped
to find him i'm the street. He and those
women are conspirators. They've stolen
away my wife and hidden her in fur
nished room
when I saw my niece I thought she
might tell me where my wife was. so
hailed her. She made no reply, so
thought I'd shoot over her head and
frighten her so she'd tell me. Just ther
! some one in the crowd jostlde my elbow
| and that made the bullet hit her. I didn't
| intend to hurt her.
I'm at peace now. I'm willing To &C
| TO the Tombs. / have no money, nc
| friends. no hope. They may do wha'
| they like with me-