The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-04
her HUSBAND
THEIR NEMESIS
Spies Rs|entIessIy Pursued His
Wife and Her Paramour.
tXvLTS OVER SHAW'S DEATH
"Naw for The Woman," Hs Says-ewrJ
Theatre In the Country eIc,pt 0ns
Closed 10 the Pah.

New York. Nov. Al have bounded
him to his death. and now / will pursue
the woman who was my wife to the end.
! do not want divorce from her. I'll get
tho divorce that-I want In a different
way I'll get II as ! want II. I'll never
let UP on her I'll have her death"
Calmly John ]. Spies. a theatrical agent
at 40 West Forty-second street uttered
these words. He exhibited no passion.
He spoke In an even. conversational tone.
ss he puffed heavy clouds OF cigar smoA-.
Only once or twice did he show emotion.
His voice trembled when he spoke OF the
former life OF the woman-the wife tnae
he is determined to hound to her death
Spies is 50 years old. For 30 years he
has been in theatrical enterprises--eight
years as an actor and % as an agent He
Is known to nearly every actor. actress
and manager OF prominence In the Unked
States. He looks more like a prosperous
farmer than theatrical man.
NEWS OF DEATH.
He received a telegram announcing the
death OF John j. Shaw OF Oakland, Cal
oHaW was al dCtor, % years OLD. Death
was due TO pneumonia. The news Of
Shaw's death threw Spies into transports
OF JOY. He gleefully announced that he
had bounded the man TO death. He said
TO reporter
''In the early part Of 1900 Shaw was
visitor at my house. 1l21 West Fortieth
street. He came. as / supposed. to see
young actress. who was boarding with
my wife and myself In reality he was
coming TO vVffA m ph 4 ha-
been married six years. and whom loved
as dearly as on the day married her
Il befriended Shaw in many ways. Inc
actress boarder was In the conspiracy 10
deceive. so was our housekeeper my Of
flee boy and a man whom I had aided
when he and his son were without food.
They fooled me completely
ION Aug. z. 1900, my wife went away
to join a small company that was to play
in New England. She was only a2 years
old and beautiful woman. fitted her
out with everything she would need Tor
the tour.
1T was not until December that I
learned that Shaw had got a place in the
same company and that they were living
together. The proof was positive. I made
an investigation and got sworn state
ments. Then j planned my revenge.
PLANNED REVENGE.
The first two nights after my discov-
cry / could not sleep. lay awake ano
planned. l worked out a system whicn 1
knew In the end would give me my re-
venge. / have got part of It, / have got
Shaw's death, and she will not live much
longer I'll have her death. too. They
say Shaw died OF pneumonia. know bet
ter. Something else killed him. No, I
don't care to say what IL was nor why
l know that her death will soon take
place"
Spies is an officer OF the Actors Order
OF Friendship. He is Past Exalted Ruler
OF the order. and Past Grand Exalted
Ruler OF the Order OF Elks. The actors
order is secret one and IL was through
his high standing in the organization
mat mat spies was able to get part of his
When I discovered their duplicity,"
he said. II had a circular printed giving
each. In the circular I told how Shaw
had entered my home and stolen my wife
after I had befriended him On the top
OF the circular ] had printed photographs
every manager and owner of theatre
In the United States and Canada with
the request. that should either of them
apply for places that they be refused I
had copies OF the circular tackled on the
walls of the dressing rooms of all thea
tres so that everybody In the profession
would know them.
NEVER LOST TRACK OF THEM.
For fifteen months / have known
where they spent each day. I can say
that have known where they were
eeyyery ey,dSyr hour ., on every day, for, the past
friends ell over the country stood by me.
/ have had the satisfaction OF knowing
that they suffered hunger In San Fran
unable to get employment on the stage
was forced ia. do dressmaking.
AT every theatre In every city but one
that they applied 10 they were refused
employment. Three times each OF them
assumed different names I'm the hone OF
escaping Identification, but they failed.
because my scheme OF revenge was per-
feet. Only one manager in the country
defied me
He is Sander stevens. or the Dewey
theatre In Oakland. He gave Shaw a
him after I sent friend to see him.
Sanders defed me. but 4 am not through
with him yet. He said I couldn't hurt
him. He will see
STILL RELENTLESS.
MY wifes stage name is Annie Syl-
vester. She Ney take others and try 10
hide her Identity but no matter what
the stage door OF every theatre in the
closed against her
"She deceived me abominably. n -
and the bitterness viii last until she Is
dead. She has suffered. and she will
suffer more
MY first wife left me for another
man. but I never desired any revenge
on her She came TO me and said to
my face that she loved me no longer
and didn't want to live with me. 7 told
her she might go whenever she nleased
and she went. bear her no ill-will: she
was game. and had the courage not 10
deceive me"
snies denied a report that he had car
ried a revolver for two years. Intending
To- kill Shaw on sight.
''T could have found him any time
wanted to In the past fifteen months"
he said IT never wished 10 XIII him
outright wanted to hound him to
ieath and have succeeded
"r want 10 saw emnhaticallv that n
moro men wronged husbands would dis
play the same tenacitv of purpose and
for revenge that 7 have
here would be less domestic deviltry In
his world"