The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02
SOUGHT TO BLIND WIFE, TOO.
HARDING. SIGHTLESS, BLAMED
HER FOR MS MISERY.
Caught Her In q Dark street and Threw
Acid In Her Face-She Deserted Him
q After Having Caused Ills Blind.
ness. lie Says-She's Only Scared.

Richard p. Harding. blind gambler,
threw enough vitriol into the face Of his
wife early yesterday morning to leave
rcars that will lat for life. Then the blind
man stumped back into the shadows of the
building in West Twelfth street. where he
had been lying in wait for the woman. and
waited for the coming of the police. who
he knew would be attracted by the screams
of his victim The woman was taken
10 St Vincent's Hospital to recover from
her injuries The man was taken to the
Mercer street police station and will come
up for examination in Jeh,rs Market
court this morning.
For the Judgment Of the Court Harding
says he has neither care or a fear. He
only regrets that his aim could not have
been better. Then his wifc's eyes would
now he as sightle.s az his own and the
score which he held against her would be
wiped out. Harding attributes to his wife
the maady which resulted in the loss of
his sight
Not many years ago he was we'll known
on the American racetracks As a book =
makers clerk. He was good looking,
popular with men and attractive to women
The good salary he made came easy and
he spent 1t freely. Finally he married
and act up home of his own. The woman
he married was good looking and attractive
10 the men she met. The honeymoon was
hardly two years over before the sight of
Harding's eyes grew dim. At length he
could not see the figures on the betting
charts and had 10 give up his Job His
wife, he said, knew why his sight had gone
He could no longer earn living, and his
wife. seeing an easier way of life, and a
way that made a blind husband a hindrance
after while. packed up and left Then
Blind Dick as he came TO be known,
did the best he could to earn a living for
himself. The only trade he knew he had
learned at the race tracks. and he went
back TO them in his blindness Each day
he got somebody TO read tho entries to
him, -doped" out the winners as well as
he could and picked up enough in the
betting rings to maintain himself in lodg-
ings at los East Thirtieth street.
His wife went back to her home in Nor
folk Va. after, she says, Harding had spent
all her money and pawned all her dia
monds. He followed and pleaded with
the woman not to desert him. She re-
fused to have anything more to DO with
him and he threatened her. She had hin
arrested. but withdrew the complaint or
his promise to leave Norfolk Then the
blind man came back to New York and
his wife followed him. taking lodgings a,
235 East Fifty-third street. Then she was
known As Mrs. May Jauner. In other
places she was known as May Hope. She
i 81 years old Harding is 20
The woman left her home on Friday even.
ing and went down town. At 4 80 o'clock
Yesterday morning she was returning home
through West Twelfth street When in
front Of an uncompleted building. a man
CROPPED his way out Of the shadow and
accosted her. She recognized the voice
as that of Blind Dck' They talked for
few moments and then the blind man
asked the woman to come back to him
There were no threats this time To all
the pleadings there was one answer. She
would never come back
All right. May" he replied. Il know
there : not much in having a blind man for
husband. But when your eyes are gone.
you feel sometimes, "a II you'd like some
body that you could bet on and always win.
But haven't much money now, and things
wouldn't be easy. So. if you won't come
and be- eyes for me- kiss me good night"
The woman says she was touched bv
the mans pleading and leaned forward to
kiss him. He drew her toward him with
one arm and with the other drew hing
from his pocket. She saw the movement, she
says, and covered her face with her hands
The next mometn her hands and face were
covered with the stun which the man had
thrown. As lac threw the vitriol, he re-
leased the woman and shullled back into
TN" shadow, When the police and the
ambulance came, Harding said
From twenty-nine till you're dead is a
long time to be blind. But it's two yea RS
longer when you're two years younger
IL she's got what she gave me. well quit
even"
How he had been able to trail the woman
through the night 10 a dark spot in a side
street he refused To tell and the woman
didn't know. He said, simply that he'd
only tried To even the score.