The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-26
BL1sDH CAUGHT AT LAST.
AI6EGED WIFE SLAYER RAGGED
AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
Police Say He went There to Get an Ensi-
peer.s License Another story Has II
mat He Was Csusht Through an In
tereepted Letter -Tries suicide In Cell?

Police say he went i"efo w"
neer,s License Another story Has II
mat He Wal Csusht Threush an In
tereepted Letter Tries suicide I'm Cell!
.Joseph wilfred Blondin. the bow-legged
pock.marked French Canadian, who IL
scons4d of numbering his wife at Chelms-
ford. Mass, ten months ago and for whom
the police Of this country and Canada had
been making a ~fruitless search. was arrested
In this city yesterday. Blondin admitted
his Identity but insists that he did not kill
his wife
For the lasttwo months. Blondin had been
employed as a fireman In the Hotel Bruins
wick at Eighty-ninth street and Madison
avenue. He went under the name OF Joseph
Bernard and. according to the manager
of the hotel, was a good workman. He
came 10 the hotel from White Plains. where
he had been for five months, and very little
was known about him, except that he was
trying TO get an engineers license.
He went to Police Headquarters on Monday
and applied to the Bureau OF Boiler In
s~pection for a license. A picture and de-
scription OF Blondin, which had been sent
broadcast by the Boston police, were hanging
on the wall. 1t was kno WI that Blondin
was an engineer.
ROundSman IsushleT tdyt tuh' "heh 'hc
prisoner asked for a license he thought he
looked a good deal like the picture OF Blon-
din. On the excuse that his application
would have to be investigated u
man Lussier told him to return yesterday
morning at IL o'clock.
The police say that the prisoner was
followed from Police Headquarters and
kept under surveillance on Monday night.
Why a suspected murderer was allowed to
leave the building was not explained.
Roundsman Lusier communicated his
suspicions to Capt, Titus. who sent word
TO Boston and Police Inspector Chapman
and Charles Il. Patterson. who knew
Blondin and has been in the employ OF the
Boston police since the murder came on
here at once.
Blondin appeared promptly at the APP
pointed hour at Headquarters, Yesterday.
Elaborate plans had been made to arrest
him. Blondin has the reputation OF being
a man of great strength IA his broad
eholIders and sturdy body would indicate.
Besides It was said that he generally went
armed
by Edward Hughes, Capt. Tituss conf
dental man, were awaiting Blondin. He
was met by Roundanan Lussier; Patter-
son, the Boston man, pointed hum out, ana
then the detectives pounoed on him.
The murder OF Mrs. Blondin was par
tic,lIarly a:rocious. The headless body of
a woman was found on Feb. 10 in the woods
near Chelmssord.i Forty-cight hours later
he head OF a woman was found under a
bridge over a stream that runs through
Chelmsford. II was almost unacceptable,
but through a pair Of earrings it was identi-
fed ms that Of Mrs. Margaret f.. Blondin
the wife Of an engineer, who worked in
a bakery.
At a boarding house where Blondin and
hislwife had been living It was learned
thai he had disappeared. Through a letter
which he sent 10 an express company here
asking that his trunk be forwarded Blondin
was traced TO a house in Third avenue,
near Forty-fourth street. There a woman
said hat she had turned him away because
he was too repulsive.
On account OF Blondin's physical pecu-
~liarities il was thought that there would be
little difficulty IN arresting him. Several