New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-10
TRAGEDIES IN TWO BOROUGHS.
urpDEB AND Suicide IN MANHATTAN AND BROOKLYN
BLOT OUT FOUR LIVES.
COUPLE DIE BY ONE HAND
f5r-sgAND AND WIFE SHOT NEAR HEAR l.
AND DYING MAN ACCUSES
DEAD WOMAN.


Murder and suicide blotted cut the lives OF
Charles o'Neiu and his wife. Ida, HestefodE
morning Two bullets near the mans heaIi anu
fv-o hu}lets near the womans heart dla lllV
work The man lived long enough TO man
solemn declaration that his wife dld al ~
shooting. She could not make denial oe''u
she was dead when the tragedy was discoNei ~
Letters which O'Nein had written showed 'I''
he had planned to kill himself and ms wiz
had discovered that she WAS untaithful &c ~"
and had forced her TO make a confession
had begun A suit against Robert IL if'oii'a' "
clerk in the auartermaster's department. III inc
Army Building. on account Of alleged alI7i''''
ton of Mrs. O'NeHls affections
The tragedy occurred on the third floor OF me
Neu-York Fruit Exchange BUILDING a ~ -
Park Place where O'NeiIl was employed 80
;.v,+or o,lei1l was thirty years CID. two years
older than his wife About > A m Yestero'S
s7.Ne;u was found dying in tn" Hestihule ot 'he
t,i1dias. and he said to the night Waterman
NV wife has shot me-
The ro,ioe were called. and the wounded man
was carried to the hospital in H"dS"h-s'' =
search in his room disclosed the dead hooH ..
his wife. The revolver which had been usea
with deadly effect was in her right hano' y
dog zrss licking her face and whining.
Coroner scholer went 10 the hospital At =
, m. and took ,o'Naills ante-morten statement
a. follows:
Nv wife shot me I didn't shoot her. she
killed herself. Nv wife vas intimate win hol,
er+ H Thomas who is. employed IN the quartz
masters department. in the Army Building l
went 70 my wife and asked her 10 confess ina.
she had had illicit relations with Thomas / l.dn
in nv hand q revolver. and pressed IL 10 heF
head hut there were no cartridges in II. only
irtendeG 10 brighten her | said You CONFESS
10 me She said, Don't shoot mo now NeiT
until I go across the hall 10 Room -. She
came hack and sat my knee. and SAID: 80
on and shoot me ! reached across the desk
for nv 11nloade7 revolver and she pulled re
4over from the folds of her dress and pointed II
at nv heart and fired ] then started TO run
Down the stairs and she turned the revolver on
herself and shot herself through the heart
orNein died about an hour after making the
statement. Coroner Scholer went TO the room
which the o'Neils had occupied and found an
empty revolver on the desk He found on the
desk a slip Of paper on which O'Neii had writ
ten.
Three letters on the gas meter will explain
all Ask the elevator man to care for the dog
and cat"
On the gas meter. in the basement. we're
found three letters addressed TO Mr. and Mrs,
John l. Dyer O'NeilIs brotheT-in-law and sis
ter and Michael Weiss, the elevator man The
letters to the DyeTs asked forgiveness for
o'NeiIl's act saying they knew the cause It
asked them TO look out FOR his body, TO see his
lawyer concerning his property. all Of which he
wished to go TO his sister He also spoke Of his
bank account and his life insurance Dyer was
asked to use his influence with the owner of the
building TO get the job of janitor for Weiss.
Weiss was asked in the letter TO him to do any
Of the things that the Dyers left undone- The
letter said that O'Nein had given his lawyer
,,a7l4S +saT he
which he saw fit
The DOG and cat found in O'Neilis room were
sent to the Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty
to Animals.
Robert H. Thomas said yesterday that ne
knew Mrs O'Neill. but never knew she was
married. He was in her company often
II must admit he said. that some of the
charges made by O'NeiIl in his ante-mortem
statement are correct The girls parents live
at No 429 Bergen-st-. Brooklyn. 1 have re
peate3iT addressed her IN their presence d
Miss OrNeil' and was never contradicted.
vas aIways led to believe she WAS single About
two weeks ago was the first / ever heard OF
O'NeiIl. ] never him in my life, but, SO
fas as know, there was no occasion for the
awful tragedy. Some two weeks ago OMEN
started q suit against me for alienation Of the
affections Of his wife, and the suit is now pend
ing. This is the first l ever heard Of him. and l
thought il was a Matchmaking scheme In view
of the treatment ] had always received from The
my part TO accuse them Of biackrnail
Coroner Scholer yesterday saw j L. Michel.
the stepfather of the woman. who admitted TO
him that he knew Thomas, but said the man
did not know Mrs. O'Neill married.
Thomas will he called as a witness at the in
quest
Allen CarIthers. o Neills counsel said yester
Slax that the suit against Thomas was begun
account Of letters which O'NeilI had found in his
,,-ifa's travelling bag after her return from Yer
r7cnt where she had spent a part of August.
To ascertain If the letters had been written by
Thomas. d decoy letter had been sent him al
The Army Building. and he had answered il
O'NeiIl told Nj Carufllers that he went to the
ARMY Building August ~ intending to shoot
sThornas. but after riding up in the elevator to
the floor whore Thom3s employed he de-
cided to wait awhile. O'Neill said his wife had
made z confession TO him in the presence of her
mother and stepfst}ler and that she was willing
90 to the lawyers office and swear to her
confession. Mr.. Caruthers Monday advised
O'NeiI TO stay away from his wife, and O'Neill
said he would give her NJ.