The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-07
MsalAN EBlK'S SECRET KEPT
YEr TO EXPLAIN WHY
~ SHE SHOT HERSELF.
Tswnsesd VALVES His Rights ss Executor
Z - aev WIN and Guardian Il Her
Daughser end Gives Vp the Package
SAe Sent Iilni-Lefters In II Not His.

= Ooo8DIer ono StNes 4 tne Tackese
Sae Sent Iiiui-Lefters In II Not His.
Z Tbs body Of Mrs. Louise Ames Van weik.
the divorced wife Of q. b. weik and Of
Baron Edward Wolfbauer. who shot and
killed herself some time on Saturday night
In the Washington Hotel, jersey City, Was
( sent 20 Baltimore yesterday afternoon by
: the s,ss train on the Pehnsylvania Railroad.
IL win be buried IN the fsfuily plot OF the
Roystons. Mrs. Weeks adopted brother,
Campbell B. Royston, who arrived in Jersey
; City early yesterday morning in Response
to ateieeram from Chief Of Police Murphy.
(. rstuTned on the same train.
= Mr.. hoystou also took back with him
private papep, documents and jewelry
deposited by the dead woman in a box
With the GARFIELD safe Deposit Company,
ct Sixth avenue and Twenty third street,
- well o. q formally erecuted waiver by
which Charles H. Townsend, director Of the
Aquarium. resigned all rights as executor
under the viii of Mrs- Van Weik and made
Mr.! koystou' sole executor and sole guar
dian OF the dead wonpar's ten-yesr-old
daughter Dorothy. The girl il now being
educated In Wellington school,
Mr.. Royston went TO the Jersey City
polico headquarters yesterday morning
and vas there joined by lawyer Joseph
" Bristor Of this city. ali old friend Of him
ssH md Of Mrs. Van Weik, who had con-
ssnted to act as his legal adviser in the
= Mr.. Townsend, for whom the ponce OF
. both this city and Jersey CITY were looking
or Sunday, did not arrive at Chief Aurphys
:. Office until about noon yesterday. lie
was EseptsdkystAer tSysQssqsy by The CHIEF,
whG S0ksd Mnswhtf he-hsf kept hinr-lf
T0whsend explained that he fbad spent
6u1day afternoon and night trying to com
msSpioate with the reiativsa~sf the dead
wgman. He also said that he had done his
~ TO notify the coroner, bnt had failed.
TO IND him. Z .xfstl - -
~ the suggestion Of fi,a chief, 'Roytton.
and Townsend recsev~d large number Of,
De~spaper reporters, The tpntpent the
reporters began to ask questions concera-,
ing the life history and family relations Of
Mu. Van Weik they were cut short by
R0pton. who told thea, that along that line
be would not have a word 70 add to tbs story
printed In TIE, SVs yesterday morning.
which story he declared to he complete
and correct In every detail
as TO the motives Of my sister in taking
her own life Mr.. Royston then said. Il
am almost entirely at a loss to account for
them. The only thing | can think OF is
that worry over financial matters brought
her to il. She had property valued at
betyeen $4,000 and 100000. She had not
been satisfied with living on the interest Of
her fortune. however, but Ind eaten into
the principal. She probably feared that
II she continued doing 40 there would not
b enough left for hes liiuas daughter. whom
she worshipped.'
fownsend said that Mrs weik had said
something to that effect when she called
on. him At the Aquarium on Friday. and
that he had vajnly tried 70 drive such morbid
thoughts out of her head.
He said further thai he bad not met Mrs.
wen for many months previous to last
ThuTsday, when she called az his off1cc.
He was very busy that day and asked her
aftor q brief chat 10 come back on Friday
they agreed to take dinner together at the
Marlborough ItsfAp6Si ~ r1hhSend- feosfrd
f1zaephone message freg 'Mrs. Van weik
TO the effect that she Gould not h with him
that evening. is che had decided TO move
over to q jersey City hotel.
Murphy that Mr.. Van weik went TO the
Aquarium on Saturday and was told that
Mr.. Townsend bad reported himself sick.
She thsn visited hin home at II West Thirty
nth street and failed to md him there.
tions for her SUICIDE. Chief Murphy thought,
including the renting Of the safe deposit
boz. the sending OF q package with un-
known contents TO Townsend by express
and the mailing Of registered letter To her
adopted brother at Baltimore.
The drawing and signing OF the docu-
ment by which Mr.. Townsend waived his
rights as executor took place In Chief Muir
phy's Office. After that hoy.ton, Town
send, Bristor and Detective Bennett went
to the Garfield Safe Deposit Company.
where they opened the box rented by the
decd woman. II was found to contain
the deeds TO her property. a number Of
privsfe papers, a letter addressed TO Mr..
Royfon, some jewelry and two smah
On one Of the packages was written
70 ys = E ses 1850 ssse 'e Con.
, ,.asd ' bs5. dren sss the e gill; NJ
Royston follows,t.
;. DsAa Bso1asR.. I desire that YOU. do th.
Dorothy into your home and family just re
yS"r Ga and st,s her, a. j Know you viii
sSs s-%s sI lc ,.,. and affection that Vas given
Bsfors Mr.. Royston returned to Baltimore
st re- NJ NJ e Te Ra ss. the By p ssprs.
Ito Tovunsnd should not be opened by
the latter, but should be turned over BY
him TO Rristor to hsiSrxsIded. unopened,
H.
Ion tkels- fesun 30 this city last night,
Townsend and Bristor went down to the
Aquarium, where they found that the eX-
press package had arrived few hours
earlier Contrary to THAR first intention.
they opened il.
= > II &as f6and,to contain d small pocket
book of red leather and a score Of letters
: and telaefam1. all Of which were signed
TEDDY some Of ,tham were addressed
70 Mrs. Van Weik' and others to Mrs.
Wolfbaier.'
Townsend said that they had been all
written by Mrs. Van Weeks second hus-
band, whose hrst name was Edward The
pocketbook contained the coupons of a
Cooks tourist ticket for q trip through Ger
many and Austria. The tickets were dated
August, 1900
Why the dead woman should have sent
these letters to him Townsend could not
explain, except on the theory that she
had found the boz In the Garfield Safe
Deposit Company too small to hold them.
- The letters were sealed up again In the
original wrapper and mailed to Mr.. Royston
by Bistor ~. -.-
Charles II. Townsend, the recently ap-
pointed director Of the Aquarium, whose
narns has become mixed Up In this case
through his friendship with Mrs. Van Weik,
was once q member Of the United States
F1sh Commission at Washington His CON