The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-04-01
KILLED THEM ALL.
A Wife's Love of Dancing Makes Her
Husband Commit
TERRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE
Mortallv Wounded. the wife Flights:
for Her. Child, but the Fren-
zied Husband Kills Child
and Himself

n.
Maddened by jealousy and stung by
bitter words of reproach, Christian
Kirschoffer, a Williamsburg, N. ",
hotel keeper, shot and mortally
wounded his young wife, slew his
four-year-old son and took his own
life Wednesday. The tragedy was
the end of martial history Of five
years, beginning with Kischoffer's
elopement with the woman he killed
Wednesday aud who was then his
| wires niece. After the death of his
wife he married the niece.
Residents in the neighbprhood of
Kent avenue and South First street
were startled by succession or pistol
shots in the second story Of Kirschoff-
er's Hotel, at No. 965 Kent avenue,
about 1890 a. m. Wednesday. The
shrieks Of "Murder!" "Policem in q
woman's voice, brought Policeman
t'allon, OF the Sixtieth Precinct;
George Ehnenn, a citizen, and Fire
man George Mulligan, who rushed up
stairs, burst IL the door of the apart.
ment in time to see the murderer fire
a shot inth his own head.
The policeman grappled with the
man, who, although wounded to
death, still struggled savagely to fire
upon the .intruders. AS the revolver
was wrenched from the n,an!ae's
hand, he fellsto the floor and expired.
The room resembled a shambles.
On the floor, near the door leading
into the rear room, lay the murderer's
little son, gasping in the throes of
death. Swooning, at the window,
which the wounded mother had raised
ln her frantic Efforts to escape her
doom, hung the body Of Mrs. Kirsch-
offer, with blood streaming from a
wound under the chin.
The police officer picked up the
child and hastened with him into the
street in search Of medical aid. But
the little fellow expired before an am.
lbulance from the Eastern District
Hospital arrived. His fathers bullet
had pierced his brain.
Meanwhile Ehnenn and Mullipan-
carried the wounded woman down
stairs, and into a neighboring store.
She did not regain consciousness, but
nurmered the name of her little bow. :.
When partly revived by Ambulance
surgeon Shanks she prayed them to
save her baby.
The crime was undoubtedly premed-
itated and carefully planned. Kirsch-
offer. was insanely jealous of his wife.
She had youth and rosy cheeks, and
syaiaAls,,t ts-ei nl q 5.
forty. He objected to her gayetY,
and protested against her attend
ance at dances. She went over to
Elizabethport on Monday night to at
tend a masquerade. The husband OBJ
jected, but the young wife had pre-
pared a costume, and she went, de-
spite protests, to the home Of her
cousin, Michael Martz, with whose
family she attended the ball.
Mrs. Kirschoffer did not return home
until nine o'clock Tuesday morning.
The husband nI.u her with furious
anger. bitter quarrel followed dur
ing which dishes were thrown by
both.
Having exhausted stheir passion,
husband and wife went about their
several duties in connection with their
restaurant, the man going upstairs,
donning his best clothes and then
hurrying to the butcher shop wheie
he bought lot of meat. He nexu
bought pistol which he loaded.
From the gun shop Kirschoffer
went into the saloon kept by his life
long friend, Frederick Bertz, at-the
corner Of Wythe avenue and South
First street. Here he drank deeply,
announcing that it was the last glass
Of liquor he would ever swallow In this
world.
Arrived at his home the man called
his wife and child into the sleeping
rooms of the family on the second
floor, locked the door and deliberately
murdered them. He threw the wo-
man upon the bed in the front room
and tired the weapon into her throat,
the ball passing through the chin and
into the bones Of the head. The wo-
man appears to have struggled wildly
for her child's life, for she broke away,
and running to the window farthesU
from the bed, threw up the lower sash
and shrieked for help. Aid came too
late Tor as the woman ran the husband
put bullet in the boys head.