The evening world., 1904-04-21
wife Of the Rev. Dr.. George
Buckle, of Elizabeth, N. j.,
Asserts that He Attempted to
Smother Her to Death in Bed.
COMPLAINED TO POLICE,
AND HE IS MISSING.
Charges Cause a Sensation in
New Jersey Town and Church
Has Taken Steps to Sever
His Connection with It.


his wife, the Rev. DR.. George Buckle,
Church at Elizabeth, N. j.. ned from
there yesterday and is supposed to be
In hiding in this city. Elder e. B.
Smith, Of the church. received a letter
from him to-day incloslng deeds to
5000 worth Of property and a check
for S125 payable to Mrs. Buckle. The
letter was written at Mills Hotel No.
/. but no trace OF DR.. Buckle could be
found there to-day. and II he lodged
there last night 1t was under an as
sumed name.
Two Complaints Drawn.
Two complaints had been drawn UP
IN the ONCE of Justice Of the Peace
Mahon, Of Elizabeth. against DIR.
Buckle. One charged abandonment, the
other assault with intent to kill. Mrs.
Buckle has decided to withdraw the
abandonment charge. in view of the
return of the deeds. which were taken
from the house yesterday. and the
receipt OF tho check. and to delay press
ing the assault charge. The elders Of
the church have held q meeting. and
steps have been taken to depose DIR.
Buckle from his pastorate, which he
has held for fourteen years.
No such sensation has agitated Eliza
beth and the surrounding section OF
New Jersey for years. DR.. Buckle was
q fashionable pastor. In his church
he had the wealthisst and most exclu-
aivo people Of the city. His two
daughters have been the leaders in the
social set. In his religious work ho
was considered the peer of any min
ister in New Jersey.
Pathetic interest is added to the case
from the fact that the alleged attempt
OF DR.. Buckle to murder his wife was
made O few hours after he had married
his eldest daughter, Ruth, to Rufus
Stuart Adams. a wealthy resident of
Montclair. The wedding ceremony was
performed In the partsonage. and was
attended by the most exclusive members
a Elizabeth society. Mr.. Adams and
hts bride are on their way to the Orient
On honeymoon trip. ...
Refused to Attend Wedding.
After Mrs. Buckles returno from Vir-
ginia her relations with her husband
wee strained. SO bitter were her feel
fngs against him that she protested
against his performing the marriage
ceremony OF their daughter, and she
refused to attend the wedding. Her
daughter visited her to say goodbye,
and soon after that she fell asleep.
Her daughter Virginia slept in the
next room. In a crib by the eide of
her bed slept her baby. She says that
't some time after midnight she awokc
and found her husband standing close
TO her.
She asked him what he wanted, for
1t had been long since me had visited
her. He said he had entered to see
II she was'asleep and IL she was we'll
She told him that she had a head
ache. whereupon he volunteered to
dampcn n towel to be placed on her
forehead.
He returned. Mrs. Buckle SAYS, with
large Turkish towel. AS ne approach
I'd the bed he closed the door leading
70 the room occupied by the daughter
virginia. Mrs. Buckle says that he
had dampened the towel with warm
water instead of cold
Il told him." said the wife in her
iompiaint Tn , to the Elizabeth police, that
feared the warm water would not do
me good, but he said he thought il
would give me relief. He stepped up
TO the bed and placed the towel over
my face.
II paid no attention to the fact that
1t entirely covered my face until | be-
came aware Of pressure. Then il
flashed through my mind that my hus-
band was seeking to smother me to
death.
Suspected Attempt at Murder.
81 was slowly stranging TO death
when. with final convulsive effort, |
been in the middle OF the bed / would
surely have been killed As [ fell to
the floor l knocked over the crib in
which my baby way lying. and the
noise awakened Virginia, who ran into
the room In her nightgown.
she saw at a glance what had hap
pcued and accused my husband of try
ing to kill me. He denied 1t. saying
that 7 had had the nightmare and had
fallen out of bed.
"'You lier cried Virginia. You tried
TO kill her, and / know wnv. II wgIc
II hnv I would kill YOU myself
with that she slapped his face. He
did not answer. but left the room and
went to his study
Three years ago Mrs. Buckle sDent
SIX weeks In the Morris plains Insane
Asylum. but she explains this by say
Ing that her husbands attitude toward
HcT ma uIh!ngSu her mind temporarily.
II had heard gossip concerning the
attention he was paying 10 a certain
woman of this city" she explains, land
! taxed him with 1t. | asked MIN If he
loved me. and he replied that before
God he did not. and that he wished I
vas dead. He told me that he had
ioped would die when our last baby
was born.
"If that wasn't enough to drive any
wOniS.n crazy. l can conceive of moth
ing that would. I left the house. tell
ing lim that | was going to the rail-
road track and throw myself in front
Of a train. He followed me to the door
aud said he hoped tina. l would carry
out INV intention.
'I did go to the railroad track and
walked along weeping ard waiting for
a train. Some of my nelghbors. who
he'd followed me. compelled mo to re-
turn nome. 1t was then l went to the
asylum. ut my own request"
DIR. Buckle Is forty-seven years old
and an Englishman. His wife says
that he has aften offered her money
for divorce.
Word Eating.
II some men had to eat their words
they would soon die Of indigestion. But