New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-13

the fall. and he sent to summon police
| man, who IN turn called ambulance Mr..
Mathews was dead before the ambulance ar
rived. He had not been seen to breathe or to
show consciousness after his fall.
The housekeeper in the Mathews apartment
had heard Mr. Mathews enter the bathroom and
close the door, and later she heard the fall She
ran to the bathroom door and called out that
| somebody had fallen into the court Not get
ting any reply, she entered the room and found
it empty.
Tie facts regarding the death of Mr. Mathews
were kept from his old aunt for hours yesterday,
because of the Ill effect her friends feared would
follow the breaking of the news to her. When
a clergyman ultimately told her that he had
died the shock made her condition alarming.
The body of Mr. Mathews was taken first to
the police station in West 1OOth-st. and later to
an undertaker's place. Congressman Bennett
took charge of arrangements for the funeral, to
be held Sunday morning
Coroner Brown went to the house and made
an examination of the bathroom. He also talked
with the housekeeper and with DR.. Vosburg and
DR.. Manson.
CORONER FAvORs ACCIDENT THEORY.
ut is my conviction the coroner said later,
that Mr.. Mathews fell out of the window by
accident. If he had wanted to kill himself he
would have dived out head first and his face
would have been smashed. There was not time
enough in his fall Of fifteen feet for his body
to have turned around to have the back Of
his head hit the pavement"
Mr. Mathews would not have committed sui
eide without leaving some message for his
friends said Congressman Bennett. He would
not have killed himself Intentionally that way,
anyhow. He had suffered from loss of sleep,
making the of opiates necessary, and he
doubtless had attack of dizziness, which
caused his fatal fall out Of the window"
Mr.. Mathews had no reason for suicide said
Abraham Gruber. He was innocent Of the
charge of conspiracy. He had good counsel,
and he firmly believed he would be acquitted.
His loss of sleep was due to his persecution by
Jerome. and his death was the result of dizzi-
ness from the of opiates to make him sleep.
His friends feel, therefore that. although his
death was accidental. it was due to the hound
ing of the District Attorney. and that Jerome's
persecution was for political reasons
INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY
The indictment of Mr.. Mathews on the charge
of conspiracy in the looting of the Weissel es-
tate grew out Of the confession of David Roths-
child, the convicted ex-presdent of the wrecked
Federal Bank. William Weissel died in 1903
leaving an estate Of about $4,000 There was
mystery regarding the manner of WeisseTs
death. and there a contest of his will
Rothschild previous to the failure of mis- bank
made the administrator of the Wessel es-
tate, the funds Of which were dissipated partly
by means of disastrous loans through the bank
After ROthschild sent to Sing Sing he
opened negotiations with the District Attorney
and another convict sent word to Mr.. Mathews
that Rothschid was being urged to make a
confession duplicating Mr.. Mathews in the
wrecking of the Weissel estate Rothschild was
brought to the city and has been kept in the
Tombs for months while the District Attorney
has been prosecuting indictments growing out
of the confessions of the convicted banker.
The indictments charged that Mr.. Mathews,
w and I all
lawyers conspired with Rothschild to get con
troll of the funds of the estate. AS part of the
conspiracy. it was charged Mr.. Mathews in
duced the Bankers Security Company of Cleve-
land, of which he was the assistant secretary,
to go on Rothschild's bond with the agreement
that Mr. Mathews should receive for his own
profit a percentage of the moneys Rcthschtd
was able to borrow on the securities of the
estate.
1t was charged that Rothschild paid to his
three confederates the following sums under the
corrupt arrangement-S3.I5O to Mathews, S4,9t1
to Ferguson and 81 900 TO Wooten.
Wooten was forced to trial last summer and
convicted In his charge to the jury in the
Wooten trial, Justice Davy, in the Criminal
Branch of the Supreme Court, said that If
Wooten was guilty Mathews was equally guilty.
Instead of being sent to Sing Sing, Wooten has
been kept in the Tombs. and is said to have
made confessions and to have arranged TO be
witness against Mr.. Mathews
When the case of Armtage Mathews was
called in court yesterday, Assistant District At
tornev Rand said Mr.. Mathews dead. He
moved for the discharge of the special jury
panel called in the case. T. ] McManus. Of
Mr. Mathewss counsel, took occasion 10 say
that he believed in the innocence of Mr..
Mathews Justice Davy said the announcement
of the death of Mr.. Mathews sad news.
District Attorney Jerome said later that he
could not properly talk about the death of Mr..
Mathews. He would rot discuss any political
aspect of the
Armitage Mathews born and educated in
this city, being graduated from the Network
University in 1855 and later from its law de-
partnent He began the practice of law at
first In the office of LoWrey, Stone & Auer-
bach and later set up for himself at No 81
William-st.
He became active in politics lieutenant
of Mr. Gruber in the Dist Assembly District.
and was president OF the Riverside Republican
Climb for a few years He was appointed
assistant district attorney by w. NJ. K. Olcott
I in 1897 and continued in that office during Mr..
Oicott's term In 1900 he was elected alderman
from, the Dist District, serving two terms
When the Low administration took office
there was a fear that Tammany would control
the Board OF Aldermen, and the vote of every
! fusionist was needed. Mr.. Mathews was Ill.
but rather than show the white FEATHER in the
emergency he had himself carried into the
aldermanic chamber on a stretcher so ne could
vote on the appointment OF committees Ills
friends recalled this action yesterday as a PROOF
that he could not have committed suIclue'
After his retirement from the boatu oI Al
der1nen he was elected secretary OF the He-
publican County COMMITTEES