The sun., 1906-12-31
MAN AND WOMAN BOIHbEAD.
VINO WERE FOUND WOyNDED IN
A HOTEL ROOM.

She was the wife of John yOtten OF Totten-
Vile and Declared mat Kaufman Had
shot Her Because she wouldn't Marry
IIim and Then Mad shot Himself.
As the result off the shooting in the
Knickerbooker Hotel at Twenty fifth street
and Third avenue early Sunday morning
the woman, wbS was identified by her
sister as Mrs. John Totten OF Tottenville,
Staten Island, Sdied in Bellevue Hospital
yesterday afternoon. Her companion, Sid
ney Kaufman Of liz East Seventy second
street, died in the same hospital early this
morning.
According to a statement made by the
woman shortly after the shooting to the
police, in the presence of her brother, Thomas
McCleary Of IT'S Meserole street, Brooklyn,
and her sister, Miss Lizzie McCieary OF the
same address, Kaufman shot her and at
tempted to kill himself. He had repeatedly
threatened TO end their lives, she declared.
because she would not consent to marry
him.
McCleary said that his sister was married
to Totten two years ago. She was then 2l
years old and Totten 81. He said the
two did not live happily together and
separated by mutual consent a year later
Mrs. Totten returned home, where she re-
manned until six months ago.
Kaufman was the son of Gustave Kaufman,
a retired produce merchant, with whom
he lived at ll2 East Seventy-second street.
For the last five years he had been employed
as a salesman by william Buhrig, an arti-
fetal flower manufacturer Of 219 East Thirty
fourth street. He had one brother, William
q. kaufman, a lace manufacturer OF 2S
Waverley place. and two sisters.
Kaufman, accompanied by Mrs: Totten,
went to the Knickerbocker Hotel shortly
and Mrs. Samuel Kaufman OF New York
city and were assigned by Charles Wilson,
the night clerk, to a room on the third moor:
Nothing more was heard from them until
about o'clock, when Tilie Coffe, a maid,
heard some words in the room followed by
two pistol shots. She rushed below and
notified the manager Of the place, Theodore
Rush, who summoned Policeman Becker
of the East Twenty-second street station.
The door Of the room, which was found to
be locked, was battered down by Becker.
Mrs. Totten was found, partially dressed,
lying across a small table in the centre OF
the room. She was face upward and there
was a bullet wound in her stomach. kauf-
man was lying across the bed, face down
ward with a wound in the right side Of his
head. Both were unconscious: AT kauf-
mans side was a revolver. Two OF the
chambers we're empty. The man and woman
were taken to Bellevue Hospital. In kauf-
mans trousers pocket was found a box
containing a hundred cartridges.
The injured woman told Policeman
George Banks, in charge Of the prison ward
at the hospital, that her name was MRS.
Eva McLeary and that she had relatives
at ITS Meserole street, Brooklyn. tele-
gram was sent to that address and the
brother and sister came at once. Upon
| seeing her relatives Mrs. Totten reused
J herself. When asked how the shooting
| happened she said:
SSidney shot me. He has repeated
asked me to marry him, but l refused !:
We were in love with each other and would
| have consented only feared being arrested
| for bigamy. Sidney pleaded with me time
and time again. At last the other day n
desperation he said if l did not marry hm
| he would kill himself and me too. l never
dreamed that he would do such a thing.
| We had a quarrel over the matter to- ught
and il wound up by him asking me again
to marry him. ! refused and he shot me 3
! and then turned the revolver upon hiElself.
1t was said last night by a friend a Kauf-
| man that he had been married thrte years
ago to a woman in Patchogue, Il l., but
that the couple lived together only two days
! and parted without getting a divorce.
| Mrs. Totten was a good looking woman
! about five feet five inches in height, with
black hair, black eyes and a plbmp figure.
kaufman was rather slight in figure and
weighed about las pounds. He vas 80 years
old.
IL was said at the KnickeIbocker Hotel
that the couple had been frequent visitors
| at the place and usually occupied the room
| assigned them on the night OF the shooting
Mrs. Totten married TOtten at the Bethel
NJ. +. Church in TottenviDe in 1904 he Is
| a great grandson Of the original John Totten
who settled the south end OF Staten Island
after which the village takes its name.
Ten days after the marriage the bride
appeared before Magistrate Marsh at Sta
pleton and charged her husband with non
support She declared he had only given
her 81 so day to live on. The case never
came to trial, as friends arranged with the
husband 10 turn in more money.
Totten said last night:
"Our married life lasted exactly sixty
two days. On that day she packed heI
things and left / was glad she was gon'
and guess she was glad to go. l never
saw her again and only heard from her
indirectly Last summer | thought woulc
get a divorce so / went over to see he
father. He said the family wanted nothini
TO do with her They said she never woulC
bother me. As | didn't want to marry an!
| one did not procure a divorce.
I'm not going to see the body or going u
| the funeral | knew she would come tC
lust such an end as she has. I'm not sorry
nor I'm not glad: just don't care. Sh
| married me because ! was an old man anc
| should have money. She got the name anC
ali the money had. which was little
/ Totten ia the sexton in Bethel Church.
He Is not wealthy and never has been.
|
SAW NEGROES SHOOT UP TOWN