The Washington herald., 1907-06-05

New York, June Airs. =. J. NOrtish,
of Mariners Harbor. Staten Island, to-
day explained her connection with the
triple shooting of Monday in Pittsburg.
Patrick Reardon. a lifelong playmate
and former sweetheart of Mrs. Vortish,
shot with probably fatal results. Thomas
Morton and n l.. Moorehead. and then
killed himself In his pocket were found
a picture of Mrs Vortish and a letter
from Mrs ycrtishs husband in Mariner
Harbor assuring her Of his love and ask
ing her for his own and their little sons
sake TO come home 10 once.
"Reardon shot himself probably when
drunk and in a rage with Morton and
Moorehead because he thought they
knew where and when / had gone
and would not tell him. Possibly his dis
covery that I had gone home also had
something to do with his crazy deed.
There was certainly nothing ever between
Patrick Reardou and myself 10 give him
the right 60 be jealous of anybody. The
shooting could not have been caused by
jealousy. as both of the men shot We're
too old for any reasonable man to think
that they admired me.
Patrick and I have been friends from
our childhood. We were brought up to-
gether and Patrick always called him
self my sweetheart as "a boy. / am now
thirty-two He was FIVE years younger.
Ny husband was also q pal ot Patrick
as boy. until he began To drink badly.
] boCo-ne engaged when I was twenty.
PatrlcG said then that If ] married any
one else than him ne would kill himself.
] laughed at him. Patrick was all right.
though. except when he had been drink
ing too much. which got to be pretty
often.
Meets Patrick often.
"Of course. as we. my husband and 1,
lived in Pittsburg until few weeks ago.
ran across Patrick fairly often. He was
pretty quiet and sensible most Of the
time. But OCCASIONALLY he would carry on
I'm "a way to convince me that he had
never forgiven me for marrying another
man. And recently he ran across me on
the street in Pi,tsburE and told me that
he couldn't forget me, and that he was
going to shoot himself before long. When
Frank. my husband. lost his position in a
roller mill in Pittsburg we broke up our
home there and I went 20 live with an
aunt In Bloomfield, a suburb. Frank soon
after left the city To look for another Job
He got located about two weeks ago on
Staten Island. 7 did not want 20 let Rear
don know where I was going, for fear he
would follow me and annoy my husband
and myself
Went to Visit Friend.
Five days ago 1 left my aunts home in
Bloomfield and went 70 visit for a few
days with an old friend living at ~ Lori
ner avenue. Pittsburg. I staid there one
day and left before Patrick found out
was ther. Mr. Moorhead. man past
sixty, lived in the same house with this
friend. He had a small express business,
so I had him move my things for me.
Il suppose that Patrick found out where
! had been and that I had left and that
Moorhead had removed my trunks to the
station. He got into drunken rage,
imagine, asked Moorhead and Morton.
another neighbor, who just happened to
be there. where had gone. Morton did
not know, and suppose, M0orhead
knowing his disposition. did not want "a
tell him. SO Patrick. hardly knowing
what he was doing. in his drunken frenzy,
drew his revolver and shot. No one re-
grets the affair more than I do"
Mrs. Vortish is a pretty woman. with
brown hair and eyes. regular features
and a good fgue She Is boarding at {.
Bush avenue. Mariners Harbor, with hel
husband and child.
Coroner Investigates Case.
PittsburE. June 4-Investigation by the
coroner into the case Of Patrick Reardor
leads the coroner 20 believe that not only
was Reardon in love with Mrs. Vortish
but that his two intended victims. Moore,
head and Morton. were also in love Wit
her. which was probably responsible fol
the tragedy The letter carrier on III.
route was before the coroner to-day. anC
told him that all three Of the u9n ap
peared TO get letters from her and tha
each would stop him at different time.
10 ask if there was a letter for either OF
them from her.
Another woman entered the case to-da,
when the police found among the effect
Of the dead man an endearing note signe,
"ROse. SCI Lowell street" Rose Reese wa
afterward found 20 be the writer Of th'
note. and was taken before the coroner
but could furnish but little light on th'
tragedy. except that ReardOn had beer
paying attention TO her.
Both NoOThead and Morton are still
living