The sun., 1907-11-29
KILLS WIFE; JUMPS 10 STORIES
JOHN WHETLEY'S CRIME ar THE
HOTEL BELLECLABRE.

John Whitley. a ventiIating engineer and
chimney expert Of Concord and Fulton
streets. Brooklyn. who had been many
months in search of health. rose from his
bed in his apartment on the tenth floor Of
the Hotel Belleclaire. at Broadway and West
Seventy-seventh street. some time early
yesterday morning and shot his wife twice
through the head with a revolver. Then
climbing out Of the window to the narrow
ledge that runs about the building he took
a plunge into the darkness down TO the
pavement below.
Whitley did this thing on the eve Of the
comfortable little home festival that his
wife had planned for Thanksgiving. She
had bought flowers in the afternoon. and
nuts and bags Of oranges were slowed away
in bureau drawers. ssif hidden to be brought
out as a surprise yesterday. as one hides
the children's toys on the eve OF Christmas.
Deep under pile Of her dresses Mrs. Whit
ley had smuggled away bottle Of fine old
port and another OF warming cordial which
we're to crown the holiday feast.
1t was about $50 O'Clock in the morning
when George Preston. a cab driver. dis
charged his late fare at an address up near
the park and was ambling down West
Seventh-sevenih street on his way home.
Near the corner Of Broadway under ths
darkened windows Of the Beleclaire he saw
q blue blur on the street near the curb.
Preston got on his seat and examined tho
thing II was the semblance Of a man.
horribly distorted and clad only in blue
silk pajamas
The cabman found Policeman Cavanaugh
Of the West Sixty-eig ghth street station.
and the polioen sent in a call for Roose-
welt Hospital ambulance according to form.
Later the body was removed 10 the poles
station, and the police after communicating
with the COroners' office began an in
vestigation.
When the night superintendent Of the
hotel and the policemen came 10 suite lA3
on the tenth floor of the hotel, facing Ous
on the Seventy-seventh street side, they
received no answer TO repeated knocking
and forced the door. Then they found tho
body Of Mrs. Whitley.
The woman was lying near the edge
of the bed upon her arm. naturally, as IL
in sleep. There was q bullet hole through
her left eye and another in the mouth.
ranging upward into the brain. A bath
robe had been drawn over her face and
there. was no evidence of the work her
husband had done showing under the
folds Of the garment, which ne had evil
IDENTITY pulled over her face after firing the
shots.
In the bathroom the police found that
a heavy towel had been spread on tho
tiled floor and hand glass lay face down.
ward upon this. A mirror set into the wall
reflected three sides OF the room. When
they went back into the bedroom they
saw a new revolver lying on the open face
of the escritOire near the window.
The weapon had been broken, and two
smudged shells lay ranged in line by the
butt. Three loaded shells still remained in
the chambers. By the side OF the revolver
was an envelope with the hotel stamp
across the Zap. On the face Of this en-
velope near a blot Of blood there was a
scrawl which was ragged and evidently
had been written with a shaking hand. All
it said was
Il can't write.
~NOv. 28"
The bits Of evidence in the rooms showed
plainly the story of a few moments that
had passed some time near the middle
of the night when all in the hotel wers
sleeping and nobody could be disturbed
by two muffied pistol shots and the fall
of mans body. The elevator boy had last
seen Whitley and his wife go to their rooms
together early in the evening Whitley
probably got out Of bed between ? o'clock
and and shot the woman where she lay.
Then he took the revolver and the hand
mirror and went out into the bathroom to
complete his plans.
How long he sat there on the edge Of the
tub moving the hand mirror back and
forth so as to get il in focus with the mirror
set in the wall and probably placing the
muzzle Of the revolver by the reflected I'M
ages is not known. When he gave IL up.
broke the revolver and emptied out the
used shells he ranged them in line. standing
on their butts. Then he must have COW
cred his wife's ftoe. for when he sat down to
write he left the smudge OF her blood on ths
envelope.
tag found i'm his room with the mark Of
II. II. KiHe. 523 Broadway. gunsmith. upon
IL led the police to discover that on Tuesday
Whitley had bought the revolver and
box OF cartridges Then II was only the
day before the tragedy that he requested
Albert r.. Keene. the manager OF the hotel.
to allow him to transfer from apartments
on the sixth floor TO those on the tenth.
The apartments on the upper floor were
isolated from others by a long hall Ths
chance Of a sharp sound in the apartments
there being heard by other sleepers was not
great.
When Coroner Hamburger took charge of
the case early yesterday morning he found
among the dead mans effects letter from
j. T.. Bryant. 1924 Chestnut street, Pbila-
delphia the tenor OF which was that tho
writer was sorry that &c, 500 worth Of stocks
Whitley held in the Independence Cold
Mining Company we're practically value
less and Offering TO exchange stocks In
other mines for those he held. Coroner
Hamburger also found 2 bank book on the
Franklin Trust Company Of Brooklyn show
ing that Whitley had drawn out the last
Of his account with that institution recently
Otherwise there was nothing that would
seem to indicate that financial losses might
have prompted Whitley's acts. Among
Mrs Whitlev's effects were several very
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