The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-19
GIRL WAS SHOT AFTER DEATH
AUTOPSY SHOWS THAI GAS
KILLED LAURA WARDELL.

Made q Bargain hat IL Gas Faile(
Revolver Wa to He U~sed-ShOt Her u
Make Sure, but Failed TO Shoot Himself
Laura Wardell, the nineteen-year-old girl
found dead in a three room fat at S34 West
Twenty-ffth street last night after he.
husband, James Wardell, who was in the
fat. had t~elephoned the police that his wife
had killed herself, died Of gas poisoning
and not OF the bullet found in her brain
After this fact was disclosed by the au-
topsy Wardell, who had been under eX-
animation all day at the Coroner's Office,
changed the story ne q toid the police
just after his arrest and said that as part
Of a suicide pact he had turned on the gas
lille both lay in bed, had come to himself
some time afterward and had then shot
his wife and tried to shoot himself.
Wardell was locked up in the Tombs last
night charged with homicide. He had
been caught in 30 many lies that the police
and Coroner could not put much faith in
his story, except as to those parts for which
there was corroborative evidence.
Jacob Beahlert, the electrician who
under the name OF Robinson had been
visiting the woman in her fat. was elimi-
mated from the case yesterday except 30
far as being a witness. He was paroled
in the custody Of his counsel, Abe Levy,
after the police had become satisfied that
he was not the man who had te~lephoned,
and after he had shown pretty well that
he hadn't been at the fat since Sunday
night.
Wardell is an undersized. nervous looking
man. When taken to the Coroner's Office
yesterday he refused to repeat the story
he had told the night before, that his wife
had shot herself as part Of the suicide pact
and that he had tried and failed.
What took place in that room between
my wife and myself is too sacred to make
public. I'll not do II, and nobody car make
me-" he said amid many crying spells,
Wardell told OF the life he had led with the
girl up TO the day Of her death, He said that
they had been married on March IA, 1901. He
and a chum, Frank harrington, decided TO
get married that day, Wardell to the Nc
Sorley girl. and harrington to a friend Of
hers named Mabel Bauer. The two couples
went to st. Joseph's Church and were mar
ried. After this they lived around in fur
nished rooms, he said. until three months
ago, when she met Beahlert, known as o
inson. He said that he had tried to get her
away from Robinson, that she had told him
she liked him better than Robinson, but that
Robinson was able to buy her things. and
had even promised her an automobile.
Drs. O'Hanlon and Weston performed
an autopsy on the body of the girl and
found that the bullet which had entered
her left temple had gone through the brain,
tearing out blood vessels. but that no blood
was there. The doctors informed Coroner
Acrtelli that the woman was lead when
the bullet entered the brain and that it
was certain that death had been caused
by the gas some minutes before.
Then Wardell told the following story
10 Coroner Acritelli and Assistant District
Attorney Manlev.
we both commit suicide after we had talked
a long time about our Affairs and had
asked her TO return to me. She said that
she would at first, and then she told me
that IL she did a man named Mccoy, with
whom she had lived at one time, would
follow her up, and that it would be better
for us both TO die. She asked me to buy
a revolver TO make il sure, so | went out in
the forenoon, pawned a watch and bought
the revolver. Then we sat and talked for
a long time and in the afternoon we went
into the bedroom. Laura had me fix up
a tube 10 the gas jet so that it would reach
the bed just whore our heads were.
I'VE shut the door and the window and
then ! turned on the gas Then we both
got into the bed, | on the inside near the
wall. | put the revolver under the pillow
and we agreed hat If the gas didn't work
that the one who was able should Use the
revolver. We talked for a few minutes
and then Laura stopped talking Pretty
/ began to have IN awful pain in my
head and to feel ohoked. ] didn't know
INV mora for q Nyhilo then Apn't Ennpy
just how long it was, but ! think / must
have been unconscious at least half an
hour. Then l woke up with a start. |
over Laura, then my knees gave
from under me and / went down on the
floor: | managed to crawl TO the door,
which l opened. Then l turned off the gas
and opened The window.
'The air helped me som and | crawled
back to the bed n kissed Laura's lips and
her hand. They were cold, but to make
from under the pillow, pointed it at her
and fired. Then | turned it on
myself and pulled the trigger four times,
but the gun didn't go off. lost my nerve
then and staggered out of the fiat, When l
couldn't find a policeman | went to the
saloon and telephoned. Then l
back TO the fiat and waited for the
Before getting on the bed Wardell said
he had written the note that was found
" IDe ponce Oh lDe IdDle, ne hdl'l lIldl az
the same time his wife wrote another note.
First he said that she had torn this up and
hen that she had burned it. In the revolver
were found -four cartridges which the ham
mer had hit but hadn't exploded. Wardell
the uneXploded cartridges were the
ones he tried to kill himself with. :
Wardell said that he had used the name
Of Robinson when he telephoned because
that was the name by which the woman was
known there.
Beahlert said that the girl had moved
the fiat a week ago Thursday and that
he first time he met Wardell and knew she
a husband wal last Thursday. He
said that he found Wardell at the fat on
night and that the three had supper
sWardell told me that he wanted the
oman TO go back 10 him." Beahlert said.
4 told him that ! didn't have any ropes on
her and that he could take her back. He
asked then that / give them an hour alone
Ind he would try TO persuade her. left
ind didn't go back until last night, when |
was arrested
Beahlert's wife was visiting her relatives
On Long Island, but she came TO his rescue
7esterdly, forgave him and got a lawyer
or him.
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