Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-06-22
DEAD SEVERAL DAYS
Nei0bbors Found Body of Mrs Jhierbech = Husband Thought
 She Was Sleeping.

II oupSIinlCnuCnI VI thO t'AAs' " partment, when he entered the home of MT and Mrs Andrew Tnierbech at 5SS Baldwin street this morning. I On bed lay the dead body of Mrs Thierbech, so decomposed that swarms of flies were fairly eating the flesh away. The woman evidently died three or four days ago, possibly week, but .during this time her husband says he though, she was sleeping. He has occupied the same bedroom and although the rooms were fairly alive with the lnalodor- ous stench from the decomposed body, the woman would undoubtedly have been there yet had she not been discovered to-day by the owner of the house, Mrs Catherine Ney, and one of her neighbors, Mrs John Lynch.
 The woman, who was over 50 years l of age, had been ailing for some time. The last seen of her was a week ago ] Saturday when MT Morris paid a vis- Tit to the house.
 It seems that some weeks ago she went into a sleeping spell which last ed two days and when she closed her eyes a few days ago, her husband claims that he thought she was of on another sleep. He says that she had been sleeping the past three days and nights during which time she was undoubtedly dead.
 Thierbech and his wife lived in a basement and his landlord, Mrs Ney, resided upstairs. When she or any I of the other of the neighbors asked him lately how his wife was faring he replied "She is sleeping finely. She has not stirred now for few I days"
 Yesterday Mrs John Lynch who lives next door, took bowl of soup into the Thierbech home. The woman was in bed and as Mrs Lynch believ- ed she was asleep, she din dot dis turb her. Later in the day Thierbech said to Mrs Lynch that he thought the soup would do his wife lot of good and asked for another bowl of it.
 This morning when Thierbech came out in his yard Mrs Ney and Mrs Lynch asked him how his wife was getting on.
 "She is still sleeping" he replied, ''and during the night she did not as much as budge."
 Later in the morning Mrs Ney having, suspicion. that something might be wrong, downstairs, accom- panied by Mrs Lynch went into the basement occupied by the Thierbechs. The odor whica they encountered was awful.
 Shooing away the mess of flies that were around the bed, Mrs Lynch turned back the bed clothes as Mrs Thierbech was entirely covered with the sheets and quilts.
 ''I will never forget it as long as live," said. Mrs Lynch to Democrat reporter. "The face we saw when We I turned down the sheets. There was Mrs Thierbech her face entirely black, dead and her whole body rot ting away"
 Superintendent Norris was imme- diately notified and hastened to the house after notifying Medical Ex- | SlduCs DCpulg SOiohNl Walter D. Makepeace was also noti- fled. Dr Thomas B. Parker, who was in the neighborhood, was also called in and all seemed to be of the opinion that the woman was dead three or four days.
 | Although the face was decom- posed more than any other part of the body, still all of 1t was in such shape that the doctors pronounced it one of the worst cases they had | ever seen.
 When reporter of the Democrat entered with Mir Morris on a couch in the kitchen lay MT Thierbech calmly smoking pipe. He said there was nothing which led him to believe his was dead and stated that she was accustomed to taking | long "snoozes. According to him l the odor in the house, it was a lit- tie stuffy place with two rooms, was i the same as always. He did not seem 10 scarcely realize it when told that his wife was dead.
 Mrs Ney, In whose house the Thierbechs have lived 10 years, said the man was very peculiar. Dur ing the hottest weather he always. kept his windows closed and only few weeks ago he and his wife would have undoubtedly smothered had not gone don and broken in through window. One night he fell out of bed and he lay on the floor almost an entire day. I went down but could open neither door nor window. so at length I smashed a windo wto get in. He and his wife were in half smothered con- dition at that time.
 Less than a month ago Mrs Thier- bech took some kind of a spell and was unconscious for two days. II notified Mir Morris at the time and the doctors brought her out all right.
 The woman. would have been down there yet had not Mrs Lynch and myself become suspicious to- day that everything was not right.
 Medical Examiner Crane said this afternoon that in his opinion the woman has been dead a week. He stated that he does not think that any action will be brought against Thierbech, who appears to be somewhat demented.
 The Thierhechs have resided in the vicinity of Baldwin street for the past 25 years. For a number of years Thierbech was employed at Benedict & Burnham's. but of lafe has been doing nothing. He and his wife had been receiving help from the charity department and of re- cent years had been in hard eircgm- stances.