The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-24
MUSIC TEACHER
ACCUSES RITTER
OF BRUTAL ACTS
Mrs. Lavina Price Says She
Lent SaIoon-keeper $500,
Which He Refused to Repay.
FOUR CHAMBERS OF GUN
SHE USED FOUND EMPTY
Woman of Mystery Raves in
Hospital, and Doctors Fear
She Has Gone Insane.

Mrs Lavina Price, a young EngAHh
music teacher of good family and I'D. I,
usual beauty, attempted to kill herself
today under mysterious circumstances
In her apartment on the third floor of
the lodging house of Mrs. Ryan. 143
Green street She now lies in a critical
condition in st. James's Hospital with
a .32-calibre bullet wound in her right
side
Mrs. Price il now in raviug con-
dition in 50. Jsmes's Hospital. The
mother superior said today that she
feared TINT the girl has lost her uAant.
Her ssouua hns hseu bound uR an6
the bullet extracted. IT Is prebahle
TINT arranecmcnfs will be made 10
send her 10 the state insane Asylum
for observation as 20 her sanity.
Continually at the hospital the Wild
eyed young wonlan cried OHt; "Ritter
caused me to try suicide. II is all his
fault;'
Detectives from the Third Precinct
are conducting a searching exani
nation, which may reveal that Mrs
Price fired at some other person before
trying to end her own life. Four shots
were fired in all by Mrs. Price.
Frederick Ritter, the well-known
sporting man and saloon-keeper of 1924
Market street, is charged by Mrs. Price
in a statement made after she shot
herself with having caused her to seek
death.
Ritter Denies Owing Money.
Fred Ritter when seen by an EVEN
ING STAR reporter today. denied that
he owed Mrs. Price money, or that he
had agreed to pay her any amount OF
money. He said that he did not tell
her TO GO to England and that he had
received no letter from her mother
about his owing her money. 89@
Ritter would not say how he first met
Mrs. Price, but he said that he had
known her a long while. lie said that
he had given Mrs. Price a home at his
house, is Mt Prospect place and that
he used 10 90 to see her there. There
was no one else in the house.
Mrs. Price, he said, was in his sa
loon. 1121a Market street. Thursday and
created a disturbance. She always car
red revolver and on this occasion
took it out and laid it on tho table.
She wanted more money, he said.
When asked by Mrs. Ryan, who
found her staggering into the hallway,
why she had tried to commit suicide,
Mrs. Price said:
Admits Suicide Attempt.
81 tried to shoot myself on account
of Ritter. He has treated me terri
bly,"
| Mrs. Ryan made the declaration to
Plainclothesman Brex, of the Third
Precinct. in charge of the investigation
of the attempted suicide, that Mrs.
Price had told her both yesterday and
| today that she had loaned Ritter $500,
which he had refused to repay Mrs.
Price also declared, according to Mrs.
Ryan, that Ritter had written brutal
letters TO her in which he declined to
repay the money she claims she had
advanced TO him.
Mrs Price returned to this city from
England one week ago Friday. She
had sailed from New York five weeks
before tfat to visit her mother and two
young children at her mothers home,
at 20 Denmark road, harrisburg, Lon
don.
Return Unexpected.
The police have learned that Mrs.
Price is a widow. Her husband, an
| Englishman, was killed in railway
accident there five years ago Leaving
her two children with her mother, she
came to America. Several years ago
she became the housekeeper OF Fred
Ritter and continued in that capacity
until a few months ago.
From the statements of Mrs. Ryan
to Detective Sergeant Brex it is evil
dent that Mrs. Prices return to New
ark was unexpected by Ritter, and
was caused by his letters to her,
A peculiar feature about the shoot
ing was that Mrs. Price possessed a
silver-plated revolver and bonbon
box containing over fifty loaded cart
ridges.
Mrs. Ryan, who owns the lodging
house at 14S Green street, told the fol
lowing story about the shooting to an
EVENING STAR Reporter today.