The Washington times., 1908-06-08
.SHRIEKS Of SUICIDE
HAUNT HIS ILL WIFE
Mrs. Joseph Pospisiel Tells
of Trying Ordeal Before
Tragedy in Home.
MAD HUSBAND RAVED
FEARING OWN DEATH
Fired al Friends and Policemen
and Then Sent Bullet Into
His Brain.

Ills Brain.
| Because she remembers the manlaca
! laughter Of her husband and canno
/ blot from her mind the memory of hi
staring eyes while he held a crowd o.
4 600 persons at bay before committing
suicide, Mrs Joseph PospisleI is today
/ in danger OF losing her own reason.
! Her husband, after firing nearly fifty
! bullets al the crowd which had gath
cred IN front Of ms home ended tn,
scene yesterday morning by sitting oI
| the ledge Of a window IN the secon;
| story OF his home and pIttins a bulIe
through his right temple into hIs brain
| The end came after a six-hour scene
SO weird. 81 terrible and SO mad that
| It surpasses the glooU,iest thing ir
! Baudelaire and makes the unnatura
/ depression Of de Maupassant seen
/ trivial and small.
Suicide Follows Madness.
DR.. Joseph PospisieI. OF 635 Seventh
street northeast, killed himself aftel
having been mad since last Thursday
and after having been pursued by the
delusion that his felIOw-Maccabees
were plotting his death. When he shot
himself. he pitched out into space
striking on his knees on the bricks il
front Of his house.
So terrific was the impact with which
he struck that his knees broke the
bricks.
PespisieI killed himself after he had
/ ar fTt-UTs
who approached his front door, two po-
licemen who broke down his back door
two policemen who tried 10 approach
him from the adjoining house. and two
other friends who tried 10 persuade him
10 come down TO the street He shot
al all OF them. took few potshots at
the windows Of houses across the street,
and fired several times at the crowd
which was kept al 2 distance by the
police.
Wife With Him.
During the six hours Of his ragings,
his shooting at friends and officers. and
his attempts 20 Kill everybody outside
of his home, his wife was with MIN.
Today she is a nervous and physical
wreck. She shudders when those about
her raise their voices. and the slightest
noise makes her hystericaL
Gradually, trembling, weeping, she
told her story today of the awful six
hours she spent with her mad husband;
described Ter horror when his shTill,
uaniacaI laugh rang out, and spoke Of
his deIusion lhat his murder was pre-
ordained
7 did not see him die" she said.
Il LETT the house before he sat in the
window and fired the fatal shot. This
is the only thing for which I am thank
ful; that 1 did not see him die"
she drew closer to her three little
children, who stood near.
"Ah, what a night IL Was!" she shud-
dered He ragged up and down the
room, back ana forth, swearing that his
murder was inevitable, and declaring
that he would Kill before he was killed.
Her Place With Him.
strangely enough I was not fright
ened then, or rather 1 did not treIlble
for my own safety. Ny place seemed
to be where l was.
I crouched Ia a corner ia the dark
as he ran madly Up and down the room,
and waited for him to calm. For a
moment he seemed to be returning TO
his senses. He walked to where I was
and I suppose that I instinctively
shrank from him
Don't fear, Sittle WIFE said he, 1t
is not you I am going to hurt. You
have nothing to be afraid Of His
tone was gentle.
He suggested that the children be
passed out through the window TO our
neighbors, the FessendenS. We handed
them out, and with their going my hus-
band became once more bereft Of rea-
son.
"Once I sprang out and caught hin,
by the arm. I begged him to call the
police or seek protection among some
of the friends who had not turned
against him. He was obdurate He
said that his death was preordained and
nothing on earth could save him for
long.
Leaps From Noise.
"Once as he paced about the little
room a noise startled him. He leaned
to where I crouched, and, SELLING me
by the wrists. asked me II I heard n
I caught him by the coat sleeve and
tried TO calm him. but IL was a useless
task.
81 They're coming he yelled and
laughed. If I live through eternity
shall never be able 10 forget that hor-
Ilpi6 lldllAdGdl .lduBl. ne room was
dark and the laugh seemed fairly to
pierce me.
7 wonder now that I did not go mad
70 II. He was silent for a mo-
ment. and then that hideous wild. mad
laugh rang out again. II Ihust have
been heard outside. for the crowd was
stilled for a moment.
He walked before the window. and
! could hear a low, thunderous roar
from the mob outside as he made MS
appearance. He raised his arm and his
revolver spat brightly into the darkness.
There was cry outside and
thought somebody had been hit.
Mob Pleads With Maniac.
'"Then heard the voice of a man out
side pleading with my husband The
voice sounded strained with excitement
q" For Gods sake, PospisieI' cried the
voice, come down here to me before vo1I
commit murder Don't you know NE
I'm your friend
MY husband raised the hand holding
the revolver and uttered a shrek liiIe.
the maidened cry of a mortalIv wouud-
Cd beast.
+" You liar he screamed, you liar.
Get back, while you cant
kcaattnusa On TAirs naraD