Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-23
SHOWS No.KrcREr.
A q. cropsey,IBAthr Beach, Cody
Shoots and Kills Wife. !

Now York. July 22-Andrew Bergen
rropsey, veterinary surgeon and land
sneculator, shot dead his wife Gertrude
yesterday afternoon in the old Cropsey
home No. 1749 Eighty fourth street,
path Beach, where he was born and
r,bere his family had lived for gener-
ot;ons. He remained in the room with
Tho body until he was arrested. He re-
fused to answer any questions until Z
o'clock last night, when he told the
nolice of the Bath Beach police sta
tion. where he was locked up, that he
had reason to believe that his wife had
been unfaithful.
letter, torn into minute fragments,
ras found in the bedroom where the
uourder was done. A vain effort was
made to piece it together. Cropsey
suhseauently said that the letter was
RESPONSIBLE for the killing; that his
wife had written it to another man and
made the mistake of putting it in an
envelope addressed to him. The letter,
no said sought to make an appoint
ment with a man at oyster Bay and so
;nfuriated him that he became half
crazed.
cumstances that led up to the murder
and professed to give the conversation
between himself and wife after he had
asked her to go with him to the spare
bedroom on the second floor to discuss
a business matter.
any wife and l had frequent dis
mics" said he, because of her wish TO
live the greater part of the time with
her sister, Mrs. Laura Josephs, and
her refusal to accompany me on my
trims. | travelled through the South
until five months ago when l went up
IN Cornell N. Y, and established
veterinary practice From there went
IN Bayonne and opened correspond
ence with my wife.
"On Sunday last she must have writ
ten severa! letters. Through some mis-
take she got the envelopes mixed and
sent me a letter which was not intend
ed I should receive. / got to the house
at midnight Monday but did not call
until the next day at II o'clock. My
wife was sitting on the veranda. l
asked her to 60 upstairs to the spare
room as l had something to say.
az would like you to go away with
me- said. You can sell the property
and we can go to Connecticut to live.
We are the gossip of the neighbour
hood and it would be better to leave
To this she replied that if any one
was to blame it was l. Go to COnnec-
ticnt she said, If you wish. l will care
for the children. A long time ago you
promised me that if ever l wanted a
divorce you would see that 1 got it,
"Ths so angered me that l was
about to strike her, but thought the
better Of il and took from my pocket
the letter l had received l accused
her of unfaithfuIness, which she de-
MED
81 then took the revolver from my
pocket and said: Maybe you don't
want to come with me. and maybe you
are right, but / intend to see that you
never become another mans Wife
Then | shot her"
Cropsey did rot explain where he
passed his time from midnight Monday
until yesterday afternoon, nor would
he offer any explanation as to why he
had destroyed the letter which he al
legged melted him to murder. He was
PERFECTLY cam anu cNpTtSSeu Ilo Ic-
greet for what he had done. Nor did he
go into details of the shooting.
An examination by the surgeon Of
the Coney Island Reception hospital
showed that the woman had been shot
twice Either bullet would have caused
death Both had entered the breast and
penetrated the lungs.
Mrs. Cropscys sister was on the
vcranda chatting with her when Crop
sey appeared. His two children. VIII
liam, four, and Herbert. one. were
playing on the lawn with Harry
Moore, an aged negro servant. Bella
Francis, the negro cook, was in the
Kitchen. The sound of the shots so tor
ricl all the women that they were
afraid to make any move until IL
neighbor came to their aid and called
Policeman ThraI, who arrested the
unrcsiStinG murderer
Cropscy is member of one of the
oldest families in the old town Of
New Utrecht