New-York tribune., 1910-07-12
WOMAN A PRISONER
OF MANIAC HUSBAND
Three Days of Torture Under
Constant Menace of Death for
sign Painters Wife.
WITHOUT A M0RSEL TO EAT
Overcome by Sleep, Man at Last
Gives Chance of Escape
-Hurries to Family
Doctor.

A woman was held prisoner in her
own fat for three days and nights and
hourly threatened with death by sleep
less husband. according to Dr. Charles
H Goldsmith. of No. 1929 Madison ave-
nue.. who told the story last night, when
he took the husband. William H. Whit
nev, sixty-five years old. of No. So East
Ssth street, to Bellevue Hospital and
had him committed to the psychopath1c
ward.
The doctor said that Mrs. Whitney
esca ned from her home on the third
floor of the East 8Sth street house by
climbing from the fire escape to the
roof. and she was then at his office, a
nervous wreck from her terrible expert
ence. Whitney. he declared. was suffer
ing from a mental strain, a victim of
Daresis. he believed
The physician said he was called to his
office door about II o'clock last night
and there found Mrs Whitney in a state
of collapse. When she recovered she
told him that she had just escaped from
her home, after being kept prisoner
for three days and nights by her hus-
hand. a sign painter in the employ Of the
Park Department.
Terrible Vigil Commences.
On Saturday morning Whitney had
told her that he was tired of life and in
tended ending his own and hers. He
bade her keep away from the windows
and doors. and then after he had care
fully locked and bolted every means of
egress the terrible vigil commenced The
wife waited hour after hour in the ex
pectation that the sign painter would
fall asleep, and again and again, when
he appeared TO doze, she started to
creep toward the hall door.
But on these occasions he forestaIled
her by suddenly becoming alert. Then
repetitions of the death threats would be
made and the horror of the situation
continued to grow.
DR.. Goldsmith said that Mrs. Whitney
was too weak and frightened to give d
concise and coherent statement of all
that occurred, and he said he doubted if
she could recall all the various moves
made in the apartment during the three
days and nights, but he said that it was
more than probable that the woman
tasted the greater part of the time from
sheer terror.
Not until late last night did the hus
band fall asleep, and then for a long
time, he said. Mrs. Whitney feared it
was merely feigned Slumber- Finally
she became desperate through fear and
inch by inch crept to the front room of
the apartment Slowly and cautiously
she worked the catch on one of the
windows, and then raised the sash a
little way at time. Shivering with
apprehension she gained the fire escape,
and then climbed the remaining two
stories to the roof. She reached the
street by descending through the scuttle
on the roof of an adjoining house and
sta ggered 10 the office of Dr. Goldsmith
The physician said that as soon as he
had rallied Mrs Whitney he hurried to
the Whitney home. After ringing the
bell and pounding on the door for nearly
ten minutes he heard the sign painters
voice inquiring as 10 who desired admis-
sion.
The doctor said that it took a long
time to persuade the old man to open
the door. Not until the physician had
informed him that he had brought a
bowl of mutton broth did the sign
painter unlock the door.
Then followed another long period of
nersuasion, but DR. Goldsmith said that
he eventually induced him to join him
in a taxicab ride in search of mutton
broth his favorite broth. The transfer
to Bellevue was then quickly made.