The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-15
DOCTOR KILLED BY HIS WIFE
AM >HDT INV rs nv SLEPT
,ND THF\ HFRSIIF.
Nr. rn~odor- Burgtorf Was incurab',
H. and Drmrntrd h, Pain An>ious
10 pIr and Probably VIVA wrSte .
>,,r TO save Others From Suspicion.


>orr TO save Others From suspicion.
man unbalanced 10y her suff"rIngs
FROM .,u ncurshle dlseas. shot and killed
r.- land a. ne lay sleeping by her
40 carly Yesterday morning and then
-r.J - shots into her own body APP
,,r.n-.y IN. j. mort ally hurt She asked
N. -..rg,4,ns of Fordham Hospital not
.r.rar. saving that -h. wanted Ia
~
The, man k,lI-d was Dr Theodore Burg
,.rr H. and ms wife moved Ia "A frame
,hrs, story hous. at sSl East is3d street
..y.,-a. wears ago Mrs Burgtorf AT that
,.m., Ua- suffering from partial facial
rar,Iys,.. and although the doctor had
A fairly larg. practice IN West Seventh
.-r.., h. decided that tn" fresher air
o. The Brony would help his wife. With
,h.rr uv-d their son Adolph. who is -
years old and graduate Of the New York
p.u,al school and Or. Bnrgtorf's sis
TER Mimi"
III. vhvsicIan gave mp active practice.
although he displayed a sign IN the VIM
DIV and devoted his time 20 the care Of
his wife A specialist operated upon Mrs.
BurRrort with apparent success Sh.
grew worse again. however. and a year
a,o wro,a A note which Ihrsa- ened Vio-
l.nc. - h.-s..f and h.r family There
Ate n. wa~ watched carefully. for th.
family feared that the pain IN her head
was driving her insane. Another opera
NON was performed. hut four months
ago her aIlment returned
Adolph Bur g-orf w-nt downstairs early
Yesterday to prepare breakfast Al about
o'clock. when neither his father nor
mother appeared, h. knocked AT the door
e their room on III. second floor Tn.
door was locked There Was no response
to the young man calls
Adolph aroused his aunt and the two
tried 70 get into the bedroom through the
adjoining doctors office hu, that door
was also locked Adolph put his shoulder
~ the bedroom door and forced it open.
IN ,h. fioor half way To the door lay tn.
body Of his father The physician had
ha~n shot through the back In IN" bed
Law Mrs Burgtorf still conscious though
there was a bullet wound in the abdomen
and one IN the breast,
He Jumped out Of bed after | shot
HIM said Mr.. Burgtorf TO the dead man =
sister and then she became unconscious
NJ Burstorf's brother. DIR T.. August
Burg-orf Of SEQ Morris Park avenue. was
called in. as was DR.. Irwin Balloon Of
Webster and fremont avenues. Upon
Coroner Schwann.ck.'- arrival he took
the following letter. which had been found
IN me room where the shooting took
pIaca and which had been written 10y Mir
Burgrorf to her son:
Wv DEAR ADorPH ! want 10 write = t.w
line. :" no on. will he aroused of fhi~ terrible
act Z am going TO do cant thank papa
rn04gn for letting things pass "a YOU did
After YOU found that letter when your lives
acre m danger After had been Operated
and nai pain again bought the revolver.
which mad. me feel little more al ease
To Know that had a weapon IA Ease could
NOT -ndur. that I was in AT times
No one can imagain. how hard u - TO
conduct myself the way | have 10 prevent
fierce PAIN and u ia impossihl. that such a
ll.. ,au continue 80 made Up nay mind TO
end y before winter comes again III not
hope any more Of ever getting we'll ] hope
'a'ner out God knows 1 meant u well IL
.lI think here the writing IL blurred
-. IN papa = inst rument case. there
are some notes which wish Won TO read
The instrument case and several hand
rAss m the room were searched by the
Coroner. bu' he was unable 10 find any
Dut-~.
n the Fordham Hospital fh- bullet
va- removed from Mrs Burgtorf's abdp-
men She told Coroner . Physician Curtin
thar -ha got up from bed AZ about o. clock.
W.r' ~ the dresser. where sh.. kept her
revolver. and then returned To bed Her
husband was lying with his back toward
L.'- and she pressed the pistol against his
ra"s IN what she judged was the region
- ~ heart and fired The physician
,r-ang out Of bed. stumbled toward tn.
dsr and fell Then she turned the re-
tplver on herself
Bu- why did you shoot your husband2'
a-s"i III" doctor.
Z couldn't rest peacefully without him
: l0'"i MIN much that ! couldn't die
peacefully without him
Thsr she insisted that she he allowed TO
H. t"rself
" PIrgtorf was born in Germany
f'-v.Fy@ years ago. He was graduated
from \ medical college there. He was
redra advisor for several fratsrnal and
irr.ranc. societies. anon them the Royal
AroAnuru and the Physicians Mutual Aid
S00.o-v