New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-05
FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED
AFTER WONAN'S DEATH
Friends Appeal to Pastor When
Officials Drop the Case as
Accidental.
EARL ,EH ROBBERY RECALLED
Church Funds Again Missing
Dying Woman Found in Cellar
of Greenwich Village Home
by Blind Stepson.

The death Of Mrs. Lillian McConville'
q No. 81 Washington Place, at St VIM
cents Hospital on "Wednesday night
twentv-four hours after she had been
.so.,nd with a fractured skull at the foot
of a dark stairway leading from the
Kitchen 10 the cellar in her home, oc-
r<u-red under suspicious circumstances.
(which evidently the Coroner's office or
the notice ha6 taken no active measures
RIO clear up.
From both Of these official sources the
death was reported accidental,
based, apparently, on the few surface
facts learned at the time she was found
in a dying condition. An inquest con-
Quoted by Dr. t D. Leblanc, Coroner
physician, at ST Vincent's Hospital
yesterday disclosed nothing further
Friends and neighbors of the dead
woman were much exercised about the
case yesterday, and some Of them went
TO the Rev. Raymond Coutant. assistant
<pastor of the Metropolitan Temple, at
Seventh avenue and 18th street, or
which Mrs. McConeille was member,
and expressed the belief that she may
nave met Will IOdl play
Robbed Three Weeks Ago.
It was known that some one had
sente-ed the McConville home about three
weeks ago. while the family were away
and Ind stolen a small sum Of money
which Mrs. McConville had collected to
he rsed for mission work by the women's
society of the Temple, in which the dead
woman vas much interested
Mem bers of her family said yesterday
that the money she had collected since
that time for the same purpose could not
he found in the house after her oeath'
and that her purse was also missing
from the place in which she usually
kent il. q table drawer in the dining
broom.
She had paid the rent to the agent for
the house on Tuesday forenoon, and II
ienv persons had entered the place that
AFTERNOON for the purpose Of robbery 1t
is thought they might have known of
the added savings for the rent, and
planned 10 get that, too
Mrs. McConville lived on the first floor
.of the four story brick house with her
husband, their four-year-old boy, DAVID,
and a blind stepson, Charlie who is a
foreman in the Workshop for the Blind,
at No. 147 East 42d street Mr.. Nc
Conville is baggage master for the Peo-
tple's Line 10 Albany, and works at the
con1pany's pier
No Reason to Visit Cellar.
While the husband ard stepson were
. ,snclined TO think yesterday that Mrs.
h :McConville fell down the dark stair
way. they were at loss to explain why
,she may have attempted TO go into the
cellar. They said the family kept moth
ing down there, and they never knew of
her going down before. She was an ex-
&ceptionally large woman. they said,
weighing $40 pounds. and II would have
been difficult for her to get through the
marrow door at the head OF the stairs.
especially as it opened only part way on
account Of a large ice chest in the hall
near by.
Mrs McConville was alone IN the
house Tuesday with the fouryear-old
,boy. She was a woman Of cheerful dis
.position and devout religious tendencies,
and was we'll liked by the neighbors.
Some of them heard her singing in her
kitchen early in the afternoon, and saw
her in the back yard, which can be en-
tered directly from the kitchen. Her
blind stepson found her huodled at the
bottom of the stairs when he came home
from work He told about it vester-
day. with tears in his sightless eyes and
a break in his voice.
Blind Stepson's Story.
Il work every day in the Workshop
for the Blind he said, and came home
a little later than usual on Tuesday
night. about a quarter of six. / called
my mother as entered the house but
she did not answer. Then / went 10
her room and found the door locked as
she usually leaves it when she is work
'tng downstairs. AS / returned to the
kitchen / heard groans coming from
where / knew the cellar stairway TO be
! called my little brother David, and
asked him to look down the stairs and
see what il was, for I can't see. you
know. He WAS afraid and wouldn't
do il.
Then l CROPPED my way down the
steps very carefully, and the first thing
] came in contact with was my mothers
head 1 knew her hair, and 1 could