Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-11
Death Of Aged Musician Reveals
Presence Of Mysterious
Prisoner.
FEW KNEW She EXISTED
Had Never Left the Room Alone,
According to Housekeeper,
Who Thought Her Pro
fessor's Wife.

New York. April S.--Louis c. Parma, an
aged musician, director of the New York
conservatory of Music in Harlem, died
suddenly to-day, evidently from natural
causes but under circumstances which
puzzled the authorities. His body, in
which life had been extinct ror
IL hours. according to hospital physi-
clan was discovered at the conservatory
In room, the door of which was locked
md had to be broken open, and in which
was found a woman whom the physician
pronounced to be suffering from a mental
strain and who was later taken to Belle
vue hospital for observation. Her iden-
tity was not Immediately established.
Parma's death. Coroner Hellenstein said
was due to cerebral hemorrhage and acute
nephritis.
attention of occupants of the buildiag
was attracted to the directors room by
1eals of hystercal laughter issuing from
II. When the door was broken In the body
IF the musical director was on a bed in
the center of a floor Uttered with paper
and clothing The aged man had appar-
entity collapsed and expired while seated
1t the side Of the bed.
Beside the body on the bed sat the hys-
her shoulders and she was talking inco-
tai she confined to talk disconnectedly and
failed to make her identity known.
WOMAN WAS A PRISONER.
Mystery in the case deepened as inquir-
les as to the identity of the woman In the
case were prosecuted. To the house,
keeper at the Conservatory she was
known as the woman of mystery" She
had lived for years at the Conservatory
and was always believed by Mrs. Mary
clinton. the housekeeper. the latter said,
to be the professors wife. They rarely
appeared in public together. she added.
and the woman, to the best Of her knowl-
edge had never left the room alone, be-
ing virtually a prisoner, 1t appeared Cor
oner Helenstein said he had beeen in
formed that during the eight years the
musician had occupied the house the
woman had been his companion.
Mrs. Clinton, who made the discovery
of the professors dead body. gave a
vivid description Of the scene in the room
OF death. The chamber was in fearful
disorder, she said. The center Of the
floor was blood stained and on the bed
With his head in his hands sat the pro-
fcssor. dead. The woman Of Mystery"
WAS moaning and attempting to talk
Several times she was heard to say: Il
can't eat eggs to-day. They will be good
tomorrow"
AIR IN ROOM TERRIBLE.
The air i'll the room was such that
the housekeeper was almost faint before
she could get a window open. Then
she called a physician.
Several other rooms in the house we're
rented, but the other tenants knew little
of the old professor, who came to them
only when rent was due. They knew
nothing about a black-haired. sunken-
checked young woman, who occasionally
was seen peering through the windows
Of the front room on the second floor.
or walking with Parma at night. Nor
did the $50 pupils OF Parma know any
thing about this woman. That he had
"A secret in the house only Mrs. Clinton
was aware.
According to an informant Of the cor
oner. Professor Parma was worth $4,000
He had frequently boosted of being q
pupil Of Francis Liszt.