The Washington herald., 1912-04-09
MANY CLAIM DEAD
MAN As HUSBAND
Police Uncover at Least Five
Women v no Say They
Wed w. j. Snyder.
MARY S. KARIN Is HELD

New York. April s-An amazing trail OF
amours that stretches across the conti-
nent and sometimes were carried on ST.
muItaneousIy in two or three widely sepa-
rated sections Of the country was uncov-
death of Walter J. Snyder. advertising
manager OF Sports Of the Times.
Snyder met his death Sunday in the
apartment occupied by himself and Mary
S Karn, Of MorristOwn, y. j.. known as
nue.. The woman declared that Snyder
had stabbed himself four times-once in
the heart-with a pair OF shears which
she held in her hand. She is held with
out bail in the TOmDs on a charge OF
homicide.
1t developed to-day that the dead mans
thirty-seven years had been crowded with
romance" He had been successively
jockey. race-traCk stout. bartender. fair
manager. gambler. and sporting writer.
and seems TO have possessed himself Of
a new wife" almost every year since he
reached maturity. That he had eXpe-
rienced trouble with at least one of the
women is evidenced by a remark made
by him a few weeks ago to a business
associate and repeated to-day to a de-
tective at work on the case.
THE whole country's been one grand
old valentine TO me-" laughed the sport
ing man. i've known and loved. and
perhaps been loved by every type of
woman God ever made. But I'm just
beginning to learn that they've got I'll
gers claws hidden away under their
soft kitten-like fur. And they don't
mind showing these claws to man
who's beginning to lose the vigOr of
youth. That's why I know that my Ca
reer as a heartbreaker will be over
when I am forty
Five known wives"
The names Of five of the women who
have been known as Mrs. Snyder" in
the past few years are:
Mary $. Karn. Of Morristown. who
cloped with Snyder. then a bartender in
a Morristown roadhouse. eight years
ago. Held for his murder.
Annie Tracey. daughter of a Baltimore
official said to have been legally married
by Snyder in 1903 Divorced him within a
few months.
Tdna Bush, a girl Of the Boston ten
derloin. who lived with Snyder in that
city several years ago his wife.
Bertha Yeager Snyder. of Detroit. who
eloped with the dead man six years ago
when he was secretary Of the Blue Rib
hon meetings in Detroit, believes she is
his legal widow and has retained at
torneys to fight for the estate. which she
says amounts to S25.0OO. She said to-day
that she would have killed Snyder had
she not lacked the nerve, and added that
she WAS coming TO New York to assist
Mary karn in her fight for life.
Trying to Find Flaws.
The police bent every effort to-day to
find flaws in the Karn woman's story.
! hysicians have attested that Snyder had
been dead fully eight hours before the
woman made any attempt to get medical
assistance. 1t was learned to-day that
the water in the bathtub in which the
body was found was warm when DR..
Roger T. O'Neill arrived.
One of the hallboys who had pre-
been summoned by Mrs. Sny-
der" said to-day that the warm water
had been turned on in his presence by
the woman. This is expected to prove
most damaging testimony against her
at the Coroner's inquest, set for April
IL.
Miss Karn was pEofrered assistance
to-day by her brother. Samuel, 4 grocer
Of Morristown. and her sister, Mrs. W
Ii. Clinedinst, relative by marriage of
the well-known Washington photoS-
rapher. Both are well to do.
Il am confident l will be released at
the inquest" said Miss Karn on her
way to the Tombs to-day.