The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-09
SUICIDES TALE
PROVES FALSE
j. 1. Palhowitz, Alleged Son
Of Millionaire, Found to Be
Boy Of Old Shoemaker.
GIRL STILL BELIEVES
Young People in Serious Condition
and Doctors Cannot Say Of
Their Chances.

New York, July s-The thrillingly
romantic story, with which youth who
said he was John l. Paltrowitz. son OF
Baltimore millionaire and Princeton
graduate, beguiled Miss Barbara Acker-
man. of l4S East Thirty-second Street.
Brooklyn, first into marriage under an
assumed name, and later into a suicide
pact by use of bichloride Of mercury
tablets. exploded completely tonight when
his father. Isaac Simonovitch, a shoe
maker Of Jersey City. confronted the boy
in the Englewood hospital.
The backbone of young Simonovitch
disappeared as IL he had left 1t on the
operating table First he tried by fax
ing a state of coma to avoid the ap-
pealing entreaties of his aged parent to
speak to me, my boy
But an explosive breath spoiled that,
SO the youth turned into pretended mani
acal rawlings that reverberated through
out the hospital until he was tied to his
cot and the father taken from the room.
Two minutes later he resumed his
natural attitude, but obstinately refused
to see his mother who was waiting, and
protested against any other persons who
knew of him being admitted.
Meanwhile, in the adjoining room. the
girl was creating a more lively scene by
an imposter and stoutly maintaining that
her husband" was just what he had
pretended to be all along.
You my father-in-law," she said
scornfully as she pointed accusingly at
the old shoemaker Of Jersey City.
why, you are nothing of the kind.
John is the son of a millionaire, who Is
trying to annul our marriage because
his boy has married me, a Christian.
don't want to talk to you"
Only Cares for Son.
The mother of Simonovitch was great
ly distressed when told that she could
not see her son in his present condition,
and that to attempt to converse with
him would only aggravate an already
critical condition from the mercurial
poisoning But when she was invited to
see her new daughter-in-law she rather
repaid the rebuke that Independent
young lady had given to old Mr.. Simon
ovitch by replying:
"Oh, her, 1 do not care about her; It
is my boy only that / came here to see.
Simonovitch and the young girl. who In
sists that she be called Mrs. Paltrowitz,
are both in a critical condition. They
swallowed one ~ grain tablet each Of the
bichloride of mercury about o'clock
elapre before the physicians will be able
to determine whether they have more
than an even chance with death.
Theau dacity of the seventeen-year-old
boy in convincing his young sweetheart
of the truth of his narrative Of million
aire father, a college career, large re-
mittances, and ample resources amazed
the authorities who had arrested the
couple for attempted suicide until this
evening when the truth began to come
through the maze.
Samuel Elfenbein, OF Jersey City, the
former employer of young Simonovitch.
identified the would-be suicide, and then
witnessed the first rawlings of the boy
who tried to get up in bed and was re-
strained and finally placed in straight
jacket The parents of the youth were
then summoned.
Tonight frcm Jersey City came the
further information that Simonovitch
who was employed until three weeks ago
as a 50 per week clerk for the Marine
Metal and Supply Company, had been
held to the grand jury for attempting TO
chloroform and rob Mrs. Mary Schulter,
a neighbor, last December.