New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-24
Continued from page |

ny MISS HELEN DUN.
Mrs. Heilner and MIR. Heilner, who is
president of the Princess Corset Com
pany. in Manhattan, are very patrotlc
Germans. They sympathize keeniy
with the poor sailors and other reserV-
lists tied up here in New YORK through
the inability of their ships TO leave
port and decided about a week ago
that another way Of helping the Fa-
therland would be By giving work to
one Of these men.
The only question was. what they
could do with one. and Mrs. Heilner
suggested that as she was an Invalid.
man used 10 waiting on tables and
that sort of thing would be useful 80
they went TO the Rev. Max Pinkert, OF
the Seamen's Institute, Manhattan, and
asked that some worthy fellow of that
description be sent them. lie sent
Joseph.
In the household besides Mr.. Heilner
and his wife we're their nephew. Paul
Vogel. and his friend. Carl Lohse. !
have been here for few weeks with
Mrs. Heilner, who is an old friend
while | was waiting to get a position.
| was a sort Of n companion to her.
Joseph proved to be wonderful ser
want. tie knew how 10 DO everything
and he was, on, so anxious 10 please
He was so good ! think Mrs. Heilner
must have suspected something was
wrong with him. only this morning
she said. after he had served her
breakfast i'm her room. II wonder what
the matter is with that fellow; he's so
good a servant. TO be dependent on a
place like this" Il was not as though
he were unable 10 speak English. lie
spoke it as good as you or ], and ms
German was perfect.
He told us he had been steward on
German lines. and that his last place
he lost when the Nsterland WAS COM
PEELED to tie up TO her pier. The com
pany takes care Of the men, but pays
them little, and he preferred TO be
ashore, where he could do little bet
ter. His story and the recommendation
of the Seaman's Institute pastor was
all anybody could ask. There was no
reason 10 think it was not straight
and that he was anything but decent
young fellow in hard luck.
This morning everything was as
usual in the house when | left at
twenty minutes TO 9. Mrs. Heilner was
iu her room and Joseph was working
about the house. As | left he asked
me if was coming back before din
ner. | told him did not think I would.
( II was odd for him to ask that. He'd
never questioned me that way before.
After ] left | thought it was funny.
About twenty minutes 70 II l
thought | would telephone the house
and sec if Mrs. Heilner wanted any
thing. ! sort of had a feeling that
something was wrong. ! suppose 1t was
what boy who plays poker would call
.hunch." SO telephoned from New
kirk Avenue Joseph answered the
phone. Mrs. Heilner, he said, was
/ visiting next door. asked him 20 call
her, and he left the instrument.
Her Suspicion Is Aroused.
/ He came back III few moments and
| said she wished him TO take the mes
sage. | told him there wasn't any. ne
asked if l was coming home, and |
said no.
Now. Mrs. Yeilner was too sick to
leave the house alone. ! was sure by
This time that something was wrong
and | got back here as fast as a car
would bring me. got here just as the
J Whistles were blowing Near the house
4 | spied Joseph walking toward Fifth
4 Avenue. Ordinarily he would have
spoken to me, ard called to him, ask
ing where he was going.
"Home,' said he. lighting ciga-
rctte and proceeding on his way. lie
seemed in hurry something unusual
/ for him-and he wasn't as courteous
as usual. | also noticed that he had
p different collar on from what he
/ usually wore, and r. small package the
| size Of shoe box under his arm.
As | went up the steps | noticed
/ that the curtains in the front windo =
/ had been changed about, so that one
| inside could have a clear view to the
/ corner. 1t may have been nerves, but
/ | thought heard a groan. The front
door | found locked. So, too, was the
/ back door, and there was no answer
/ to the bell Then ! went to Mrs. Weav-
er's, next door, where he sald Mrs
/ Heiiner was, and had her phone. We
got no answer. ] knew then tnat some
! thing terrible had happened.
In the yard was German boy
named Franz. asked him to climb into
the house through window. lie
climbed ND and looked into the kitch-
en-, and dropped back white as ghost.
"There's somebody lying in there
with a bloody cloth half over them;
he said. IL wouldn't go in there for al!
the money in the world.
Then we telephoned for the police;
Patrolman Gustave Blessnan came ana
broke in a front window and opened
the door to let me and another police
man in. We found Mrs. Heilner lying
across the threshold of the little
pantry. Her face and waist were COW
cred with blood and there was rope
tied around her throat. A doctor from
the Kings County Hospital came at
that time and he cut the rope off.
They tried TO bring her TO, but she was
dead, all right.
Earrings Torn Out.
There is no doubt that she was dead
or dying when | 'phoned. He had bat
ted her over the front Of the head
with a lager beer bottle, and then.
suppose, to make sure that she would
not wake up and make an outcry. he
put the rope around her neck. 1t was
tied so tight. the doctors said, he had
broken her Adams apple.
Her earrings the fellow had ripped
from her ears. They were little pearl
things, set with chip diamonds. the
kind you screw in your ears. He also
ripped her rings, diamond and emer-
aid "pinky"-little finger ring, you
know-her wedding ring and two small
turquoise rings, from her fingers. SO
far as | know, he got no money. But
! don't know.