The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-19
THREE WOMEN MMURED
IN DARK FLAT TWO YEARS
Demented Mother Keeps Daughters Half Starved in
Squalor in Brooklyn Until Children's Society Agents
Take All to Hospital-Husband Left Food at Door.

but ut last slipped back an inside bolt
and the Investigators entered.
A strange looking little woman rom
fronted them. On her head she wore
several night caps and two sunboinets.
She was padded with clothing until she
looked like a ball.
"Oh, don't let "A draucht of air touch
me- she cried. 81 will die"
Some one lighted a match and found
a gas burner whicl, worked. In chairs
before "A table-the only furniture in the
room-sat two living skeletons. notion
less and only the lustr.less eyes showing
them to he alive. They wore calico
dresses soiled beyond all description,
and about their shoulders fell mar
which later was cut off as beyond all
saving. Thu two did not notice the en-
trance Of the party. or at least gave no
sign. 1t would not ave been known
that they had noticed anything II one
had not suddenly repeated AS "A chhd
recites a lesson DO not make our
mother nervous--shs will die" The
other repeated the same words.
All Light E%xcIudrd.
Investigation showed that NO. a ray
OF light came into the apartment at any
time. The outside shutters were tightly
closed. over the windows oil the inside
had been pasted o u layers OF news
papers and the windows were curtained
heavily after that. Every keyhole was
stuffed with paper and under the doors
were more papers.
only two rooms Of the apartment were
ever used-the dining room and Kitchen
with bath adjoining. There were boxes
OF furniture in every room unopened
cots and beds covered with a TWO inch
layer Of dust no bed clothing visible
In the kitchen was "A gas range on the
Goa stove and In the bathtub was piled
rubbish.
When the ambulance came from the
Bushwick Hospital the mother. who IL
physically the strongest of the three,
protested volubly thai she would die.
The daughters. who had to he carried
could only repeat their parrotl!ke re-
quest
With his wife and the s~tepdaughters
In the hospital. efforts We're made To- ge'
the details of the case from the husband
lie could tell little. lie had married
twelve years ago. Mrs. Nall was =
widow with three daughters, the eldest
married and adopted 10y her grand
mother. His wife had been taken IL
some years ago with diphtherid AND
scarlet fever and a little later asserted
that she could not stand a draught and
NhaN ili''''''e 'h"'' 49, 'N
nervous.
Were his stepdaughters all right
mentally? he vas asked.
He was sure they were. he said, as the
youngest had been graduated from the
public schools about four years & and
the older one two years before that.
Halls wife had told him that ii wa
necessary for her to stay indoors whei
they moved two years ago from noth't
part OF Brooh yn. A. he had to GO &c
work Hall went to live with a niece
lie could never learn how this three
women were getting on, because when he
started to ask questions his wife woulc
always say that he wanted to kill her
lie had paid the rent promptly and
brought what food his wife demanded.
The married daughter was found yes
terday by the police, but could not heli
them. She had been raised by hci
grandmother. but up to two years ag,
saw her sisters 4: :!:rcs. She had tr.ct
to see them since. but her mother always
told her not 10 come when she wrote, AZ
they were Just moving
Al the hospita! last night IL wa.
thought the young women would recover