Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-07
DOPE BLAMED BY POLICE
FOR SHOOTING OF WOMAN
Mrs. Jennie Burke and Husband
DIR. Herbert l. Burke, Alleged
to Be Drug Addicts


The sinister influence Of narcotic dr,..
the police say, played part in the shootIn,
early today OF Mrs. Jennie Burke. WIFI y.
DR. Herbert !. Burke, veterinary surgoo.
in their home, 53S North Thirteenth stss,a'
Mrs Burke Is dying at the HahnemanS
Hospital with bullet wound in ber r,uu.
side, while her husband is under arres, as
material witness The veterinarian H.
sists that one of two burglars shot his y,ts
but he has told so many conflicting store,
that the police are subjecting his actions
prior 70 the shooting to close scrutiny
At noon today George Macdonald min.
teen years old. of 1913 Mount Vernon stree,
was arrested In cigar store at Eighth ana
Vine streets by the police of the Tenth, ans
Buttonwood streets station, as he is said ~
answer the description of one of tho 49,
who the veterinarian says, was in the room,
BEFORE the prisoner reached tho police sta
ton word was received from the hospi,al
that Mrs Burke had only short time 70
live, and If the husband was TO he nresan,
when she died he should come AT onna
| The husband was taken to the hosptaI ~
Both Burke and his wife are alleged bv
| the police to he dope" fiends on 81
| tember l6, 1913, Burke pleaded guilty -
the accusation of having ihanufactured
opium and on September 26 of the sams
| year was fined $500 and sentenced to sor,.s
| SIX months in Moyamensing Prison. Tbs
office of Burke, 1t is said, has been raided
| several times by internal revenue oficers
in search of narcotic drugs.
| september ?, 1916. Burke was adiudyaa
| guilty of vending dope" and was Hned
| $50 by Judge Thompson in the Unites
| states District Court. In December tqts
| he was accused of larceny by Golden y
| Hartman 226i North Fifteenth street bu,
was acquitted of this charge.
Soon after the shooting of Mrs Rurr.
was reported, the police swooped down on
| the North Thirteenth street house and ar.
| rested Morris Goldberg twenty Years ola
| and Lena Goldberg. tyenty-one, wears ola
| alleged drug addicts. as material Witnesses
| IheE i've IN third-stOry front room AZ
| 53S North Thirteenth street The no,,os
also arrested Frank Kelly, alias "IrishS
| Kelly, and Buck Bailey, who reside at 13s,
| Mount Vernon street as SUSPECTS in The
| case The police say they are heron ad.
| diets.
According to Detective Mahoney. of Ctv
| Han, Bailey. two weeks ago attackea
| Doctor Burke with knife in a saloon
slashing the surgeon over the right eve
| Bailey was arrested, but the case was
| settled out Of court.
Kelly and Bailey were taken into custodv
on the supposition that revenge might bavo
figured in the shooting of Mrs. Burke Tho
| theory has also been advanced that the
shooting might have been done by drug.
| crazed men who were willing TO nav H.
| price in their efforts to obtain their fav.
| orite dope"
| According to Doctor Burke, two burpIars
gained entrance to the house at 5:55 m
through dining room window onenins
| INTO an alleyway. They made their 'vav
| TO second-story front bedroom where
| Doctor Burke said he and Mrs. Burke were
sleeping.
Doctor Burke said his wife was awakened
by noises and beheld two masked men moy
ing about the room in the early morning
| llght. She screamed and then, Burke said.
that one of the men drew revolver and
hred pointblank at her body. She lapsed
! INTO unconSciousness. Awakened by the
| pistol shot. Burke stated. he reached out
| to grasp his revolver, which he told the
| police was lying on a piano stool close to
| the bed. The two men. according TO his
story plhloned his arms and placed pistol
at his forehead telling him that n he made
| further trouble he would be shot One of
the men pocketcd Burkes revolver Burke
| says they took from him $50 i'm bills and A
diamond ring valued at $1,000 They also.
Burke said, snatched two diamond rings
from the fingers of Mrs Burke as she
| lay bleeding and unconscious in her he'd
Then after ransacking the office, they de-
parted.
Doctor Burke seized the telephone receiyer
and tried to get the police Immediately after
the burglars departed. but found the men
| had taken the precaution to cut the wires
In the meantime the Godbergs had heard
the pistol shot and they came rushing
downstairs The Goldbergs told the police
that they saw two men run down the front
stairs and through the front door One
of the men, they said had light hair,
and wore a light cap and dark clothes.
Mrs, Burke was taken to the hospital in
a wagon from the Tenth and Buttonwood
streets station. Examination of the wound
in her side established that the pistol had
been placed close to her body when the
shot was fired.