Catoctin clarion., 1917-08-02
Ends Life When Wife
Leaves City.
MOtOrman Finds Letter From
Another Man.

"Intercepting letter OH Friday ad-
dressed to his wife, Joseph Henry Bitt-
ner, aged 26, of 624 East Twenty-eighth
street, found that there was another
man in her life and he brooded over this
so much that yesterday he swallowed
several bichloride of mercury tablets and
died.
"Bittner, who had only been married
six MONTHS, it is alleged, had quarrel
with his wife on Wednesday. Thursday
she went to Emmitsburg, Md, to pay a
friend visit. The day after she left, a
letter came for her from Thurmont and
upon opening it Bittner read the follow
ing:
Dearest Helen: | want more than
ever to see you. dear. No one shall know
of your little visit for want you in the
cool and quiet of my little home all alone,
and with our Audrey. Come the first
chance you can. Don't think of "fuss-
ing up" for I want you. Meet me at the
early train as | will have a longer day
with you. Fond and devoted,
Your true blue,
WEE WEE
"The letter prayed on Bittner's mind.
Yesterday morning he got through his
work on a York road car, of which he
was motorman, and went home and sat
down on the front steps. Another motor
man, Robert Wissman, who lives on st.
AIMS street, passed by the house, and
Bittner, thinking moving-picture show
would ease his mind, started on his way
down to picture paror with Wissman.
On the way Wissman stated that Bitt-
ner stopped in drug store and bought
bottle of some kind of tablets.
'In a moving picture place on East
Baltimore street, Bittner started to take
the tablets, but Wissman threw them
out of his hand. Bittner, however, took
some few minutes later, and Wissman,
upon finding this out, led Bittner to the
street. A cousin of Bittner's, John j.
McCubbin, 93l East Eager street, hap
pened to pass by the place in an auto
mobile truck and Immediately took him
to the University Hospital for Bittner
was i'll. Efforts to save the life of Bitt-
ner failed and he died early yesterday
afternoon.
The above article was published in the
Baltimore American last Sunday, the
reporter evidently guessing when max
ing the statement that there was an
other man IN her life'.
The fact that the letter was from Thur
mont caused no little curiosity, and upon
inquiry we learn the following:
First, it is stated that Mr.. and Mrs.
Bittner's married life was not very con-
genial, and that conditions became such
that Mrs. Bittner's mother went to Bal
timore and took daughter and baby to
her home at Four Points, near Emmits
burg, husband and wife parting without
words.
The letter as published is not the letter
as written by the supposed man. The
letter was written by Miss Marie Eyler
of Thurmont, who for some years has
been teaching public school at Four Points
and has known Mrs. Bittner all during
that time, the latter, before marriage,
being Miss Helen Harner. The letter
was an answer to one written to Miss
Eyler by Mrs. Bittner, and an invitation
for the latter to spend Sunday at Miss
Eyler's home.
For many years Miss Eyler has been
known as "Wee Wee" to her friends,
and she in writing used the same as a
signature to her letters and postcards.
Mrs. Bittner is now at the home Of
her parents at Four Points, and when
told of the above letter was much sur
prised that such report should have been
published