The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-26
SHOOTS HIS WIFE,
SOLDIER AND SELF
Bertram r. Ripley of Newark
Believed Crazed by Sight
Of Uniform.
DIES FOUR HOURS LATER
Father of Three at 45, He
Worried Over Being Thought
a Stacker.

Bertram II. Ripley. Princeton gradu-
ate. one time amateur bicycle champion
OF New Jersey and member OF well
known Newark family. shot his wife, his
brothers stepson. Sergeant Maitland
| Petre of the Marine Corps. and himself
| in the home OF his mother-ln-law. Mre.
Marion Doremus. % Lincoln avenue,
Newark just after the three had break
tasted cheerfully together yesterday
morning. Ripley died In the Presby-
terrain Hospital four hours later The
two others are seriously wounded. but
may recover
Ripley had the delusion that ne was
a Stacker because he had not gone to
war. although he had wife and three
children and was II years old. He had
been under a doctors care several
months. The accepted explanation OF the
shooting Is that homicldal mania was
} produced In his already unbalanced mind
by the sight OF Sergeant Petre's uniform
The case is so recorded by the police and
the Essex County Medical Examiner.
Shot Wife as She Ran.
| Mrs. Doremus. three servants, the
| three Ripley children and their nurse
were in tho Lincoln avenue residence.
but none of them saw what happened,
Petre was sitting In the library reading
a letter from his mother The bullet
entered his abdomen.
| Mrs, Ripley. who had been reading a
morning paper in the library. was run
ming through the dining room to get
away when her husband overlook her
and shot her in the left breast Ripley
then returned TO the library, shot himself
through the head and fell in front OF
the fireplace. The children were up
stairs. Mrs. Doremus and the two SER
wants were in the kitchen. The man OF
all work was in the basement.
Bertram Ripley's grandfather. David
Ripley. established the David Ripley &
Sons Lumber Company in Newark. His
father, Charles Ripley. who died sew
eral years ago. left most OF the estate
to Bertram and his brother. Dr. Charles
Ripley OF Point Pleasant. y. j. step
father of Sergeant retre. The lumber
business is now carried on by William
u. and Wainwright Ripley, cousins o.
| Bertram.
near the village OF Newfoundland, Nor
ris country, y. J. He and his family
have lived there In the summer and
have passed their winters with Mrs
Doremus In Newark. The Doremus
home is a fine old fashioned residenc.
In the Woodside section. Mrs. Doremus
is the widow of Wilbur Doremus, a
hardware merchant Her daughter
Bertram Ripieys wife, is 80 years old
Sergeant Petre is 81.
Petre is stationed at Paris Island
S. c. At the invitation o. Bertran
Ripley, who was a big, attractive mar
with many friends, of whom he hao
seen little OF late. Petre was passlnl
part Of a leave OF absence In the bore
nus home, He arrived on Tuesday. or
Friday night he and the RIpeys wen
| to the theatre. Yesterday morning thei,
talk at breakfast was OF the play the!
had seen. Ripley seemed TO he all right
wife's Lung Probably Puncturcd
When Detective Sergeants William
Arnold and Peter @. Ulrich got to thu
house half an hour after the shootins
, they found the revolver on the library
mantelpiece. Petre was doubled UP II
, an arm chair suffering such pain tina
ne said to UlriCh: WHY didn't he shoe
me in the head"
The three wounded persons were taker
to tho Presbyterian Hospital. where Rip
I; ley died at IL 40 + NJ The bullet ha'
+ entered his left temple and emerge,
through the right side of his head Mrs
Rirley's left lung apparently was pune
tured.
Mrs Doremus said that when the draf
age limit was raised TO 45 years no
son-iu-law worried all the time. X
= couldn't make UP his mind whether hi
duty to the country or his children wa
/ greater. After a walk he frequent,
. came in ana said people were taking hin
for n Stacker. although th's was not TIL
r case.
II think the sight of Maitland Petr
I in his uniform unbalanced Bertram,
Mrs. Doremus said, 81 had seen hin
looking strangely az the hoy and hi
. actions had not been normal There wa
o no family disagreement OF any kind
. They were all very happy together"
Or. g. II Randall o: $50 Third avenue
! Newark. the Doremus family physician
said that Riplcys mind Rad not bee
! right for six months but that his condi
ton had not been regarded as daugerou.
. The three children OF the Ripleys ar
Wilber;a, Il years old David. ., an