Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 247, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1914 — Cales of GOTHAM and other CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Cales of GOTHAM and other CITIES

Woman Mourns Pet Tortoise, Strangled to Death

NEW YORK,—At Bretton hall an elderly woman has resided for several years. She never leaves her apartment, except for a daily ride in the park. At three o’clock each afternoon, the weather permitting, her victoria

is announced, and shortly thereafter she may be seen with her maid emerging from the elevator and making her way through the Eighty-sixth street entrance of the hotel to her carriage. All of her business with the hotel office is carried on by means of the maid. Returning from her drive the other day, she went directly to her apartment, as usual. A few minutes later a negro bellboy came tearing madly down the back stairs to the desk.

“Send Doctor Johftsing, quick, dair's sumbody daid. De lady’s up in de hall wrlngin’ her hands an’ de maid’s wus’n her!’’ The room clerk immediately summoned the house physician, and hurried to investigate. He found the elderly woman standing by her bed and weeping violently. On the bed, lying on a silk sofa pillow, were the mortal remains of a small tortoise. In came the bellboy with the physician and the hotel manager. “Oh, doctor! The poor little thing is dead, and I alone am to blame,” the owner of the departed reptile exclaimed. "Instead of placing him in his cage when I went out, as I usually do, I left him sleeping on his pillow, not thinking he might wake up and become restless in my absence. When I returned I found him over under the dresser dead. Do you think some one could have killed my pet?” Stepping over to the bed and taking up the tortoise, the physician ex* amlned it carefully. “Madame,” he replied, “I am no veterinary surgeon, but if I am not mistaken this tortoise in crawling along the floor in your absence has inhaled nap from the carpet, which has lodged in its windpipe and caused strangulation. There are no marks of violence on its body." This post-mortem explanation caused another outburst of weeping from the grieving woman, and, taking advantage of the opportunity, all of the men left the apartment and closed the outer door softly behind them.