Terrible Quarrel Led Brother to Shoot Brother in the Pelhamville Train Station in 1880
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Charles Merritt, the station agent at the Pelhamville Station on Saturday, February 21, 1880, was the only eyewitness. He opened the doors of the station for business at 7:00 a.m. that day. Pelhamville resident Charles Barker was outside and entered the waiting room when Merritt opened the doors. The two men exchanged pleasantries and Merritt went into the station agent office to attend to the day's business. Within moments, Charles Barker's brother, Thomas Barker, entered the station.
The two brothers had been feuding for years. For a time, the two brothers lived near each other in Pelhamville. Thomas and Imogene Barker lived with Thomas's mother along with their children. Charles and his wife lived with their two children in their own home until his wife died. Thereafter, the two brothers essentially exchanged homes. The widower Charles and his two children moved into the mother's home. Thomas, Imogene, and their children moved out of the mother's home and into Charles's home, which they leased.
Thomas and Imogene experienced marital problems and Thomas Barker filed for a divorce. After filing for divorce, he moved to Manhattan where he worked and, essentially, abandoned his estranged wife and their children. Charles allowed Imogene and the children to continue to live in his former home while he remained in his mother's home. He also provided them financial support.
In the early stages of the divorce action, Thomas Barker accused his estranged wife of "criminal intimacy" (adultery) with his brother, Charles. Both Charles and Imogene denied the charge vigorously and both defended against the allegations in the divorce proceeding. According to one account, " Thomas was finally obliged to abandon the suit on account of his inability to substantiate the charge." Thomas had grown to hate his brother not only because he continued to believe the charges of adultery he had made, but also because Charles assisted Imogene in the divorce proceedings. The two brothers did not cross paths again until Saturday, February 21, 1880, when Thomas Barker walked into the waiting room of the Pelhamville Station to catch the 7:11 to New York City and stumbled upon his brother, Charles.
Seated in the station agent's office, Charlie Merritt suddenly heard Charles Barker call out "Charlie, come out here!" Merritt stepped out of the office to find the two brothers locked in a clinch as they fought one another in the waiting room. Merritt broke up the fight and separated the men. Charles Barker stood next to the coal burning stove at the rear of the station. Merritt escorted Thomas Barker to the front of the station.
As one might expect, accounts differ over what happened next. According to testimony of station agent Merritt, however, Thomas Barker pulled a revolver out of his pocket and pointed it at his brother. Merritt struggled with Thomas Barker for a moment in an attempt to disarm him to no avail. Thomas Barker pointed the pistol at his brother again and his brother, Charles, picked up the poker next to the coal burning stove, held it up and said "Put down your pistol and then I'll be a match for you." Charles then threw the poker at his brother "with the evident intention of disarming him." Thomas Barker kept the gun pointed at his brother and shouted "No! I've got a permit to carry a pistol and I'll use it."
Thomas Barker waited "a few seconds," then fired at his brother. The bullet struck Charles Barker in the "fleshy" part of the upper arm. As soon as the bullet struck, Charles Barker yelled to the station agent "Charlie, I'm shot; go for a doctor!"
The shooter, Thomas Barker, told the story quite differently than his brother and the station agent. He said that when he entered the station and saw his brother, his brother called him a scoundrel and said "I have you now, and I mean to kill you." According to Thomas Barker, he replied "I heard you had made threats to kill me before, but look out you don't attempt it."
According to Thomas Barker, his larger brother Charles then rushed him, struck him about the head with his fist, "then seized him around his neck and attempted to choke him." Thomas claimed that he finally succeeded in extricating himself from the grip of Charles, and cried out: "I'm armed, and if you strike me again I'll defend myself."
According to Thomas Barker, his brother next grabbed the iron poker, shouted an expletive, and shouted "I'll kill you" as he raised the poker to strike his brother. It was then, according to Thomas Barker, that he pulled out his revolver and fired the shot that struck his brother. After he fired, he claimed he exclaimed "You have ruined my home already, but I don't want to have my brother's blood on my head."
Though accounts of what happened differ, there was no dispute over what happened next. Merritt ran out of the station, ostensibly to get a doctor. As he did, the New York bound 7:11 arrived and he saw Thomas Barker exit the station and climb aboard the train. Merritt turned around and raced back to the station where he helped carry the wounded Charles Barker to the poor man's home.
One report says that Thomas Barker fled only as far as Williams Bridge but, not knowing his brother's true condition, decided to take a train back to New Rochelle where he consulted with his lawyer, Martin J. Keogh. In company with his counsel he started to surrender himself "but was met by a messenger from Pelhamville, who said that the injury to his brother was not so serious as was at first supposed the bullet having torn the flesh of one arm before reaching the body." Thomas Barker turned around again, and left for New York City where, that afternoon, he was arrested in the hardware store where he worked. He was taken before a Pelham Town Justice where he was charged with the shooting and sent to the White Plains Jail. Within a short time he was able to raise the bail which was set at $3,000.
Though at first the wound suffered by Charles Barker did not appear life threatening, doctors began probing for the bullet but could not extricate it. The wound became infected and Charles lapsed into critical condition. It did not appear the suffering man would make it. As the days passed, however, Charles improved and, indeed, survived the shooting.
During the first week of March a grand jury indicted Thomas Barker for criminal assault with intent to kill his brother Charles. Bail was reset at $10,000 and Barker was held to await trial. Research has not yet revealed the outcome of the trial, if one was held, but it seems clear that Thomas Barker led a productive life after the sad events with which he was involved (see below).
The wounded Charles Barker eventually recovered. He was a mason and contractor in the Pelhamville region who began investing his profits in local real estate. As Pelhamville grew and became the Village of North Pelham, Charles Barker's real estate holdings paid off handsomely. He was able to lease and sell a large amount of the land in the region around today's Fifth Avenue and Lincoln Avenue (a region once known as "Barker's Hill"). Charles Barker became a wealthy man and, indeed, acquired a profitable orange grove in Florida where he began to spend his winters.
In the meantime, due principally to the shooting by Thomas Barker, Imogene was able to obtain a divorce from her estranged husband and, several years later, did indeed marry the brother he had shot -- Charles Barker. This made for a very complicated set of family members. Imogene and Charles each had their own children, each of whom became the other's stepchildren. Though it is pure speculation, circumstantial evidence suggests that some of those offspring, as they grew older, seemed to side with Charles Barker and his version of what had happened in the Pelhamville Station shooting. At least one seemed to side with Thomas Barker or, at a minimum, became estranged from his mother, Imogene. Thus, feuding followed.
In 1906, for example, odd and scandalous rumors surfaced in Pelham that a local chauffeur's son claimed to be a child of Imogene Barker and that there likely was another such child named "Harry." The rumors were traced back to one of Imogene's own children who had become estranged from her years before. Claiming that the rumors were part of a "gigantic blackmail plot" against her, in October, 1906, Imogene returned to Pelham from Florida to battle the rumors.
Nearly four years later, Imogene's husband, Charles Barker, grew ill and wanted to return to North Pelham as he neared death. In his waning years he had transferred much of his North Pelham property to one of his stepsons, William Barker (one of the three sons of Imogene and her first husband, Thomas Barker). Upon his return to Pelham, Charles Barker was taken to the home of his stepson, Will.
Soon two of Charles Barkers sons (Dr. Charles A. Barker and Walter Barker, sons of Charles Barker and his first wife who died before he married Imogene) learned that he had returned. They asked to see their dying father.
Will Barker refused to let the two see Charles Barker. A large crowd soon collected in front of the house. Two village policemen were called. They dispersed the crowd, but could not help the Barker sons to get in to see their father. According to one news account: "It took sometime before the excitement was over, and it is said that William Barker applied to one of the justices of the town to be permitted to carry a pistol and keep the 'trespassers' off, as he calls his step-brothers."
What happened to Thomas Barker, the man who shot his brother on February 21, 1880? Research has not yet revealed whether the criminal charge against him was dropped or was prosecuted. According to an obituary, however, in about the early 1890s, Thomas Barker moved to Boston and became head of the purchasing organization of the R. H. White dry goods store. At some point, he remarried.
In about 1921, Thomas Barker tried to retire from his position with R. H. White with plans to return to North Pelham and build a grand retirement home. His firm prevailed upon him to retain a connection and appointed him as head of its New York office. He and his wife moved to North Pelham and purchased property at Fourth Street (today's Lincoln Avenue) and Sixth Avenue where they built a "splendid home" at 304 Sixth Avenue on property that had once been part of Barker's Hill and was originally owned by the parents of Thomas and Charles Barker. Thomas Barker took up residence in the new home on April 1, 1923 and announced he would retire for good from R. H. White effective December 31 that same year.
In late September or early October, however, Thomas Barker's wife passed away. According to Thomas Barker's obituary, "the shock and grief of her passing weighed heavily upon Mr. Barker as the couple were devoted to each other." On Thursday, October 25, 1923, Thomas Barker returned home from work in New York City and suffered "an attack of acute indigestion." He became seriously ill the next day although he rallied on Saturday "and hopes were entertained for his recovery." Pneumonia set in, however, and on Sunday, October 28, 1923, Thomas Barker died in his North Pelham home.
His obituary said nothing of the fact that 43 years before he had shot his brother Charles in the tiny wooden Pelhamville Station. . . .
Only Known Depiction of the Pelhamville Station Where
the Barker Shooting Took Place on February 21, 1880.
Source: Detail from Source: "A Remarkable Railroad Accident,"
Scientific American, Jan. 16, 1886, Vol. LIV, No. 3, cover and pp. 31-32.
NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.
I have written before about the tragic shooting of Charles Barker in the Pelhamville Station on February 21, 1880. See Mon., Feb. 02, 2009: Brother Shoots Brother in the Pelhamville Train Station in 1880.
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Below is the text of a number of news accounts relevant to today's Historic Pelham article. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.
"SHOT BY HIS BROTHER.
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The Culmination of a Bitter Quarrel of Several Years' Standing.
Thomas Barker of this city, formerly of Pelhamville, separated from his wife some three years ago, and she went to live with her brother-in-law, Charles Barker. Thomas Barker brought a suit for divorce, which was subsequently discontinued. The accusation was adultery. The brothers met yesterday morning for the first time since the beginning of the suit for divorce. The meeting was at the railway station in Pelhamville, to which village Thomas Barker had gone to visit his mother. On seeing his brother, Charles is reported to have said: 'You scoundrel! I have not met you before since you made the charge against me in court. I now have you, and I mean to kill you.'
Thomas warned him not to resort to violence, but a scuffle ensued, and on extricating himself from his brother's grasp, Thomas said: 'I am armed, and if you strike me again I shall defend myself.'
Charles then seized a poker and threatened his brother, and the latter drew his pistol and fired. Charles threw up his hands, and said to the ticket seller: 'I'm shot, Charley; go for a doctor.'
The 7:11 train for New York came along, and Thomas Barker got aboard and rode to Williams Bridge, but, not knowing the extent of the injury to his brother, he returned to New Rochelle on the next train, and consulted with his lawyer, Martin J. Keogh. In company with his counsel he started to surrender himself, but was met by a messenger from Pelhamville, who said that the injury to his brother was not so serious as was at first supposed the bullet having torn the flesh of one arm before reaching the body. Thomas Barker then came to this city. Charles was taken to his home."
Source: SHOT BY HIS BROTHER -- The Culmination of a Bitter Quarrel of Several Years' Standing, The Sun [NY, NY], Feb. 22, 1880, p. 5, col. 3.
"The Pelhamville Shooting.
It is thought that the wound of Charles Barker of Pelhamville, who was shot on Saturday by his brother. Thomas Barker, of this city, may prove fatal. The ball passed through the flesh of the right arm and into the breast. The physicians have probed without finding it. Thomas Barker was arrested in this city on Saturday afternoon, at the hardware store where he works, and is held to await the result of his brother's injury."
Source: The Pelhamville Shooting, The Sun [NY, NY], Feb. 23, 1880, Vol. XLVII, No. 176, p. 3, col. 7.
"THE BARKER BROTHERS.
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Another Version of the Shooting Affray at Pelhamville.
Charles Barker, who quarrelled [sic] with his brother Thomas on Saturday last at the Pelhamville Hotel [sic], and was subsequently shot by him, still lies at his residence in Pelhamville in a very critical condition. The ball has not yet been extracted, nor have the doctors thought it judicious to make any further probings on account of the inflammation which surrounds the wound. Mr. Charles Merritt, the station agent at Pelhamville, who was an eye witness to the attempted murder, on his examination before Justice Patterson, being duly sworn, said: -- 'On Saturday morning I opened the station at about seven o'clock, and just as I opened the door Charles Barker came up and entered the waiting room; I bid him good morning and went into the office to attend to my duties; immediately afterward I saw Thomas Barker come into the waiting room, and a very short time after this Charles Barker called out to me, 'Charlie, come out here;' I went out and found the two brothers clinched; I went up to them and tried to separate them, and finally succeeded; then I retired with Thomas Barker to the front of the waiting room, standing before him and moving him off, to prevent any trouble; I then noticed that Thomas Barker held a pistol in his hand; I saw him raise the weapon and point it at his brother; I endeavored to take it away from him, but could not get hold of it; Thomas Barker continued to stand with the pistol pointed at his brother for some seconds, and Charles, who was standing near the stove, stooped down, picked up the poker and threw it toward his brother, with the evident intention of disarming him; before doing so he said, 'Put down your pistol and then I'll be a match for you;' he replied 'No! I've got a permit to carry a pistol and I'll use it;' after waiting a few seconds Thomas fired, the ball striking Charles in the shoulder and entering the fleshy part of the arm; as soon as he felt the shock of the ball he called out to me, 'Charlie, I'm shot; go for a doctor;' Thomas Barker, who still held the smoking weapon, pointed at his brother, answered him with 'Yes, and if you move I'll shoot you again;' I at once started in search of a doctor, and as I was leaving the depot the south bound train came along, and I saw Thomas Barker jump aboard it; I turned back and assisted to carry the wounded man to his residence.'
CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE SHOOTING.
The causes which probably led to the shooting are as follows: -- About five years ago the two brothers, both of whom were married, resided, with their families, at Pelhamville. Thomas and his wife lived with his mother; Charles had a home of his own. Charles' wife died, leaving two young children. He then rented his own house and removed to the maternal roof. Shortly afterward Thomas hired Charles' house and removed there with his family, and Charles and his two children boarded with them. Thomas was sadly neglectful of his family, and in a short time he deserted them and came to New York, where he now resides. His wife and children continued to live at the house of his brother Charles, and have been wholly supported by him. Six months ago Thomas commenced an action against his wife for divorce, alleging criminal intimacy with Charles. His wife defended the action, denying emphatically this charge, and Thomas was finally obliged to abandon the suit on account of his inability to substantiate the charge. In this suit his wife received the assistance of his brother, and it was owing, undoubtedly, to this fact that Thomas attempted to kill Charles. The affair has created great excitement in Pelhamville, and Charles has the full sympathy of the inhabitants."
Source: THE BARKER BROTHERS -- Another Version of the Shooting Affray at Pelhamville, The Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Feb. 25, 1880, p. 4, col. 5. See also THE BARKER BROTHERS -- ANOTHER VERSION OF THE SHOOTING AFFRAY AT PELHAMVILLE -- STORY OF AN EYE WITNESS, N.Y. Herald, Feb. 25, 1880, p. 11, col.
2 (same text).
"A DEADLY QUARREL.
In the village of Pelhamville, two brothers, Charles and Thomas Barker, reside. The former is a widower and the latter is married. His wife, however, does not live with him, but has for some time past lived in the house of his brother Charles. Thomas brought an action for divorce against his wife, but subsequently discontinued the suit. Last Saturday morning, he went to the depot to take the train which leaves for the city at twelve minutes past seven. The rest of the story as told by the station agent, Charles Merritt, is given in the affidavit which he took before Justice Patterson:
'On Saturday morning I opened the station at about seven o'clock, and just as I opened the door, Charles Barker came up and entered the waiting room; I bid him good morning and went into the office to attend to my duties; immediately afterward I saw Thomas Barker come into the waiting room, and a very short time after this Charles Barker called out to me, 'Charlie, come out here! I went out and found the two brothers clinched; I went up to them and tried to separate them, and finally succeeded; then I retired with Thomas Barker to the front of the waiting room, standing before him and moving him off, to prevent any trouble; I then noticed that Thomas Barker held a pistol in his hand; I saw him raise the weapon and point it at his brother; I endeavored to take it away from him, but could not get hold of it; Thomas Barker continued to stand with the pistol pointed at his brother for some seconds, and Charles, who was standing near the stove, stooped down, picked up the poker and threw it toward his brother, with the evident intention of disarming him; before doing so he said, 'Put down your pistol and then I'll be a match for you;' he replied, 'No! I've got a permit to carry a pistol, and I'll use it;' after waiting a few seconds, Thomas fired, the ball striking Charles in the shoulder and entering the fleshy part of the arm; as soon as he felt the shock of the ball, he called out to me, 'Charlie, I'm shot; go for a doctor;' Thomas Barker, who still held the smoking weapon pointed at his brother, answered him with 'Yes, and if you move, I'll shoot you again;' I at once started in search of a doctor, and as I was leaving the depot the south bound train aboard it; I turned back and assisted to carry the wounded man to his residence.'
Thomas Barker rode on the train as far as Williams Bridge and then returned to consult his counsel. He bears an excellent reputation, having been employed for many years in a large house in the city. The story as told by his friends is as follows:
Since the beginning of the suit, the two brothers had not met until Saturday morning. On Friday evening, Thomas Barker left New York to visit his mother at Pelhamville and remained there all night. Saturday morning he went to the railway station about seven o'clock, and there he found his brother Charles, who immediately said to him:
'You scoundrel, I have not met you before since you made those charges in court; I have you now, and I mean to kill you.'
'I heard you had made threats to kill me before,' replied Thomas, 'but look out you don't attempt it.'
Charles, who is a much more powerful man than his brother, rushed at Thomas and struck him on the head with his fist and then seized him around his neck and attempted to choke him. Thomas finally succeeded in extricating himself from the grip of Charles, and cried out:
'I'm armed, and if you strike me again I'll defend myself.'
At the same time he put his hand into his pocket. Charles thereupon seized an iron poker, lying near the stove in the station, and shouted '---- you, I'll kill you!' and as he raised the poker to strike, Thomas drew his revolver from his pocket and fired, exclaiming, 'You have ruined my home already, but I don't want to have my brother's blood on my head.' Charles instantly threw up his hands and said to Mr. Merritt, the ticket agent, 'I am shot, Charlie; go for a doctor.'
The ball entered the right shoulder, but the wound is not regarded as a very dangerous one. Thomas was admitted to bail in the sum of $3,000, and is now at large."
Source: A DEADLY QUARREL, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 27, 1880,Vol. XI, No. 545, p. 2, col. 6.
"Shot by His Brother.
ALMOST A FRATRICIDE AT PELHAMVILLE -- A LONG AND BITTER QUARREL BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS ENDED BY ONE SHOOTING THE OTHER -- THE SHOOTER LOCKED UP.
Pelhamville, a station on the New Haven Railroad, midway between Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, was the scene of a tragic encounter between two brothers at about half past seven last Saturday morning. The brothers were Charles and Thomas Barker, descendants of an ancient Quaker family in that vicinity. The trouble between the brothers may be said to have commenced three or four years ago, at which time Thomas separated from his wife and removed to New York. Mrs. Thomas Barker, after the separation, removed to Charles Barker's house. Subsequently Thomas commenced a suit for divorce from his wife on the grounds of alleged indiscretions on her part with his brother Charles. The suit, however, was discontinued to prevent the scandal and family discord which the prosecution of it would engender. The brothers then continued their separate ways, never meeting each other till Saturday morning last. On Friday evening Thomas came up from New York to visit his mother, who resides at Pelhamville. He stayed over night at his mother's house, and in the morning started to catch the train. Arriving at the depot he found his brother Charles already there waiting for the train. Some words passed between the brothers, when Charles picked up a poker and made for his brother, threatening to kill him. Thomas drew a revolver and fired, the ball after passing through the fleshy part of his brother's right arm entered his breast. Thomas was arrested in New York city on Saturday afternoon, on a warrant issued by Justice Paterson, of Pelham, before whom he was taken for examination. The Justice committed the prisoner to the County Jail, and on Monday he was brought to White Plains and locked up. Charles Barker is a mason and builder, while Thomas is employed in a hardware store in New York."
Source: Shot by His Brother -- ALMOST A FRATRICIDE AT PELHAMVILLE -- A LONG AND BITTER QUARREL BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS ENDED BY ONE SHOOTING THE OTHER -- THE SHOOTER LOCKED UP, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Feb. 27, 1880, Vol. XXXV, No. 46, p. 3, col. 3.
"Westchester County.
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Thomas Barker, indicted for assault with intent to kill his brother Charles recently at the Pelhamville station, gave bail last week in $10,000 to await trial, Edward Lambden, of New Rochelle, and James W. Roosevelt, of Pelham, being his bondsmen. . . ."
Source: Westchester County, The Port Chester Journal, Mar. 11, 1880, Vol. XII, No 590, p. 4, col. 2.
"NOT MOTHER OF CHAUFFEUR, SAYS MRS. I. BARKER
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'Blackmail Plot,' Telegraphs Pelham Society Woman Regarding Man's Story that He is Her Son.
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IS COMING FROM FLORIDA TO REFUTE ALLEGATIONS
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Her Eldest Son Declares Scandalous Stories Afloat Without Foundation and Blames One of His Brothers.
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'Gigantic blackmail plot. Returning immediately.'
In these five words are expressed a declaration of Mrs. Imogene Barker, wife of Charles Barker, a millionaire contractor of Pelham, N. Y., who to-day telegraphed her son, Walter Barker, that she was hurrying home to frustrate the efforts of Melville Hays-Barker, a chauffeur, who has called himself her son.
Only a few days ago public interest was aroused in the announcement that a young man named Melville Hays on the eve of his marriage to Hannah Lenz, a janitor's daughter, had discovered that his real name was Barker and that he was the son of very wealthy parents. The young men asserted that Mrs. Barker was his mother and that he intended to make her publicly announce that he was her son. The news was immediately mailed to Mrs. Barker in Florida, where she was sojourning for the winter with her husband, with the result that she telegraphed her intention of coming back to fight the young man's claim.
Not in many years has the exclusive residential section of Pelham been treated to a more sensational series of events than those that have cropped up within the last few days in the Barker family.
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Wealthy Landowner.
Interest has been aroused to the highest pitch, as the Barkers have numbered among their friends some of the social lights of the section in which they live. Charles Barker owns large tracts of land in Pelham from which he receives an enormous rental yearly and the Mount Vernon Hotel, the finest establishment of the kind in the town.
Primarily he was a contractor, but he invested most of his money in real estate which increased in value until he was able to retire and nurse his failing health. Suffering from an incurable disease, it is said he cannot live much longer. Recognizing this, it is said, one of Mrs. Barker's sons, who lives nearby, but who has been at odds with his mother for several years, is alleged to have started reports which have aroused the neighborhood.
Mrs. Barker was only known to the residents of Pelham to have four sons. They are Walter, William, Gustave and Charles A. Barker, the last named a veterinary surgeon and dentist. One of her sons does not hesitate to say he has been estranged from his mother for several years and it is on him that the other members of the family lay the blame for the troubles which have arisen.
To add to the startling nature of the charges made by Melville Hays or Barker, the report has been circulated that another son, Harry, exists, but was cast off by his mother for family reasons. His whereabouts is [sic] not known to any of the members of the Barker family, but he is said to have been taken in charge by the Children's Society several years ago and released when of age.
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Chauffeur Tells Story.
Melville Hays-Barker, the chauffeur, when seen at his home at No. 601 Eagle avenue, said to-day that he was prepared to take the case into the courts if necessary. His wife, who was Miss Lenz up to a fortnight ago, gave him the information which led him to believe that he was the son of wealthy parents and not the poor, struggling young man that he had thought he was. Miss Lenz's mother, the chauffeur's wife says, brought up young Hays-Barker from infancy, being supplied with the necessary funds by a person who signed the initials 'I. B.,' the chauffeur's wife declares, stands for Imogene Barker.
At first three of the sons of Mrs. Barker were completely mystified by the reports and could not fathom their meaning or the motive of their circulation. Their minds were somewhat cleared when they heard of the serious illness of Mr. Barker and the fact that he recently made his will. Dr. Charles A. Barker, the eldest son, who owns a fine estate in Pelham, said to an EVENING TELEGRAM reporter --
'As son as I became acquainted with the nature of the reports going around Pelham I wrote to my mother asking her to do what she could to keep this scandal from going any further. That there is not the slightest foundation for the tales I am certain, being the eldest son, and, until a few years ago, living with my parents continuously.
'Unscrupulous persons, among them, I am sorry to admit, one of my own brothers, have started this simply in an effort to force my mother to keep him quiet by submitting to a petty blackmail. This is not the first time he has tried it, but I did not think he would go to such extremes.
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Will Spend Fortune.
'My mother, I am sure, will spend her entire fortune before she will allow herself to submit to such extortion, and she will have the support of two of my brothers and me to the end. As far as Mr. Barker's will is concerned he is our stepfather and we do not look to him for a cent. In fact, our incomes are such as to keep us all in comfortable circumstances.'
Mrs. Barker's history, as related by the townsfolk, is as interesting as it is strange. She was divorced from her first husband, Thomas Barker, a brother of her present husband, several years ago. Years later she married Charles Barker, having in her own name a fortune of many thousand dollars. It is said that among the facts leading up to her divorce from her first husband was a shooting affray in which Thomas Barker sent a bullet into the shoulder of a man to whom he is closely related.
Charles Barker owns a large orange plantation in Southern Florida which he is in the habit of visiting every year, stopping there for the winter. The pair left for Florida six weeks ago.
Friends of Mrs. Barker unite in saying they do not believe a word of the reports. Mrs. Barker was well liked for her charitable work in North Pelham, which is inhabited by the poorer classes and she has always been a prominent church worker. Her husband also is noted for his generosity and kindly ways.
Neighbors point out that if a skeleton had existed in the Barker family for so many years it certainly would have been disclosed before in some manner. The Barkers have at no time tried to conceal their whereabouts or have ever made any effort to keep their movements secret. Mr. Barker is prominently known throughout New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Larchmont, as well as in Pelham, and has always been looked up to as an upright and straightforward business man."
Source: NOT MOTHER OF CHAUFFEUR, SAYS MRS. I. BARKER -- "Blackmail Plot," Telegraphs Pelham Society Woman Regarding Man's Story that He is Her Son -- IS COMING FROM FLORIDA TO REFUTE ALLEGATIONS -- Her Eldest Son Declares Scandalous Stories Afloat Without Foundation and Blames One of His Brothers, The Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Oct. 26, 1906, p. 4, cols. 4-7.
"STRIFE IN THE BARKER FAMILY
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CHARLES BARKER RETURNED SICK TO HIS FORMER HOME IN NORTH PELHAM -- WILLIAM BARKER, A STEPSON, DENIED WALTER BARKER AND CHARLES A. BARKER ADMISSION TO THE HOUSE TO SEE THEIR AILING FATHER, WHO IS SAID TO BE DYING
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On Thursday evening quite some excitement was apparent in front of Charles Barker's house on Fourth street, North Pelham. This house is occupied by one of Charles Barker's stepsons, William Barker.
It seems that the old gentleman returned here some time ago in ill health, and it is said that his condition is such that he may die at any moment. Dr. Charles A. Barker and Walter Barker are his sons, while William Barker, Thomas Barker and Gus Barker are his stepsons.
It is said that the old gentleman is quite well off, or was well off, and that he has turned most of his property over to one of his stepsons, Will Barker. When Dr. Barker and Walter Barker heard that their father was in town and ill, it seems that they went to William Barker's house and asked to see their dying father, but that William Barker blandly refused to admit them.
A large crowd soon collected in front of the house and the two village policemen were called. They dispersed the crowd, but could not help the Barker sons to get in to see their father.
It took sometime before the excitement was over, and it is said that William Barker applied to one of the justices of the town to be permitted to carry a pistol and keep the 'trespassers' off, as he calls his step-brothers. Very likely this whole Barker family affair will be aired in court some day.
From last information the old gentleman Charles Barker is very low."
Source: STRIFE IN THE BARKER FAMILY -- CHARLES BARKER RETURNED SICK TO HIS FORMER HOME IN NORTH PELHAM -- WILLIAM BARKER, A STEPSON, DENIED WALTER BARKER AND CHARLES A. BARKER ADMISSION TO THE HOUSE TO SEE THEIR AILING FATHER, WHO IS SAID TO BE DYING, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 25, 1910, Vol. 1, No. 12, p. 1, col. 2.
"Thomas Barker Died On Sunday at Home On Sixth Avenue
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His Decease Followed That of His Wife Which Occurred Only Six Weeks Ago
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The funeral of Thomas Barker, 79 years old, of 304 Sixth Avenue, North Pelham, took place on Wednesday afternoon from his late residence, the Rev. Herbert H. Brown officiating. Interment was made in Beechwood Cemetery.
Mr. Barker died on Sunday. He was ill with an attack of acute indigestion on Thursday night after his return from business in New York. He rallied on Saturday and hopes were entertained for his recovery, but pneumonia set in and the end came suddenly on Sunday.
The deceased was one of the earliest settlers of Pelhamville as North Pelham was then called when in 1846 at the age of two he was brought here by his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Barker, who emigrated from Birmingham, England. He attended the old Prospect Hill School in Pelham Manor, then the little red schoolhouse of the Pelhams. His parents purchased all the property in the neighborhood of Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue which then was known as Barker's Hill. Mr. Barker for the last thirty years and until a few months ago, resided in Boston where he was head of the purchasing organization of the R. H. White dry goods store. Two years ago he expressed a desire to retire and with that end in view came back to North Pelham and purchased the property at Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue where he built a splendid home, the identical property which was owned by the Barkers many years before. He was prevailed upon to retain his connection with the White interests and was placed in charge of the New York office. When their home was completed, Mr. and Mrs. Barker came from Boston and took up their residence here on April 1st. Mr. Barker announcing his determination of retiring at the end of this year.
All their plans for spending the evening of their life in comfort were destined to be fruitless. Six weeks ago Mrs. Barker died and the shock and grief of her passing weighed heavily upon Mr. Barker as the couple were devoted to each other.
Three sons, Thomas of North Pelham, William and Augustus, and several grandsons and granddaughters survive. He was uncle of Dr. Charles A. Barker of Fourth Street and granduncle of Mrs. George Lambert, wife of village attorney of North Pelham."
Source: Thomas Barker Died On Sunday at Home On Sixth Avenue -- His Decease Followed That of His Wife Which Occurred Only Six Weeks Ago, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 2, 1923, p. 15, col. 1.
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Labels: 1880, 1906, 1910, 1923, Barker's Hill, Charles Barker, Charles Merritt, Crime, Gun, Pelhamville Station, Pelhamville Train Station, Shooting, Thomas Barker
posted by Blake A. Bell @ 4:52 AM
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