The Daily Argus

Mount Vernon, N.Y. , Monday, September 13, 1920

TRAGEDY ON THE EAST SIDE – MISS JOSEPHINE WITZ DIES IN FALL NEAR GRANDVIEW AVE.

Drops From Cliff Leading to Oakwood Heights, and North of New Haven Tracks, to Ground 25 Feet Below – Was With Her Sweetheart James Norberg Last Night Out on Walk When Fatal Accident Happened.

An understanding existed between James Norberg, 24, of 463 East Third Street, and Miss Josephine Witz, 23 years old, of 10 Hillside Avenue, that in the springtime or next summer they would be wedded. Parental observation gave their folk such a presumption and friends suspected the close attention Mr. Norberg paid this pretty young woman meant ultimate marriage. But fate, striking under a cloak of darkness, led them last night to the summit of a jagged precipice skirting the “cut”, a short distance north of the New Haven tracks and almost opposite Grandview Avenue, bringing to an end their happy romance. Miss Witz plunged headlong from the cliff and was picked up a few moments later 25 feet below by her frantic sweetheart. She died within an hour in the Mount Vernon Hospital of a fractured skull and other injuries.

Last night’s tragedy in the Oakwood Heights section proved one of the most pathetic this city experienced in a long time. The victim was a well-known and esteemed young woman and until the recent fire was employed for a long period in a clerical capacity at the Bedford Manufacturing company’s plant in Pearl street. During the last two weeks she worked at the Mosher office. James Norberg, with whom she kept company and who was with her last night, is a resident of the east side and employed by the telephone company in New Rochelle. He is almost prostrate, grieving over the young woman’s fate.

Adolph Joseph Witz, of 100 Hillside avenue, father of the deceased, Norberg, and Miss Josephine Witz yesterday morning attended mass together at Sacred Heart church. “Jo was a good girl, and not a month passed that she didn’t receive the sacrament at the communion rail.” Norberg said tearfully today as he stood at the top of the cliff and looked over to the bloodstained stop in the roadway where not so many hours previously the young girl landed head first.

After attending the church services, the trio went to New York city. Josephine’s cousin, Lillian Nesbert, was expected to reach the port on the steamship Corona from Ireland and both Josephine and Mr. Witz were hopeful of seeing her. It was a long, tedious wait on the dock, but the Mount Vernonites were repaid for their patience when they caught sight of their cousin. Miss Witz wrote words of welcome and good cheer to the girl from Ireland, and in a bag of crackers this note was thrown by “Jimmy” as she knew Norberg, to Miss Nesbert on the liner.

Then the trio returned to Mount Vernon, having dinner about 3o’clock. It was warm and the excitement at the dock together with the elements gave Miss Witz a headache. After a tablet for this was taken, she announced she was feeling better.

Josephine Witz was an athletic girl. She enjoyed hiking. Norberg and she often took long walks into the country and numerous times when enroute to Pelham passed the “cut”, which at night is quite dark due to the fact that there are no street lights in the immediate neighborhood, and a twenty-five foot wall of rock skirts each side for a considerable distance.

Last night Norberg asked Josephine if she felt well enough for a walk. She replied in the affirmative. Her mother suggested that they return home early, still being cognizant of the fact that the young women had a headache in the afternoon and had tramped about down town considerably. Both assured the Witz family they wouldn’t be gone long.

The young people, arm in arm, left the Witz home laughing and chatting. They decided to proceed through Wilson’s crossing and up the “cut” toward Pelham. Just after passing under the New Haven tracks there is a sharp turn to the right and not so far ahead is the “cut”. Norberg told police officers and Coroner Engel at the scene of the tragedy today it was quite dark. Josephine, he said, saw a trail which leads up the embankment from the roadway. This is a winding path, covered here and there by underbrush. At points large boulders necessitate sharp curves. The trail is dangerous, even in the day time. Norberg told the authorities the young woman and he never had been there together before.

He stated that Josephine saw the end of the path leading up the slope from the roadway and suggested traversing it. She liked to climb hills and valleys, he declared, too, and Mr. Witz, the young woman’s father said that this was true.

They proceeded up the incline slowly but the path is so narrow and the underbrush so great, that two could not walk together, so Josephine, Norberg said, took the lead. As they climbed they chatted and the young woman laughed gaily. Soon it would seem that the top of the cliff had been reached. The girl was probably two feet ahead of him, Norberg asserted today. Suddenly her form disappeared. Before his very eyes it had dropped out of sight. A sound in the “cut” below him told him what had happened. For a moment, he said, he stood bewildered. Then he started down the face of the cliff.

He rushed to Josephine’s side. He called to her but the only sound was an echo of his voice in the “cut”. She was unconscious and blood flowed from wounds. Failing to arouse her, and terror-stricken, the young man, of slender build, picked Miss Witz up and carried her toward the railroad crossing, simultaneously imploring her to speak to him. After going about twenty-five feet he heard her moan for the first time. This gave him courage she still lived. He carried the young woman perhaps 200 feet, staggering under his load. Finally he laid her down to get a better hold. To the nearest house he carried his sweetheart, but couldn’t arouse anyone. The time was shortly before 10 o’clock, he assumed. Then he carried her to the residence of Alexander Fenton at 45 Beechwood avenue. The hospital was called, and the police notified. In the meantime the young man said he did all in his power to administer first aid.

Persons who gathered declared he was frantic and once threw himself over the young woman’s form and sobbed.

Shortly before 9:30 o’clock this morning, James Norberg, the young girl’s escort, came to police headquarters accompanied by Mr. Witz, (and) a brother. Acting police chief Atwell commenced questioning the young man when Coroner Engel, of Yonkers, arrived. Norberg told the story of the tragedy with sincerity, and both he and the dead woman’s father broke down several times.

That Coroner Engel might be absolutely conversant with the cliff and its environs, it was suggested that the officials proceed to the scene of the accident, so in the police car Coroner Engel, a friend from the Terrace City, Acting Police Chief Atwell, Lieutenant Mattes, who was on the desk when the call came in last night, Patrolman O’Donnell, young Norberg, and a newspaperman went to the “cut” and in a car they were followed by relatives of both Norberg and Miss Witz.

As the police machine started through the narrow roadway which is lined on either side by jagged rocks, Norberg pointed ahead to a stained spot in the thoroughfare about five feet from the base of the embankment. “That was where Jo fell, sir,” he remarked. The partly alighted from the car and near the bloodstained spot. Atwell saw a woman’s comb. “That was Josephine’s”, Mr. Witz, who reached the scene as quickly as the authorities, said, as he stooped down and picked it up. “It must have dropped from my little girl’s head in her fall,” he said. Then his eyes reverted to the top of the cliff while tears rolled down his cheek.

“Where did you go up?” asked Acting Chief Atwell. Then Norberg lead the party a short distance below and as they passed over the trail up the slope Norberg recited what happened. He said the young woman wanted to make the climb. Here and there the path was narrow, and shrubbery bordered it, but at spots there was an opening.

Although there was a ring of sincerity in Norberg’s narration, the police, nevertheless, felt they would be derelict in their duty if they failed to investigate every feature, so the acting chief inquired of the man whether he had hold of Josephine or whether there had been any struggle near the summit of the precipice. Others in the party sought in vain for evidence of any struggle in the opening at the top and in a close proximity to the place over which the woman plunged.

Norberg’s response to the interrogation made by Atwell was just as frank as ever. “Jo was ahead of me, probably two feet or so” he declared, “then without any warning she disappeared. I could not have caught her. Even if I had seized Jo she would likely have carried me to the road with her. Well, I wish that had been the case.” And he broke down again.

“ Jo was a lovely girl; as true as God makes them,” he later said. “There was no sin on her soul. She was good. Why, sir, not a month passed that she didn’t receive communion. She was a devout Christian.” And then he drew from his pocket a picture of the deceased, saying “Look at her and show me how the least bit of suspicion could be directed at such a pure face.” What Norberg told the authorities at the scene of the accident was verified in every particular.

While the officials were walking carefully at the edge of the cliff, shuddering at the thoughts of what would happen when one plunged over, Mr. Witz told a newspaperman of the visit to New York yesterday and of the beginning of last night’s fatal walk. He said the two had kept company for some time. There were weeks when they saw each one three and four times. It was generally assumed in the family that they would eventually marry. Josephine was born in New York city on December 23, 1896, but for the last twenty-one years lived here. Besides her parents, she leaves five brothers, Frank, Henry C., Walter, Edward, and Fred and two sisters, Tillie and Helen. The funeral will be held from Sacred Heart church at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning and interment will be in Calvary cemetery.

After the authorities had looked the ground over thoroughly, they started back for headquarters. Norberg accompanied them.

Before he would decide upon the case, the coroner wanted to have an autopsy performed, and made inquires as to what condition the young woman’s clothes were in. The autopsy showed she suffered a fractured skull and other severe injuries and that she never regained consciousness. It was also shown that the tragedy was absolutely devoid of anything mysterious; that death was purely accidental. Officials not only expressed sympathy for the family of the deceased but also to the young man who was frantic by grief.

W.A. Bryant, of New Rochelle, Norberg’s employer, came to Mount Vernon this morning and offered to do all he could for Norberg, because he said the young man was diligent, clean and a splendid type of America manhood, the police say.

Hospital records this afternoon show that the young woman entered the hospital at 10:30 o’clock and died a few minutes before 11:30 o’clock last night.

The police report of the tragedy here follows:

“At 10:10 p.m., a telephone message came from the Mount Vernon Hospital stating they had received a call for the ambulance from Beechwood and Grandview avenues. Patrolman Lester was sent to investigate and he subsequently reported taking Josephine Witz, 23 years old, of 10 Hillside avenue, who while out walking with an escort, James Norberg, 24, of 463 East Third street, at Oakwood Heights, north of the New Haven railroad tracks and about opposite Grandview avenue, fell from the embankment about 25 feet below the tracks. Her escort climbed down the embankment and found her in an unconscious state and failing to arouse the woman, carried her to the residence of Alexander Fenton at 45 Beechwood avenue, from which place she was taken to the hospital in an auto owned and operated by Walter Cumming, with Dr. July, of the hospital staff, in attendance. Dr. Jost, acting health officer, and Coroner Mills, of Chappaqua, were notified. James Norberg was bought to headquarters and paroled later by order of Coroner Mills to report at headquarters this morning at 10 o’clock.

At 11:35 p.m., word came from Dr. Judy at the Mount Vernon hospital that Miss Witz had just passed away. The family of the deceased was present when she died. At 12:05 this morning Dr. Jost, acting health officer, telephoned headquarters that he had just reached Coroner Engel, of Yonkers, by phone.

James Norberg, who was with the young woman, is an employee of the telephone company at New Rochelle. He is single.