"Mr. Smith is in comfortable circumstances. He is about 35 years old. His wife is a fine looking woman, a few years her husband's junior, and was quite a favorite with other occupants of the flat house."

Mrs. Sarah V. Smith apparently had had enough. In 1891, she up and left her merchant husband and took just about everything with her. Mr. Smith was not amused. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the sorry domestic situation in its May 3, 1891 issue. An excerpt:

“Mrs. Sarah V. Smith, wife of Isaac N. Smith, a Duane street, New York, wholesale dealer of twine and wrapping paper, mysteriously disappeared from her home in the Kensington apartment house, at the corner of Throop avenue and Quincy street, on Thursday. Where she has gone or why she went away nobody on the premises seems to know. Mr. Smith, who did not know of the wife’s disappearance until several hours after she had vacated her apartments, is evidently as much in the dark regarding her motive in leaving as everybody else. The deserted husband unceremoniously left the premises on Friday morning–the day following his wife’s going away–and has not returned since.

"Isaac N. Smith, a Duane street, New York, wholesale dealer of twine and wrapping paper." (Image by Daniel Schwen.)

The Smith family had occupied the East flat on the second floor of the Kensington building for almost a year. Mr. Smith is in comfortable circumstances. He is about 35 years old. His wife is a fine looking woman, a few years her husband’s junior, and was quite a favorite with other occupants of the flat house. The couple have two children, aged 3 and 5 years respectively. On Thursday evening, according to a statement subsequently made by Mr. Smith, he started for business as usual, bidding his wife an affectionate good bye. At six o’clock that evening he returned home and was astounded to find upon entering his apartment the bulk of furniture and household belongings missing and nothing discernible of his wife and children. The carpets in every room of the house had been taken up and with the other fixings removed. About the only articles left were a framed picture of Mrs. Smith and a large Saratoga trunk containing Mr. Smith’s clothing. The mystified husband made anxious inquiries throughout the building relative to his wife’s disappearance, but obtained but little satisfaction.

The following advertisement, which has a direct bearing on the mystery, appeared in last night’s Eagle: ‘SMITH–TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: My wife SARAH V. SMITH, has left my bed and board without my consent and wishes, and I hereby forbid any person or persons from trusting her on my account. ISAAC N. SMITH.'”