New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-02
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
A LETTER WHICH ARRIVED TOO LATE.

A l.
William Godfrey Kruger, German about forty
years odd who claimed to have invented practicai
nying machine, committed suicide early yesterday
morning at No 1856 Forsyth-st. clearinghouse
kent nv Aaron Harris. He was unmarried and lie
had been in this country about twenty years lie
served In the Union Army IN the late war as
lieutenant IN d Missouri regiment, and was made
prisoner in 1861. In his confinement IN Contede-
rate prison he contracted disease which aiterward
made it impossible for hun TO perform any hard
work He went to California after the war closed
and for ten years he earned a living by teaching
school in San Francisco He spent much of his
time in the study of aerial navigation and delivered
lectures the subject For some years ne lived IN
st. Louis and in Washington, supporting himself
by teaching He drew several plans for AR shlps
and at length he perfected an invention when no
had patented In January last. IL consisted Oh !"
large frame, to which revolving wings were Nv
tached at different angles. The idea was that wiDn
these wings set IN motion by steam pc Wer, tIo
frame would 90 through the an like a prI' ms
invention had never been put to any practical tes.
Kruger came to this city from Washington tufee
weeks ago Ito took a room on the second moor ol
Mr.. Hariis's house. promising TO pay 9lo 4 VIZ IN
for his board. He had very niue h9heS, uu. nc
expected 10 receive a pension from he governments
Ills claim for a ucnsion was based on his illness
caused by Imprisonment. and he had been assured
by a lawyer that the papers granting IL Wouiu 20
sent 10 him soon Kruger showed Nh. Harris the
plans for the flying ship and schedule OF the steps
which had been taken to procure the pension anu
the latter allowed hun 10 stay III the mouse lie aiso
lent KIueger - to buy medicines. The inventor
was sick last week, and was unable 10 leaVe ms
bed for several days He chaied oyer the Gelay
leave his room he drank liquor freely
About . a. IN. yesterday woman III the Doarulhg
house heard the report OF plstol, nut sue .ooR
little notice of it, Six hours later the post
stopped at the door with package f0r krueeer
The envelope bore the official stamp OF the PENSION
Office. The landlords daughter fourteen years
old, received the package and she ran up 10
kruegers with II. crying OUT: IN, hr.
Kruger, here Is your pension money ne uoor
of ms room as fastened aud she looked in through
n crack. Ktueger's body was lylng July dressed on
his bed The bed-clOthes were spattered with
blood and a revolver lay on one of the pillows lie
had shot himself through the head; In the room
were a trunk partly filled with clothing. an unin-
isLed letter to a German periodical. ana paper
model OF his proposed air ship, which lie hau
crushed into shapeless mass
AN INVESTIGAT ION WITHOUT RESULT
Investigation into the sending of the Internal
machines intended for Mr. Vanderbilt and Mt
Field was begun early Yesterday morning ny rES,
Richards of the City Delivery Department. All of
the collectors who gather the contents OF the letter
boxes south of Canal-st were questioned by the
Postmaster but nothing of Importance was learned.
The investigation only confirmed the statements
made on Saturday night that the package adj
dressed TO Mr.. Field had been deposited IN the
General Post Office, while the one directed to Mr.
Vanderbilt had been taken from the top OF some
mail-bOx, II was too small TO pass through 'ile
aperture in the box and had been brought III by
some collector The remnants of the machine that
exploded, with the package directed 10 MI. Nahuer-
bllt are in the hands of Post once INSPECTORS i
Gardner and NewcOmbe. 1t was stated that the
boxes were of foreign manufacture. A similarity
in the handwriting OF the addresses on all OF the
packages was noticed. German who examined
The writing said there was no doubt but that q
German had written the addresses. :,
The cgarbox filed with combustibles and In
tended to be the means Of setting fire to Superin-
tendent Wallings house proves to be more insignia
cant than was at first supposed i he iorce OF tne
explosion, which several persons alleged they had
heard for several blocks only burst ont end of
the box and did not loosen the light nails Ill
the sides and at the opposite END.