New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-24
SHOT HIS WIFE AND HIMSELF
A SUICIDE AND PROBABLE MURDER
THE VICTIMS YOUNG MR.. AND MRS sCnooM
MAKER, OF BRooKLYN-FoUND DYING In
EACH OTHERS ARMs-No CAUSE sus.
PECTED BUT INSANITY.

PECTED BUT INSANITY.
tragedy which has hardly been para1eled IN
BROOKLYN for a number Of years occurred yesterday
morning. Henry d. Schoonmalxer. prosperous
young business and member Of the 2sd
Regiment. shot his wife at their home in dat at
No. 50 Bond-st., and then committed suicide.
Mrs. Schoonmaker was expected to die last even
ing Further than the ntimstion that the un-
fortunate man was insane no cause for the crime
was disclosed
He was the only son Of Colonel John B. Schoon-
maker, Of No. 3l6 Hancock-st, who is employed
as server Of notices for the Controllers Offce
For two or three days the young man had been
kept at home from business by sickness, which
however, was not serious enough to warrant
calling in a physician, and his mother had called
daily at his home On Saturday night she said
TO her husband after returning home: Harry
acts strangely that am afraid he is going in
sane" Her husband replied Il don't believe
anything Of that sort will happen. He'll be ali
right in day two"
But Mr.. Schoonmaker, who had been confined
to his house for three weeks by rhematism, felt
some alarm, and he and Mrs. Schoonmaker de-
cided that it would be best to have their family
physician call and their A telephone
message sent to DR.. Shenstone, at No. 22s Cum
berland-st He did not go to young Mr.. Schoon-
makers house until about III o'clock yesterday.
Rapping at the door of the fat which is at tho
top of four-story brick building, Bond and
State sts he got no answer. Supposing he had
made mistake, he went down one flight and in
quired, and went back again, but received no re-
sponse
A WARNING RECEIVED BY THE FATHER
Meantime messenger from the Brooklyn
District Telegraph Company, at No. Courtst,
had started for Mr.. SchOonmalzer SIS, house 40
No 316 Hancock-st, with packet which had
been left at the Office on Saturday night with in
structions that it to be sent at IL a. N.
yesterday. When Mr.. Schoonpaker opened the
packet he found note from his son, which read
as follows: Tell Mother and Uncle Henry TO
come down to my house If they can't get in
tell them to burst open the parlor door, En-
closed was a note for Slas NJ Giddings, Of No
344 State-st the head of the firm for which young
Schoonmaker worked.
Already alarmed by the condition of his son,
Mr.. Schoonmaker feared the worst and, although
he had not been out for three weeks, he deter
mined to go himself and what was the matter.
instead of permitting his wife to 60 with her
brother, Henry Van Wrinkle, Of No. 43o Tompldns-
ave. He and Mr. Van Wrinkle took the elevated
road to the nearest station, and while
house, his brother-in-law hurried to find police
man. Patrolman Shields met, and he accom-
panied Mr.. Van WinkIe to No. SO Bond-st.
They found the doors all tightly fastened,
but by putting his shoulder to the door of the
parlor the policeman forced the fastening of the
bolt from its place In the bedroom, between
the parlor and kitchen, were the husband aud
wife-in bed with blood which had poured from
bullet wounds in their heads staining the pillows
In the right hand Of the husband was 32-calibre
revolver with four empty chambers. He had
evidently put three bullets in his wife. and. be-
Ieving he had killed her, had then fired tho fourth
bullet in his own head, causing instant death
HELD CLOSE IN EACH OTHERS ARMS.
Mrs. Schoonmaker was unconscious, and her
life was evidently fast ebbing away. Her father
in-law called her by name, and she opened her
eyes slowly. but unable to speak. Only the
faintest sign of a pulse could be discovered.
There were two bullet holes in her head and ono
in her breast. After shooting his wife the would
be murderer and suicide had blown his brains OUT
His arm had fallen across his wifes body, buo
his grasp of the weapon not relaxed. Mrs
ScLoonmaker lay on her right side. with ono
arm around her husbands neck, while he had
his left arm under her, holding her tightly TO
him. His body was still warm, showing that
the crime had not been committed long.
The occupants of the rooms below heard some
one stirring about daybreak, but no one heard
any sound of shooting or any noise later. On the
dressing case in the room lay another revolver OF
3s-calibre fully loaded 1t is surmised that young
SchoonmalSer had fully decided upon his action
before leaving the note to his father on Satur-
day night at the telegraph office, and that he had
risen carly in the morning, while his wife
sleeping, and got his weapons placing one on tho
bureau for use in case the other did not finish
his deadly work. Then. returning to his bed, hA
had taken his wife in his arms and had fired
the shots.
fourteen months, but his father complained of
the disturbance caused by his crying while hs
was confined 70 the house, and on Saturday after.
noon the child's aunt, Miss Louise Magnus, OF
No. IA Third-st., took the boy home with her.
Curiously enough she dreamed on Saturday night
that her sister had been shot by her husband
THE YOUNG MANS LIFE AND CONNECTIONS
Young SchoonmaIser was twenty-three years
old, and related to the SchoonmAker family
to which the former Attorney General Of ths
State Augustus " Schoonmaker, belongs. His
father has been an active Democratic politician
and campaign speaker, and is best known
Colonel John b, Schoonmaller. The young man
was born in this city, but had lived in Brooklyn
since an early age. He joined the 23d Regiment
about five years ago and was popular member
Jf Company Z. About four years ago he met Miss
Edith Magnus, a daughter of George Magnus of
No Ia Thrd-st, and in February, 1885 they
we're married. Alter boarding for time in
otate-st., they took the hat at No. 69 Bond-st
about three months ago
Mr.. SchoOnmaker, ST., said to a Tribune reporter:
" No more happy and loving couple could be
found So far as 1 knew they never had q
quarrel, and all was love and happiness He
was my only child, and Edith thought a great
deal of me. But Harry has. been acting strangely
lately. i saw him last OH Wednesday night and
ne acted somewhat irritably. lie would throw
bis head back as If suffering and his talk was
highty But / thought IL would soon pass over.
On Thursday my wife went TO his place OF
business and found that he had sent over the
Key, saying he was sick, and she was at his house