The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-13
THE DOUBLE SUICIDE.
Old Mr.. Th1eke and His
Wife Agree to Die
Together.

bodies-those Of a poor old man and his
wife who. after battling with the world
for over sixty years and seeing starvation
aud sickness staring them In the face,
ended their existence BY committing
suicide. The JERSEY CITY NEWS of last
night told how these poor old people,
Charles Thieke and his wife. had been
found dead in the upper apartments Of
the house No. 20 Thorn street. Jersey City
Heights, and evidences are that they died
by their own hands.
THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE.
| Nine months ago James Reed, Of Hobo
| ken, the owner OF the house. No. 20
Thorn street, was visited by a respectable
old couple. They said they were Charles
| Thieke and wife. The mau showed a
card which proved that he was In the
| fancy box business in San francisco
Mr.. Reed let the apartments TO the couple
and they moved in considerable furni-
ture. Mrs. Thieke was an Invalid. and
I the neighbors state that from the day on
which the old couple moved In the
woman was never seen out OF her apart
ments- Her husband told them that she
was sick abed.
Thieke obtained employment as q book
binder in Pearl street, New York. But
he was heard to say that If his wife did
not recover he would not care to live
About six months ago the old man was
attacked with rheumatism aud was alb
sent from work tor several days. He re-
covered eventually, but those who know
him say that he has been respondent ever
since.
HIS JOB GONE
| Three weeks ago last Saturday night
| Thieke came home as usual from his
work. At the door OF his house be met
| John Lyons, who with his wife occupies
1
| eyes were filled with tears as he told
| Lyons that he had been laid off. After
| that time the old man kept TO his room,
only occasionally going out for walk.
! He said himself and wife were sick and
destitute and he did not see the use Of
living any longer. He declared he could
not pay the rent. and sooner than go to
i the poorhouse he would die.
soBBING AT THE WINDOW.
The last seen of the Old man was on
| Thursday morning. John Lyons, while
/ on his way to work saw him at the win
| dow upstairs. He had his head buried in
| his hands and appeared to be sobbing.
/ At twelve o'clock Mr.. Lyons came home
| 10 his dinner. As he was about to leave
/ the house he heard a scraping noise up
| stairs. lie says that he thought that the
old man was going from the rear room to
| the front Que. and that the scraping noise
| was made by his stick. Then all was
/ still, aud from that time on there was
/ not sound from the apartments.
| On Saturday morning the newsdealer
/ brought a paper and left it at the door. 1t
\ was not taken in- Neither was the paper
| Of Sunday or yesterday. Conrad Eetjen.
| a grocer next door to the house, sent some
| groceries on Friday morning
There was no response to his knock. He
1 went up again on Sunday morning and
yesterday morning and the result was
the same. Then the groceryman told
Lyons that he thought there was some-
thing wrong upstairs.
Lyons looked up at the windows and
| saw that the blinds had been drawn. He
| went upstairs and repeatedly knocked.
| There was no response. Lyons, remem-
bering what the old man mad said about
| committing suicide, hurried towards the
| Fifth precinct police station.
THE BODIES DISCOVERED.
II was then half-pasL eleven O'Clock.
| On Central avenue he met Chanceman
Evans. He told him Of his suspicious.
| Lyons and the policeman went back TO
| the house. The policeman fruitlessly
i Knocked at the door with his club. Then
putting his shoulder toll he burst in.
y gnastly sight met his gaze On a
| chair in the sitting room WAS seate d
| Thieke His face was white and his body
rigid. His bony fingers had death grip
on the sides of the chair, de was dead.
| On bed close by was his wife. She was
also dead.
| On a table near by were several medi-
| cine bottles. Their contents hac been
used in efforts 10 relieve Mrs. Thieke's
sufferings. One of them which had con-
tanned nnriatic acid was no doubt the
one chosen TO end all earthly suEerings.
The bottle was purchased from A
| Brower of Fulton and Greenwich streets,
New York.
A TELL-TALE LETTER
On the table was also letter in German
which showed that the couple had de-
| liberately committed suicide. Translated
1t read as follows
After our corpses are discovered all that
wish is that my body and that of my wife
| Augusta be uurled TO- gether. We have friends
| or relatives We did it OF our own free will /
| hope some undertaken will bury US together
| The exp snse can be borne by the safe Of our
! household effects. canuot write any more;
the rheumatism In my hand pains me terribly.
CHARLES THIEKE
! County Physician Converss was nasriIy
summoned. lie gave it as his opinion,
after looking at the bodies, that the
woman had been dead since Thursday
and the man only tweuty-four hours. He
| ordered the removal OF the bodies 10 the
morgue, and said that in his opinion an
| inquest was unnecessary
THE WOMAS DIED FIRST.
| If the County Physicians opinion is
| correct that the woman was dead three
| days and her husband only twenty-four
hours, a strange pndoc VI tnl5 sdu duatr is
presented. The police believe that after
| the old couple had mutually agreed 10 die
/ together the poison was first administered
| by Thieke TO his wife. This was on
| Thursday. That day Mrs. 1hieke
died. When Thieke saw the effects
1 OF the poison ne lacked the
| courage to take the deadly draught
himself. From Thursday night until
| SUNDAY morning he was alone with his
wne's corpse. His suffering during that
time can only be imagined. On Sunday
morning probably he TOOK the deadly
stuff. aud after fixing the room in order
| sat in the chair i'll which he was found