The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17
FORTUNE M0CKED THEM.
MEN WHO KILLED THEMSELVES
WHEN WEALTH WAITED THEM.

Stories of Their Deaths By Suicide.
From the Neto York Tribune
Ten years ago, on May l. at No. 1s6 For
syth street, William Godfrey Kruger put
an end to his life. His friends think that
had be lived until to-day the great prob
lem of aerial navigation would have been
solved. The circumstances surrounding his
death are most interesting, and are enoour-
aging to respondent people TO hang on to
life as long as possible.
Kruger was an inventor Of flying ma
chine, on which he had spent many years
of ardent thought and restless toll He had
fine scientific attachments, which. had re-
coived some little public recognition. That
there was something original, il not en-
tirely practicable, in his ship was attested
BY the fact that it bad secured patent on
Jan. 81 preceding the inventors death.
Kruger had lived for some time in Wash
ington, at 915 Ninth street, northwest, aud
in San Francisco. where he delivered
series of lectures before the Academy of
Natural Sciences on "Aerial Navigation"
Aaron Harris and his family lived in the
house where the suicide took place. Krue-
ger went to them as a stranger early in
April, 1882, and rented room on the sec
ond floor. 1t was soon disco vered by Mr..
Harris that his ledger did not have much
money. He represented TO them that be
was in daily expectation Of receiving the
first installment of q pension due him from
the government. He was native of Vest
ern Prussia, aud had been in the country
IF
the civil war he enlisted in the Second regi-
nent of volunteers of Missouri and had
been promoted to be first lieutenant before
the close of the war. He had suffered i'm
prisonment in confederate stronghold
and this fact was the basis OF his claim for a
pension.
For fifteen years before going to the house
in Forsyth street to live he had been en-
tirely absorbed in studying oHt the problem
of bis flying machine, permitting 1t to con-
sumo every thing which epossessed-heaIth
intellect and money. 1t is probable that he
had some little savings when he left the
military service. His only known occppa-
ton. beside that of an inventor, had been
the writing Of occasional contributions to
the newspapers, particular satirical sketches,
for those printed in the German language.
On Sunday evening, April 30. 1882
Kruger was chatting cheerfully with his
host and hostess beside the family hearth
The topic was the usual one-locomotion in
the air.
IAN want" said Kruger, "is two men
with $40, 600 each to back me, aud six
months from tonight will cross the At
lantic in twenty-four hours. If that pen-
sion money of mine would only come along
| should be able to get few things want,
and after that l should soon be able to
prove to men of capital that the solution of
aerial navigation has been reached. / am
afraid the government never intends to
give me anything"
It was 10 o'clock when the inventor babe
Mr.. and Mrs. Harris good night, and soon
afterward the whole household was quiet
every light in the place being extinguished.
Between and O'Clock In the morning
several belated Sunday breakers. when ar
irving at their homes In the neighborhood
heard 9 pistol shot. Hours passed by and
daylight returned. The Harris family
arose early, and about S:l5 o'clock the post
man came. There was large official en-
velope for Kruger. IL bore the Washing
ton postmark, and in one corner were the
words Pension Office"
at has come at last" exclaimed Mrs
Harris, with a smile on her face, Then she
turned to her little daughter Hannah and
said: Go to Mr. Krueger's room and tell
him the good news. He will be 80 glad"
The little girl had learned to love the
quiet, old ex-soldier, and with light heart
and smile she ran gayly up the stairway
to impart the good news. She soon re-
turned to her mamma with a frightened
look on her face.
II could only see his hand" she said
''but it looked so white, and | am afraid
he's dead. He's got all his clothes on aud
he lies so still" t..
Mrs. Harris FASTENED to the bedroom.
She found on trying the door at the usual
entrance that something large and heavy
had besn placed against the inside. IL was
the bed. But she saw more than her little
child had seen. She saw blood, and. with a
scEeam, she ran to call her husband. The
latter found stretched across the bed, fully
dressed, and even wearing his spectacIes,
the body of Kruger. His face was COW
cred with splashes of blood.
There was large hole in the right tenn
pie and another corresponding in the oppo-
site one. The pillows and bed coverings
we're dyed red. The night hand of the
corpse grasped large 44-caliber revolver.
Life had been gone so many hours that the
flesh. where it happened to be free from the
bloodstains. looked white and wax-iike.
The room was in confusion. A table was
piled with papers, pamphlets, books and
fiimsy bits of mechanism. Parts Of diff
erent models of the airship were strewn
about He had spoiled the model before
killing himself. Search was made for
some final message, but none was found.
Theinventor's secret was as safe to the last as
the secret Of life and death. and the tardy
help which had come TO him from Uncle
Sans treasure chest had arrived too late.
In 1870 their was lodging house in
Eleventh street, near Fourth avenue, occu-
pied by few Americans, chiefly ar lists and
literary men, and aTnumber of Cubans who
had been driven from the lever faithful
isle" in the revolution there. They lived,
some on small irregular allowances from
Cuba, Others by working in cigar stores end
factories, and Others still on charity.
Among these was a young man named An
tonic Martinez. He had not been in New
York long, could not speak word Of En-
glish, and lived In great misery. He was q
refugee and could not return to Cuba.
he had arrived in the beginning of win
ter with only summer suit, such as is Gus
tomary In the tropics. and, having no
money, he actually spent New York win
ter without an overcoat and dressed as IL
for a tropical summer day In nsnksen and
straw. Nevertheless, he was pleasant
young fellow, and, being popular among
his young compatriots, they did their best
TO help him along. He occupied wretched
little room, with only mattress and wash
stand in it. After a fruitless search for work
he endeavored to make enough TO live on
by carving out fans and other articles
from soft pieces Of wood At this occupa-
tion he spent most Of his time in his room,
where he never had a fire He lived chief v