The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-31
TWO HOBOKEN SUICIDES
Sons of Both Men Made the
Horrible Discovery of
Their Fathers Deeds.
HERMAN HANGED HIMSELF
Frederick Falkner Cut His Throat,
NearlylSeYering the Head
From the Body.

The bodies of two elderly men lay side
by side on slab in Corener Psrslow's
HOboken morgus this morning. The
features of one of the bodies were horribly
distorted and across the throat of the
other was terrible gaping wound. The
bodies were those of Frederick Herman,
So years old, a laborer. and Frederick
Falkner, slxty-one years old, q seRar
maker. Both of the men had startled all
Hoboken in the early morning hours By
committing suicide and hundreds lin
gered in the vicinity Of the morRue all
day.
THE FIRST CASE.
Herman lived with his wife and family
OF four grown children at No. 76 Bloom
field street. He was employed as .
laborer on the steamship docks, ar6
when able TO WORK, he earned a gooS,
salary. Lately he has been in Ill health
aud unable to work He became very
Respondent and frequently in the
presence of his family said that IL he did
not regain his health he W ould end his
life. His family endeavored to buoy his
dropping spirits. but he would not be
consoled. A close watch was then kept
on him by the members of Bhs family.
Last night Herman see med tO be in
unusually good spirits and laug he'd and
chatted with his eldest son Ffederick,
who is about twenty-five years old. He
retired at about eleven o'clock after
drinking couple OF glasses of lager.
THE HUSBAND Missed.
At abeut half-past O'Clock this morn
ing Mrs. Herman aWoke and was sur
prlsed to find that her husband was not
in the room. She was not alarmed, how
ever, thinking that he had gone insD the
yard or was about the house som ewhere.
Mrs. Herman arose to get the breakfast
for the boys, whose work called them
out at that early hour. She awoke hnr
twelve-year old son Aug ust and sent
him into the cellar to ct some wood
with which TO build fire.
The little fellow went down to the
cellar. IL was almost pitch dark there.
A ray OF light penetrated the door Of the
cellar. When the boy had become accus-
toned to the darkness he bega TO grope
about for the wood.
THE SONS HORRIBLE DISCOVERY.
Suddenly the lad let yell and stood
like one petrifled. His hand had come
into contact with something cold aud
cIammy and looking up he saw two big
eyes starring him tn the face. The eyes
ware almost starting from the SOCK
cts. The lads screams aroused the
household and soon the cellar was
filed with the. other members of the
family and tenants in the house. AT
first they could not distinguish any,
thing, but soon a light was proc ured and
a horrible sight met their eyes.
Hanging from one of the rafters In the
cellar bY u stout piece of rope w as The
body of Herman. The rope had been
arranged into a slip knot. and the suicide
had gone about his work with q great
III Of Has On am mr. ane
oox while he adjusted ths rope and then
kicked the box away. The features were
greatly distorted. A thin stream of
blood oozed from the neck where the
| rope had embedded itself in the flesh.
| Word was Immediately sent to Police
Headquarters around the corner, and
Sergeant Rathjen hurried to the house
and cut the body down. Later 1t was
taken to the morgue. Il is supposed that
Herman had been hanging for seTerat
hours.
THE SECOND CASE.
Sergeant Rathien had barely reached
the station house when over the police
call box came the startling information
| that man had gashed his throat with q
raizor on the TOD Hoor of the houss No.
| 326 Clinton street. A hurry call Wna
sent for the patrol wagon, aud
! Sergeant Rathien went to the house.
| There, on the floor of room. wna
Frederick Falkner GaspIng for breath,
with the blood flowing In a stream from
| 4 terrible wound in his throat. A razor,
dripping with blood, was alongside the
| bleeding man. Before the arrival Of
| medical utte ndance, the man died.
DISTRESSING DETAILS.
The details of this suicide were pecu.
| liarly Distressing. Falkner slept with
his son Adam. q young man OF twenty
| two years. He retired last night in the
best of health. About quarter to six
O'Clock this morning, young Falk ner was
awakened by low moanS. He heard a
dripping sound and saw that his father
was not in bed. He went into the ad.
| joining room and almost collapsed at
what be saw. His father was seated on
a chair with his head thrown back and
an awful wound in his throat. HiG
clothing and the floor about the chair was
saturated with blood. Tue razor drip
ping with blood, was yet
clutcbed in the fathers hand.
For moment the young woman was
paralyzed with horror. Then he was
suddenly aroused to action. He took the
razor from her fathers hand, adjusted
his head which was hanging OFT and
staunched the flow of blood with some
cotton as best he could. Theu he aroused
the household and running into the
street told policeman what had CO.
CURED and hurried for doctor.
THE DOCTOR TOO LATE
When the doctor arrived, however.
Falkner was dead. The body was later
removed to Parslow's morgue. No cause
Is assigned for Falkner's rash act. and
the family is prostrated with grief aud
horror over the terrible affair.
There seems to be an epidemic Of sui
cides in Hoboken at present. and the citR
is keeping mp its reputation as the bRne
ner suicide CITY of tins country. This is
the fourth suicide within the past few
days.