The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-06-22
new YoRK'S SUICIDE CLUB
Sound Robin Society Fast Dying
by Its Own Hand.
Seven Take Their Lives Since March,.
revelations of "a Dying Member
Women l. gar to Die hen
Their Lovers Go.

New York, June 1S.-The Round Rob.
In Suicide club is perhaps the busiest
organization of it's kind in America. 1t
makes a death rate of it's own, and Its
surviving members are proud of 1t
Formed in January last for the purpose
# indorsing the quip What goods a
"a when his wife is a widow the
.lub has since March 10 established a
record of seven deaths. But 1t departed
from it's purpose by recognizing the
suicides of two women who died rather
than survive the clubmen they loved.
These women We're members of the
Round Robin club. but they were not
compelled to spin the tee-to-tum. the
stoppage of which obligated one of the
Robins to take his own life. The exist
ence of this band of death seekers wal
revealed to an official in Bellevue hospi'
tai by John Zuckfuss on June 10. Here
Is the record of suicides to date:
March 12-FREDERICK OEHMER
"a years old, 1881 First avenue
March 27-MARIE OEHMER, 80 years
Did, 1855 East Ninety-eighth street.
April 1l-JACOR q. GuMBEIsT, Al
gears old, 1925 First emu
April 26-OTTO SCHWERNELL, age
unkIloWIl, 1900 FlESl aNtIlut.
May 11-MARTHA BALMAR, about
80 years old, 300 East Seventy-first
street.
May 26-PITER BOUDERHOFF. 81
years old, 1856 Avenue A..
June 10-JOHN ZUCKFUSS. 43 year,
old. 1427 Avenue A.
From these dates it is clear that one
member OF the club sacrificed his or hel
| ~ sea-, lr,, arI Rp,irirr ~
this basis, the next one should go OF
June %.
1t pee that the reason no one
took his life between January %. when
the club was founded, and March u,
was that they We're unable to decide
upon an impartial means of determin'
ing which of them should go to death. .
1t is said that one Feignspan suggest.
ed the spinning of a tee-to-tum on q
round robin bearing thirteen numbers,
each one of which was to stand for 3
member of the club. The man at whose
number the little ivory top died had to
kill himself within twelve hours. AT
any rate. this plan was adopted.
The club was started in an informal
fashion after a meeting of a beneficial
society of Bohemians in the little hall
behind Anton Gerney's drinking place
at No. 1923 East Seventy-fifth street. 1t
began in a jest, which was soon
changed to deadly earnest. Most of the
twenty-one founders were Bohemians.
Since then its membership has increased
to about thirty members. Bohemians
still predominating, the remaining
clubmen being rma Six of them
were women. 1t will require only a lit
tie more than a year to wipe 1t out or
existence. 1t Is said that Mr.. Gerney
was chaffed so numerically about the,
Gathering of the devotees to suicide that
he gave them the cold shoulder, II
they sought other meeting places. In
East Seventy-ffth street Mr.. Gerney $
saloon is still referred to as the Suicide
club. He professe to know nothing
about the Round Robin Suicide club
now.
The club has had half a dozen meet
ing places since it started, the last be-
Ing in the saloon on First avenu near
Eighty-third street. 1t has no officers.
but it is understood that 1t shall meet
.very fifteenth night, the next meeting
place being designated at the previous
she. Dice are thrown to determine who
shall spin the fatal top. The thirteen
numbers are drawn from a hat and then
marked with chalk on a black circle of
cloth, on which the tee-to-tum is spun.
While the preparations are going on the
Members drink and make merry, and
when the little top stops the man or
woman whose death it marks receives
the congratulations of his or her mates.
Henry Phuegger of No. 1907 Second
avenue, who spun the top on June 9,
said to a reporter: We have no par.
ticp!ar love Cor life. and as most of us
are poor we nave as good a time as we
san until our time comes. Martha Bal.
nar was Mr.. Bo%uderhoff's sweetheart
and she insisted on taking her chance
with the rest, n as chance had it. she
followed him after the mex meeting.
NO, we did not intend to admit
women" Mr.. Phucgger continued. and
when we did it was with the understand
ing that if their courage failed the,
need not take a chance in the lottery
They come in because men they love
belong to the club, and thy want tt
know exactly when their sw~eetheart'i
time comes. Then a woman will go int
the next drawing with cagcrness. Blu
go long as their owed one is not killed
by the top, as we call it. she does no
rare to take any Still, we Xix,
to have them with us"
Mr.. Phuegger refused to say wher
the club is to meet on June y, sayinI
that members are pledged ON thei
honor not to reveal their meetin,
places.
a member whose lot is to kill him o
herself may use any means he or sh,
may choose, oehmer and his wife
Gumbert. Schwernell and Zackfus
took poison. Martha Balmar shot her
self and Rouderhoff hung himself
Replying to the question as to why
thirteen members were placed on the
round robin, Mr.. Pfucgger said: Well
YOU know 1t ID said to be an unlucky
number. so we thought we'd test it. II
has not proved so with us, although.
understand me. we don't believe in luck
for the tee-to-tum has never stopped
anywhere near the number 49,
CIVIL ENGINEERS.