New-York tribune., 1895-07-07
MAN AND WIFE DECIDE TO DIE
THE HUSBAND DEAD AND THE WOMAN
FOUND INsENSIBLE.


wIFEs TO BE DIssEcTED AND
BURIED IN ONE GRAVE.
Frederick La Fontaine. a German. sixty years
old. was found dead in bed in his apartment on
the first floor OF No 1473 Lexington-ave.. at s:30
o'clock yesterday morning. and In bed beside him
lay his wife unconscious. Illuminating gas from
five burners had been turned on, with suicidal In
tent
La Fontaine's body was cold and death mad EVIL
IDENTITY ensucd some hours before. II is strange
that his wife survived him. La Fontaine was
salesman in the employ Of the American Grocery
Company at Reade-st. and West Broadway. He
worked steadily it Is said although he drank
heavily and no reason can be found for the sui
eide.
The connie lived alone and they had few friends
among them being Dr. Elsner their physician,
who lives at No les East Ninety-sixth-st.. and
Paul Amur and his wife, who live at One-hhn-
dred-and-sixth-st. and Second-ave. Dr. Elsner
was st breakfast at o'clock yesterday morning
when he received a note by mail from la Fon-
taine II was written In German. and had been
posted Friday evening. Translated. 1t read:
Dear Doctor. When YOU receive this letter shall
be more We have decided not to i've any more
and have resolved TO die together
FREDERICK IA FONTAINE.
The doctor WAS nuTllfuly Pi'p"'h'b w ''"''
the house when Mr. and Mrs. Almus called upon
him In breathless haste. Each had just received
a letter from La Fontaine. written In German
and each letter contained the same notice In
about the same words az the one sent to DR.. Els
nor Toge,her DR. Elsner and Mr. and Mrs. Al
mus went 70 La Fontalnes house. The Doctor
heinp an intimate friend carried key to the
fiat and ne opened the door. The whole apart
rnent was filed with gas that threatened suffoca-
tion 10 any one who entered. The doctor rushed
into the parlor and threw open the window, al
loving the gas 10 escape. Then as soon as 1t was
safe he re-entered the Nat and found La Fon-
taine and his wife lying together on bed in the
middle room II took but moment To discover
that La Fontaine was dead. but his wife, although
unconscious, showed signs of life. Then an exam
ination showed that the five gas-ourners IN 'hree
Of the rooms turned full on The gas was
shut on and the doctor removed Mrs. La rom
talne to A couch In the front room ana began
process to restore respiration. meantime sendlnS
Almus for some ammonia.
As Almus left the house he told Policeman
Schroeder Of the East Eighty eighth-st station
what had happened. and the officer at once took
posseesion Of the premises and sent word 10 the
police station When Almus returned with the
ammonia It was freely administered TO Mrs. La
Fontaine with the effect OF partly restoring hei
and then an ambulance was summoned. ana she
was removed TO the Presbyterian Hospital in
critical condition.
The policeman searched the premises ana on
table in the dining room found a sealed letter ad
dressed 10 the president, of the American Gro
Gerry Company Coroner Fitzpatrick was IN
formed n the case. and he gave permit to an
undertaken at No. 100 Third-ave. to remove the
body IhIs was done before noon. and then
Policeman Schroeder locked up the fiat
THE IA FONTATNES' MARRIED LIFE
Mrs. La rontalne was her husbands second
wife He had two grown-up sons By his f'rst
wife. who are living somewhere in the West
but the place has not been ascertained. The
couple had been married seventeen years. but
had no children According to the neighbors
they seemed to live most happily together. the
only trouble that ever occurred between them
being caused by La Fontane's fondness for
llquor: but he is said TO have been KIND ana
loving 10 his wife. even when in his cups lie
was a large powerful man. weighing Z'o POUNDS
and was gOod-natured. always having h'nu
word for his neghbors. His wife was WOMAN
OF ordinary stature. with pieasihs '',sr,,,o |,.
She was last seen by the neighbors on rrinay
morning when she went through the nan sing
Ing a German song. La Fontaine was ias' zen
at o'clock Friday evening. when ne entered ms ,
a. he passed them.
The aat in which tho La Fontaines lived was
well furnished and scrupniousiy clean, Hn & Wv, ~,
noor In the kitchen were n large numD'r OF
empty beer bottles. and In the wdsntuDs were ii
number Of whiskcy and wine bottles All empty.
The neghbors say that on wednesday 'nVre
was a strong odor Of gas In the house ana they
think that La Fontaine attempted SUICIDE on
that day Yesterday morning early the odor oi gas
strong through the house as M TO yoroms o. o"
bearable and all the windows in the various
apartments had tn be opened me hsiSnouIS
tested the gas-burners In their flats ana IN the
railways and even In the cellars, but were d, d
loss 10 explain the ha'ter UNI" "a i''''' "
rived AT the house
LETTERS LEFT BY THE DEAD MAN
Among the letters left by La Fontaine was one
oddrossod n the Coroner. which reads as fol-
lows:
New-York. July s. 1895
Nv we VII" and myself having decided to throw away
,h ',wrden of this lie and 70 commit suicide by
taking morphine and letting the gas escape ask lou
to grant US the last favor and dssect our ood'eS'
which hope you Will grant
Three other letters. written In German were
found Two were addressed to Dear Paul" and
the other to DR.. Elsner. The latter TRANSACTED
follows:
When these lines reach you ! shall have ceasea easel
TO live I have a great favor TO ask. and ! nope
you will do il for us, Please hc.p my friend PAU ha
Almus who is heir to what little nave, As np ne
will please present this. through him 10 the toro
My wish is not to be cremated' pu' 'ha' we
both be buried In one grave
In the two letters addressed to Paul Almus' La
Fontaine says he and his wife are going to die
He thanks his friends. and says that ne tried to
prevail on his wife to live. but that when she
learned that IL was his desire to commit suicide
she was determined to die with him.
DR. Elsner Paul Almus and three women went
to the PRESBYTERIAN Hospital last night to see Mrs.
La Fontaine Mr. Almus will take charge OF the
funeral OF Mr. La Fontaine. and OF that Of his
wife In case she should die. The physicians AT the
hospital say that Mrs La Fontaine cannot re-
cover.
FOR CAUSING Az OLD WOAAN'S DEATH
Rochester July 6-The hamlet OF Ontario IL ex-
cited over the death OF Mrs. Lettie kirs widow
eighty years old at her home. three miles east