The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-27
A TRAGIC SUICIDE.
Frederick Bennig Locks
Himself in His Bath
room and Blows
His Brains
Out.
A WELL KNOWN GERMAN CITIZEN
A WELL KNOWN GERMAN CITIZEN
He Was Attached to the German
Consulate and Was Happy
and Prosperous.

Frederick Bennig, aged 42, attached tc
the German Consulate in New York City
and residing at No. IA Bowers street, on
the Heights, ended his life this morning
in a sudden and tragic manner by shoot
ing himself with a revolver while locked
in his bathroom.
Mr.. Bennig, who is well known among
the German residents of the Heights, cele-
brated Thanksgiving yesterday in the
usual fashion with his wife and two
years old.
Nothing unusual in his behavior was no
ticed last night. and he retired at his
accustomed hour. He arose this morning
at eight O'Clock and went al once to the
bath room. His wife heard him turn the
key in the dock. A moment afterward
she was stantled to hear the muffled re-
port of a pistol, followed by the sound Of
a heavy fall in the bath room
Mrs Bennig and he daughters rushed
to the bathroom. The door was locked,
and the distracted woman then ran into
the street and hailed Policeman Joseph
Richards, of the Sixth precinct, who had
been attracted to. the house by the re-
port.
Richards burst in the bathroom and
found Mr.. Bennig stretched on the floor
dead, with his brains literally scattered
over the room. From the position of the
body it was evident that Bennig had de-
Eberately paced himself in front of a
mirror and fired a bah from a 50 calibre
revolver INTO his right temple. Bennig' s
hand was firm and his i'm true for the
bullet had crashed into his head making
death almost instantaneous.
H. AZ no
called in, but he could do nothing but
pronounce life extinct
Mrs. Bennig and her children are pros
trated by the awful shock. Mrs. Bennig
why her husband should take her life
He was prosperous as far as she knew
and perfectly happy.
Mr.; Bennig has been a resident of the
HEIGHTS for several years He had an
office at the German Consulate No. 2
Bowling Green, New York City
County Physician Converse will view
the body today and grant a burial certi-
At the office of the German Consulate
II was said that Bennig was a man very
reserved IN his habits and paid the strict
est attention to his duties. Chief Clerk
Fred Hillerman said that he had often
advised him to take some recreation and
9oin }oiind q club CUB, but Bennig asserted that he
r9lnd greater pleasure with his wife and
chIdren. He was a man of domestic
<A2hlts and temperate
He. left the Consulate on Wednesday
evening IN apparently good spirits. There
was no indication of anything wrong. 1t
Is thought by his associates that the
monotony of his work, which ran in one
9ne 1i OF detail, may have had the effect of
disordering his mind
Bennig had complained about the dull
menotony of his routine work as register,
put concluded to continue in the place on
account s;I la, OF the increased salary. He was
wei liked and respected by his asso-
ciates.
Bennig was born on March 2, 1854. at
hsecEkum, Hanover. He entered the office
clerk on March 1s, 1872. and in 1873 he
became second secretary. He was after
WARD advanced to first secretary. and
was promoted to the place of register
two years ago.