The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-13
SOUGHT DEATH WITH GAS.
A YOUNG BRAZILIAN BARON As
PHYxIATEs HIMSELF.

eaid 70 ne = Musician ana LinEuist. hut Couid
Not Earn EnouEh 70 Live On Even bJ Pos'
ing AZ . R1odeI-wrote Letters while No
Thought Ne was DyinE-He VIII Recover.
A young man who calls himself Baron Ish-
mael Kontsky, but has been known as Alfredo
Parredado, attempted suicide early yesterday
morning in his room at 20 West Fifteenth street
by turning on the gas. He Is tall and SLENDER
with a slight brown mustache, and wears his
fluffy black hair after the fashion of Paderewski.
He 10 said to have been born In Brazil, his
father being a Spanlard and his mother q Ger
man. He recently completed his education at
n Paris university, 1t is also said, and Is an ac-
oomplished musician and linguist He arrived
hare from Europe last January, and 1t was sup
posed that no was receiving money from MS
mother, the Baroness Kontsky, who Is living
in Rio do Janelrc. Tho romittanccs which he
not from his mother were small, and not enough
to enable him to live.
He tried in various ways to get q lob that
would give him sufficient income to live proper
ly on, but although gifted In many ways, ne QUO
not succeed in finding n place. lie mad mao
some experience as an amateur actor, and de-
cided to try the stage for a living. He made ar
rangements, he told some ot his friends, with Mr.
Bial of Roster & Bial's, for an engagement In
the music hall. The young man got his costumes
and was all ready to begin his stage career when
Mr.. Bial died, and the arrangement fell through.
Then the Baron put an advertisement In several
papers asking for . chance to go on the stage,and
announcing that if he did not get 1t he would
commit suicide. 1t is said that he received
somo letters and money in answer to tho adver-
tiaement, but could not get a place suited to
He thon decided to try to mako a living out OF
his knowledge Of art He had met ;I Uh 70 NE
Diana q n sSs y nt5 tr 5niNld nnS S St 20 Vest " nil1 TS Il tvs
first street. Mr.. Iiibson agreed to pay him to
act as a model. The Baron lived In q small
room which he rented from tho Virgil Practice
Clavier Company at 90 West Fifteenth street.
He went there about two months ago WITH q
ffrtsaa ro %@n on the h third foor. ,CieSyses left last
Thursday and the Baron was obliged to, change
his quarters to u small hall bedroom in the rear.
On Monday night he mailed a letter e, Artist
Gibson announcing his intention TO kill himself.
Mr.. Gibson did not know the Baron very well.
lie gave him a chance to do some posing out of
charity. The Baron posed for him three times.
When Mr.. Gibson opened the Bsron's letter yes.
contents. he sent his valet, William Coleman Of
2O4 East Twenty. fifth street, to the Baron's
lodging. Coleman got to the room at IL O'Clock.
He found the young man unconscious on the
sofa with the photograph of an elderly man and
woman. evidently his parents, %c!!utched In his
right hand. The gas was turned on full from
two jets. Coleman called a policeman and tho
Baron was hurried across the street to the New
The doctors worked. over him and succeeded
in reviving him. He had nearly recovered yes
terday afternoon and Will be taken 10 the JET
ferson Market Police Court this morning. De
tective Conway searched the Baron's room and
found this note written on a sheet OF foolscap
paper. - !. -, o-. ,.
stand it any longer. The temptation TO finish
this terrible life I'm not used to Is too great.
So will I be ono more killed BY gas jet. May
God be lenient and forgive me-"
On the reverse side, written in q wavering
hand was tho following:
"And my dearest mother. All! All what I
owe shall be paid with the money expect one
OF these days. BARON koSTsKr.'
Further down the page, in a more tremulous
hand, was this:
at. is 8 o'clock now; I live still. May I be
dead before very long
He had evidently attempted to make his sig
nature again, but had scrawled only o line.