The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-17
BERTHE WALTER, SUICIDE.
THIS ooMEs or MARRYING INTO
NAUGHTY FlMIJT.n

80 aaia r weuaan o. viewing mer Body ut the
nasrEue-she wns n Teacher % Languages
hsphyxited Herself with Gas at Her LedE'
inE-Lcrt n Bundle or Tspewritten stsries.
Nine. Berthe WALTER. n teacher Of languages.
committed suicide yesterday in q lodging house
at LOG East Twenty.third street by asphyxiat'
ing herself with gas. Sho left q note to the
Coroner, indicating that financial difficulties
made her Respondent.
Up to last June she was quito prosperous.
having been teacher of languages in the private
school Of Mary r. and Ruth Merington at Lenox
avenue and 10th street. She was not rc-
engaged for this school year, and, 30 far as Ia
known, her employment OF latc had not been
regular.
She apparently went to live at tho Twenty
third street house about three months ago, oc-
cupying q small room in the rear on the top
floor. She went away about q month ago, but
returned after a weeks absence. She had lately
been short OF money, and was behind in the pay
ment OF her rcnt.
The woman's suicide became known through
Gustav vorbeck and Henry slocum, tenants
of tho lodging house. About $3.50 p. M.
they smelled gas and traced It to Nine. Val.
fer's room. Finding the door locked. and being
unable to get any response to their knocks,
| they sought Policeman Fox Of the East Twenty
second street station. Ho mounted the fire
escape and tried to look in the window, but q
| sheet hid his view. Then he broke the window.
| Tho gas escaped so strongly that no was
obliged to wait n few minutes before
entering. He found Nine. WALTER dead on
! the floor. There was no bed in the room. The
mattress on which the woman had been sleep
Ing had been pulled by her underneath the gas
the jet. turned on the gas. inserted the other
end Of tho tube in her mouth, and lay down on
the mattress. Her body was already cold when
Tho room was poorly furnished and tho
woman's personal belongings were few. On the
floor by her side was this note addressed to the
Hereby inGlOssd find 81 and q fey cents-all
1 have. Would like to be cremated.'
The note was not signed. 1t did not contain
the money. which was in a purse. A bundle OF
typewritten. manuscripts. three photographs. q
mar dictionary and q notebook were the sui
cide's other belongings. The body was sent to
It was said at the lodging house that nothing
was known Of the dead woman because she had
held herself aloof from all the other tenants.
lived at los East Tweniy-third street at the
time it was issued. The directory Of 1896 gives
living iRi ns% at 1o oe E Antf Tw yaaHet rae street eta'n'f' 10
About $3.50 o'clock last night a man and q
the body. seemed greatly affected. They re-
fused to tell thoir names or to give any informa.
! They went back shortly after II o'clock.
With them was another woman. also we'll
dressed. When she looked on the body she
went into Mysteries. Having Gained down a
little. she began to weep. exclaiming:
This. comes Of marrying into q naughty
family"
When asked to explain her meaning. she re-
fused. as did the others. Morguc Keeper Arm
for purposes OF record. but they refused to tell
them. They said they would return this morn
ing with n relative and make arrangements for
the burial. Then they went away.
1t was said last night at the Coroners' office
that the case belonged to Coroner yucca. az the
body had been sent to the Morgue; but Coroner
yucca said that he knew nothing about it, and
that it belonged either to Coroners Bausch or
Hart. None of them went to the MorCue last
night.
1t was not possible 10 examine the effects of
the woman, which were taken to the Coroners'
Office. without n permit from tho Coroner
handling the case, and as this could not be de-
terminod. they were kept locked up. The man
uscripts were said to be short stories.