The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-03
CHR. R. ROBERT A SUICIDE.
MANY TIMES n MILLIONAIRE, HE
SHOOTS HIMSELF At 6S.l

NNAe N
ais Chair. and Sent n Bullet Este His
Brais-He Buiit ~ Famous Fouse at Oak.
dale Next to W. N. vsnderblit's Idie Hour.
Christopher r. Robert, q contractor. reputed
to be many times over q millionaire, shot him.
self yesterday forenoon in his rooms In La
Rochelle. an apartment house at 81 West
Seventy.ffth street, and died within an
hour. DR.. g. NJ. Stoeckel Of the same
address. who attended him, and Leon
Baily OF $40 West Forty-seventh street,
an undertaken, called at Coroner Fitspatrickis
house after supper and asked for a burial per-
NIT, and requested that the case DO kept quiet.
The Coroner insisted on an investigation and
began Immediately to make 1t. The Coroncrs
Office and the police were notified In the regular
way about 10 o'clock at night. The body was
removed to tho undertaker's later last night,
and the autopsy will BIO performed to-day by
Coroner's Physician Donlin.
Mr.. Robert, who built himself o famous house
at Oakdale, L. J., had always been rather
eccentric, and he appeared to have been much
more so than usual recently. The janitor in the
apartment house says he had been espe-
cially detected and peculiar in his actions
for the last week. Last Saturday ho had
made all arrangements for a trip to Paris
with his wife. and was even aboard the steamer
on the day Of sailing, but suddenly changed his
mind and insisted on returning to his apart
ments. His wife's three children by her first
husband. Mr.. Morgan, are now in Paris. Her
maiden name was Julia Remington.
Yesterday morning at about o o'clock Mrs.
Robert, who was in the music room, heard
what she thought was q shot in her husbands
bedroom, Of which the door was closed. She
was afraid to investigate alone, and sent a hall
boy for g. H. Merriman, Mr.. Roberts private
secretary and manager Of the apartment house
which Mr.. Robert built and owned.
Mr.. Merriman could not go up Immediately.
and the boy soon returned with the message
that he was wanted at once in Mr.. Roberts
apartments, as Mrs. Robert thought she had
heard a shot in her husbands room. At that
Norman hastened to Mr.. Roberts room. whore
the janitor forced the door.
Mr.. Robert was sitting in a chair, fully dressed;
he had shot himself in the right temple, and o
3s-calibre revolver lay beside him on the floor.
DR.. Stocked was called Immediately. and the
dying m men ,n,t w "a. iii lifted s%nt to Dh the e. bs ga hi Ri, rI pulse
When she heard the shot Mrs. Robert was at
the other end OF the apartment Ono other per-
son is said to have heard 1t. Louise, a French
maid, whom the Coroner could not see. The
had gone out, leaving word that she was with
her parents.
nished all the Information that the Coroner OBJ.
tanned last night, but he was assured that all
| necessary WlLn6bB6o NOulu % pTOuuCou u inc
Inquest. on the body. which was dressed
in a black suit Of old.fashioned cut
Soases so a eard az of n s%nb s11if i IN The ar Hn. sGSas
Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty to Ami.
% elsan fresh Spa S biiis' and M % %as = LARGE nss s snou %as fo on
him to have with him: 1t was said last night;
There were sSs no payer found. Tho funeral will
DC Mt IRON Ro oss anS Seionred to the Knickerboeker
Club. the south Side sportsnen'S Club. the City
years old.
place. bordering upqn i: The land extends from
and hos a water front Of considerable extent.
spit Of land that runs out into the bay, and from
the road only glimpses OF It can be had now and
covered with scrub oak and stunted pine.
Mr.. Robert was several years in building his
R @ooS w nsr sssp nna nj wn in S the ina. fSeriS n anHw Of
Among the inhabitants of that part of Long
Island Mr.. Robert had the reputation for many
eccentricities, not the least OF which was his I'M
willingness to allow the Long Island deer hunt.
ers to shoot promiscuously over his grounds on
the four days of deer shooting in November. A
year ago last fall. when deer were 80 plentiful
many !D complaints Of Mr.. Robert because he in.
sisted upon aifording 10 the deer an asylum on
trampIe down his wheat and oats and would
never permit ANYONE to injure them.
oH Tue tUuT uhyS VI buOoIihS ZIG "hkCu un ~
cessant and vigorous wnrfsre on all hunters,
and had keepers out TO nab any one who ven-
tured over the line onto his land. He caused
more arrests for trespessing than all the other
property owners combined. In consequence
Of the protection no gave to the deer
and hunters would patrol the road and the rail.
road tracks that run through his land. shoe ing
at the deer and the woods and taking chances
of arrest by going In after the killed and wound
cd when the keepers were not about.
It Is related that Mr.. Robert had as great an
antipathy for dogs as he had for deer hunters.
and on account of this got into trouble with W:
valuable dogs at his place. which is called Idle
Hour. and they were wont TO stray over into
Mr.. Roberts property.
Mr.. Robert warned Mr.. Vandcrbilt's men
several times to keep the dogs away, but they
still came to bother him. At last he caused to
be set a large number of traps through his woods.
Some Of the dogs we're caught, A few days later
Mr.. Vanderbilt and Mr.. Robert met at the
railway. station on their way to town. and Mr..
Vanderbilt demonstrated with his n%eiRhbor.
Both men became rather excited. 1t Is said. and
the talk was warm. Finally Mr.. Robert ended
the discussion by saying:
The traps are on my land, aren't they
Well. II you keep your dogs at home they won't
get caught in them"
No moro dogs were caught.