The evening times., 1898-12-21
SHAME LED CHARLES
HERBEST TO SUICIDE
PARENT TALKED OF ARREST
Th N the Lad Drank Carbolic Acid.
Father Is Nearly Crazed
With Grief.

With Grief.
New York, Dec. 21.-Remorse and fear
of Imprisonment drove Charles Herbst,
nineteen years old, to end his life by TAX
ing carbolic acid at his home. No. Al
First Avenue, last evening. The boy con-
fessed to his father that he had stolen 50
from his employers. His father told them
of the theft. They were willing to take
the boy back and deduct the stolen
money from his wages.
For some reason-probably shame-the
boy refused to accept the terms offered,
and would not face his employers. This
angered his father, and he told his son
that his employers would arrest him and
lock him up. Sooner than suffer this dis
grace he committed suicide.
AS a matter of fact, the members of
the firm of the Decorative Plant Compa-
ny, in Fifth Avenue, had no intention of
causing the arrest of the boy. 1t was to
scare his son into going to work that the
father told him that the firm threatened
to lock him up.
George Herbst, the father, is cigar
| maker. His wife and several children are
| in Germany. He is trying to accumulate
enough money to bring them to this
| country. For this reason he was anxious
! to add what he could of the earnings of
| both himself and son to a bank fund for
| that purpose.
| Charles was small for his age Some
| time ago he got employment as an er-
rand boy with the Decorative Plant Com
| pany. They paid him $4 a week. Charles
| father would allow him out of his wages
only 81 a week. OF course, Charles had
/ no trouble in spending that amount long
| before each pay day. He often demanded
more money of his father. Sometimes he
| got 1t, but more frequently he did not.
| The father generally scolded him and
called him a "spendthrift' The son re-
4 sented this, and declared that boy of
| his age ought to have all his wages The
! consequence was that the father and son
had constant quarrels over money mat
| ters. Charles brought home his wages. as
| usual. last Saturday night and gave them
| to his father. The latter gave him 10 cents
and refused to give him more on his de-
| manding 1t. They had a violent quarrel
in which Charles threatened to leave
home If he could not get what he wanted
II was for the purpose of improving his
appearance that Charles wanted more
money. He had recently met a fair cas-
side maiden, and he fancied that his
clothes were of the shabby genteer' or
der His derby hat was odd and covered
with dents. He thought he needed new
umbrella too. On going to work Monday
morning Charles was sent out to make
some collections. When he turned in hi
money he retained s. of it. This he useo
up in the purchase of hat and an UNI
breIIa Going home, he informed his faith
er of his theft, and the latter flew int
terrible rage.
| The father denounced him as a thle
and spendthrift Charles retorted that nj
father had driven him TO steal by his pc
| nuriousness.
Charles declared he would not work an.
more at all until the father promised L
give him more of his earnings. He re
fused TO go to the Decorative Plant Com
pany's place yesterday morning Inc Ia
ther went there and told them OF tn
sons theft His employers said ne wa
the best boy they ever had and told tn
, father that they would take Charles bac
and deduct the 81 from his wages
II will never go back there, Charlie
said when his father informed him o
The offer of his employers. II would b
} ashamed to look them in the race asai
| after what / have done
His father then berated him soundl!
! | and told him that the members of tn
firm would arrest him if he did not
} back to work or repay them their money
Charles then left the house in sulie
and remorseful mood. He returned seN
! eraI hours later at o'clock His fathe
was asleep in a back bedroom.
} Taking off his clothes Charles lay dow
ON a lounge in the front room. Then Il
drank the contents of bottle of carbon
\ acid. Suffering from the effects 1
' crawIed. moaning, into a bedroom nef
where his father lay. There he died.
II was half an hour before the fath'
awoke. on going into this front room I
\ nearly stumbled over the form of his 80
, Beside him lay the poison bottle.
= Picking it up the father saw what ha
happened and ran into the stree
screaming for help. An ambulance W;
e called from Bellevue Hospital, but befo
it arrived the boy was dead.
When he knew that Charles was de-