The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-14
TOOK CARBOLIC ACID
ANDRHAs HEIKE,s BODY FOUND IN
HIS ROOM. YESTERDAY
MORNING
HE HAD ceMM1rrED SUICIDE
Told Some of HIS Friends That He
Had Lost His FPosition-Then He
Went ON Debauch and nnded 1t
Up by Killing Himself - Little
KNOWN Of Him, but That He Was
Well Educated.

After debauch lasting two weeks. An
dreas Heicke ended his life Wednesday
by drinking carbolic acid. and his body
was found yesterday. lying on q bed in
his room at 757 Mendoza street. On a ia
BILE stood a half emptied bottle and a
glass In which q portion of the poison
still remained
The dead man was a fur cutter by
trade and German by birth. He was 55
years old, and was employed up to about
two weeks ago by Gordon & Ferguson.
He was Of very reticent disposition. and
little Is known Of his family connections.
Letters found in his trunk indicate that
he has brother insWisconsin. Rev. Rob-
ert Heike, of Gillett. Oconto county.
A week ago last Monday Heike an
nounced at the house where he roomed
that he had lost his position. He then
went out and got drunk at nearby sa-
loon. The next day he went down town
and returned with the pay which he had
coming to him, and started on debauch.
Little or nothing was seen Of him during
the week until Wednesday noon, when he
returned to his room In the, evening his
paper was delivered at the house and 1t
was taken to his room The door was
iOChCu anu uO one seemed TO De INSIDE.
The paper was therefore left between the
knob of the door and the casing.
Yesterday morning. when the girl went
to his room to make up his bed the door
was still locked and the paper In the
same position In which 1t had been left
the previous evening. She Immediately
went down stairs and reported that the
room was locked. This aroused suspicion
and the room was entered by means of a
pass key. On the bed lay the body of the
man, the face covered with a newspaper
On removing the paper 1t was found that
the man was dead, traces of blood on the
pillow and a faint scent of acid telling
the means by which he had ended his life
DR.. Bender was called at once it being
thought that a chance remained to save
Heike's life He pronounced the man
dead, and the coroner was notified
Coroner Nelson examined the body and
stated that in his opinion 1t had been dead
for twenty-four hours. The morgue am
bulance was called and the remains re-
moved.
An investigation resulted in the discov-
cry that the acid used had been pur-
chased three days ago at Davenport 8
drug store. on East Seventh street A
bottle containing an ounce Of the acid
| stood on the table in Heike's room, a
| glass tumbler, - with a. little Of the
liquid in the bottom, standing near it.
| Since losing his position Heike has been
drinking heavily. He was seen but little
at his ROOM and his landlord states that
he acted strangely and seemed very nerv-
| Gus and excitable most of the time He
| was In the habit of cooking his own food
| over a little stove in his room, OCCASION
ally going out for meal When sober he
was unusually pleasant and gentlemanly,
and seemed to be more than an ordinary
| laborer. He would say little concerning
| his family rnIa ffnna hut n A.
| ton had once or twice referred to. time
! when he was employed In Berlin, Ger
! many. and st. Petersburg, Russia. He
| also told at one time of working in San
| Francisco for q fur firm. He received
| very few letters and had no friends. He
| was very particular not to let anyone
| into his room, and was not In the habit Of
| frequenting the saloons as much as Of
bringing liquor home and drinking alone
He was well educated and a good con-
versationalist. 'lf' $3.50
After the removal of the body, Coroner
Nelson opend a trunk belonging to the
dead man and found bunch Of letters
all IN German from different persons
One, bearing the date of Feb. 10. appeared
to be from brother, Rev. Robert Heike
Gillett, Wis. and referred to money mat
tiers, giving the impression that at the
time 1t was written Heike had been In
bad shape financially and had applied to
his brother for relief. With the letter
was sent note for SIS.
For the past two weeks Heike has been
almost without money and owed his land
lord for his room. 1t Is thought that his
debauch, and nervous condition coupled
with it, and his financial troubles unset
tied his mind to some extent, and were
the cause of his rash act. His brother
was notified Of the death yesterday after
| noon and requested to wire instructions
regarding the disposition of the remains