The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-13
MYSTERY OF L Suicide
Belief That 1t May Have Been
Caused by Remorse.
Young Man who Took BIS Life Now
Suspected of Having shot His Fa-
ther Nearly Two Years Ago-BIfna
old Man Found Dead in His Chair
same weapon Used Both Times.

Of young Philip S0ndheTm in New YORK
last Saturday continues to be the subject
OF comment in Bradford II recalled vivid
" the tragic death of his father, Henry
SoHdkeim. which occurred at the family
home. in this town. on the evening Of
March 20. 1899.
On that evening a Hebrew lecturer, Dr.
Levy. of Philadelphia, spoke at the Wag-
uer Opera House Henry Sondheim had
| purchased tickets for himself and family
to attend the lecture. but Sendhein did
not hear II.
Philip Sondheim rushed out of the house
shortly after O'Clock that evening and
alarmed the neighborhood by declaring
that his father had shot himself Two
| surgeons were called. but the man was
dead when they arrived. After the elder
sondheim's death many ugly rumors were
aaoat. and there we're suspicious that 1t
was rot a case of suicide, as it had been
decided to be by the coroner's inquest
Henry Sondheim. who had been blind
for some time. had eaten his SUPPER, and
was sitting in his parlor in front of a gas
FIRE smoking a cigar. a bullet from a
large army revolver ended sonheim's
life The dead man still sat in his chair
when the surgeon arrived at the mousse
a few minutes after the shooting me
cigar that Sondheim had been smoking
was on the floor. It had burned small
hole in the carpet In its descent from
the mans lips it had struck against the
front of his waistcoat, and its ashes were
still there
How could that man have killed him
self while comfortably smoking and IN
such a position" was the question asked
or that occasion, but not answered. Phi
in Sondheina was tear1es and apparently
unconcerned. \ couch stood near where
the father had been sitting. a person
seated on that couch could easily have
killed the blind man.
The hands OF the dead man were inside
the arms of the chair Tns hole IN the
/ right temple was clean cut and not
ra eyed one. as would have resulted had
the nuzzIe been pressed against the side
of the head. The coroner's jury I'll
dered a verdict of suicide, but at the
same time there had been evidence cnsr-
ed that did not favor that theory
The most important witness at the in
quest was DR.. Bennington, who reached
the Sondhiem residence soon after the
shooting Dr. Benninghon said what puz-
zled him was the location OF a pool Of
| blood near the left foot OF the dead man
| He testified that he had taken hold OF
| Sondhefm's wrist 10 feel his pulse, and
| that he might have placed the hands in
/ side OF the armchair.
| Dr. Bennington said that in his opinion
| Judging from III, condition Of the wound,
| the size Of the revolver and the fact that
| Sondheia was blind it was possible that
| the father could have fred the fatal shot,
/ but he could not say that it was probable
| After the death Of Henry Sondheim the
surviving members Of the family soon de-
parted from Bradford and the matter
! gradually dropped out OF public notice. but
| on Sunday, when the story OF the tragedy
1 in New York Became known here the old
| syspicions as to the death OF Philip SOnd-
| helms father was revived. When it was
/ learned that the same revolver was used
/ by the young nan that had killed his pa
rent the coincidence was commented upon
/ There was almost a conviction that the
second tragedy was sequel 10 the first
| "Remorse." as one man put il. may
| have been the chief cause of Philip Sord-
| helms DEATH Whether these suspicious
are we'll grounded. of course viii never be
known. unless the letters written By
Philip Sondheim before his death should
throw light upon the matter.
/ The Sondheims we're one of the most
prominent Hebrew families Of this city.
Henry Sondheim was wealthy. One OF the
things which tended 10 aIlay suspicion OF
a murder was the fact that after he was
stricken blind, about year before his
death. ne had told & was alleged, one or
two OF his friends that he would take his
own life if he did not recover his eye
sight
The revolver which ended the career
of the elder Sondheim belonged TO Philip.
It Is supposed TO be the same which Phil
| ip used to end his own life. It was kept
in his trunk in an upstairs room Of the
! Sondhefm house. When Hel-ry SCndhefm
was found dead he was in his shirt sleeves
How he, being blind, could havt gotten
/ hold of the weapon and taken It down
stairs without being detected was another
of the mysteries OF the case