The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-30
RESTS IN THE DEEP
FRANK Il. KEILBACH THREW
HIMSELF FROM THE CHATTA-
HooCHEE's DECK.
DESP0NDENCY THE CAUSE.
Loss OF OFFICE HAD PREYED
UPON HIS MIND.

sailed for New York Tuesday Even
ing and Wednesday Night. when
the Ship Was Rounding Batteras.
lie Jumped From the Rail Into
the Sea-NO One Saw His Leap TO
Death-Discovered When He Was
Called for Breakfast He Was Not
Aboard the Ship-Left Letters for
His Parents Sealed His Table.
Savannahians were shocked yester-
day morning by the news from New
York that Frank Keilbach had commit
ted suicide. That his untimely end had
come under circumstances at once so
tragic and pathetic, was the occasion
of a widespread grief
A New York dispatch to the Morning
News gave the following account of
the tragedy:
when the Savannah Line steamer
Chattahoochee reached her pier to-
day, Capt. H. G. Lewis reported that
one of his passengers was missing, and
from an examination he had made of
the ship he believed that the man had
| jumped overheard. F. E. Keilbach, of
Savannah. was the missing passenger.
THE vessel left Savannah Nov. 90
Keilbach occupied a stateroom with a
window opening on deck. He had a
large valise. well stocked with clothes,
and $780, which he gave to the purser
| for safekeeping.
No Answer to Calls.
Thursday morning one of the wait
ers went to call him to breakfast at
S:S5 o'clock. AS he could get no re-
Spouse he went away and returned at
$3.50. This time, as there was no an
swer to repeated knocking. the waiter
went around on deck and looked in at
the window The window was open
and the room was empty. The key
was in the lock of the door, Capt
Lewis was at once notified and the
door of the room was opened. Inside
were found the mans effects and
letter addressed to his parents. The
ship was searched, but no trace of the
missing passenger was found
During the trip Keilbach kept to him
self. taking his meals after the other
passengers had left the table, and Capt.
Lewis noticed that he paced the deck
constantly, talking to himself. He was
last seen Wednesday evening at sup
per. Some time later Miss Smith of
Savannah thought she saw something
go over the rail in the darkness. She
spoke to Capt. Lewis of this incident
and he thoroughly searched the ship,
but no trace of the missing man could
| be found.
Footmnrks on the Rail.
Footmarks on the ships rail
outside his stateroom windows leave
but little doubt that Mr.. Keilback
| Jumped overboadr while rounding Cape
Eatteras some time between II o'clock
Wednesday night and $50 o'clock
Thursday morning. The door of his
stateroom was forced
"A fellow passenger who had a con-
versation with Keilbach Wednesday
evening in the smoking room said the
latter expressed regret at not having
cigars to last him until his arrival in
| New Yorw.
HE seemed cheerful, proved an in
telligent conversationalist and in no
| way gave any indication of being sui
cidaliy inclined. There is much mys-
| terry in the case. No reason is known
for the act other than dependency"
News Reached Savannah.
The news of the tragedy reached Sa-
| yannah in the early morning and
spread rapidly. All through the bust
| ness section of the city, where the out
lines of the story soon became known,
1 to- 1.f ta1Iv NJ, mn ny
| it was difficult to credit that the bright
and useful young life, representing in
its attachments all that was sweetest
to an aged father and mother. whose
hearts were shrines for the love they
bore their boy. had gone out, in the
darkness of the night and with no
witness.
ut cannot be-" they said. There
| must be some mistake; it cannot be
| Frank Keilbach, who has in this tragic
fashion surrendered in one evil mo-
ment the hopes and ambitions of his
life and life itself.
These We're the comments of his
friends. Gradually the unwillingness
to believe the news became less and
less as from kilograms it's authentici-
ty came to be realized. -Sorrowfully,
the news was accepted.
The weeping mother could not be
made to believe that her son was dead.
She could not grasp the TACT that he
had taken his own life and left her
TO bear the constant memory of his
rash deed. Frustrated by a grief the
full meaning of which she has not yet
been able to grasp, all day and into the
night she wept.
| The Father PrOstrate.
The father too, was in condition
| almost as pathetic. Walking down
the street in the morning, he had been
told of the fate that had befallen his
son by Waring Russell. Jr.. a friend
| to both. He was incredulous at first.
but investigation soon served to prove
the truth of the report, and the old
| man went his sorrowful way home
ward, to break the tidings to his wife.
The shock was great at first but as
the recent history of the man began to
be viewed in the light of his traits and
peculiaritles of character and temper
ament much Of the surprise at first
felt began to disappear. He was essen
TALLY the kind Of man. who. facing dis
i appointment and defeated ambition
| and the end OF lonR-chershed hopes.
would seek forgetfulness of all in
/ death.
He was 4 musician Of ability and
culture and he had the soul and char
acter traits Of the artist The artistic
/ temperament attained IN him a high.
/ almost an unnatural development He
WAS nervous, acutelg sensitive and
/ prone 10 attach 20 little disappoint-