The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-15
BY HIS OWN HAND
f. A. SCHROEDER OF NEW YORK
MET DEATH ON A TRAIN.
SHOT NEAR JACKSONVILLE.
JUST AS THE TRAIN WAS PULLING
OUT FOR SAVANNAH.

Early AfternOon-SchrOed Fired
the Fatal shot in the Stateroom.
Seemed Worried and Distressed
when Passengers Observed Him
Pacing the Platform Before the
Train Started-RemOrse Assaulted
Him for a Crime to which He Re
ferred in "A Note Addressed ITO the
PubIic'-Remains Left at Waycross
and shipped Thence to New York.
E. A. Schroeder of IFS Water street.
New York City. committed suicide at
$40 o'clock yesterday morning aboard
an Atlantic Coast Line passenger
train just as it was pulling out of
jacksonville. He shot himself through
the head and died instantly.
Z Schroeder left a note, addressed ITO
the Public" 1t was as follows: Il
have committed a terrible crime. The
law cannot infiict punishment upon me
for it, but 1 can punish myself. My
wife is a good woman, and, but for
my cruelty, would not have left me.
| The cup of happiness was at my lips,
| but l would not drink.
f. A. Schroeder"
Just after the opening sentence of
| the note there was a confused tumble
| of words that could not be deciphered.
| This may have been a result of the
! agitation under which the man was
| laboring when he wrote the note or it
| may have been due to the motion of
the train, which had started at the
| time that he began writing. Evident
| ly there was some reference to the
crime of which he considered himself
guilty.
Passengers Heard shots.
Passengers on the train. when they
arrived at Savannah told the story of
the suicide. They said that, as they
! sat in the Pullman car, they saw
! Schroeder, man Of apparently forty,
| of good appearance, with somewhat of
| the look of an actor, walking up and
down the platform. He wore the look
! of a man in deep distress. His head
was bent, and his eyes were fixed upon
the ground. So great was his evident
! agitation that it excited comment.
a few minutes before the train left
! Jacksonville he boarded the Pullman
! car. Going to the state room at one
end, he called the porter and directed
| him to get him some stationery, The
! porter complied, returning with writ
! ing materials. Schroeder slammed the
! door of the state room, and sat at the
table the porter had fixed for his writ
| ing.
| Il heard a muffied sound a few min
utes after the door was closed. and
| now know that this was the report of
| the pistol shot that killed him." said
| one of the passengers. Il thought
| nothing of it at the time, but | knew
the sound had been the pistol shot
when the conductor came a short time
afterwards, and entered the state room
| to collect the passengels ticket.
Startled by the sgIt that met his
eye, the conductor called to US, and we
went to the state room. There we saw
| Schroeder sitting at the table, his head
| fallen forward. The pistol was at his
hand, telling the story of the dreadful
| deed.
Told Who He Was.
I'VE read the note he had written.
1t was in an envelope. On an open
sheet on the table was the additional
message: Notify A. H. Stafford, 172
West Twenty second street; F. M
Argumber. IFS Water street, and Mrs
e. A. Schroeder, lis Water street, New
| 1OIk. L am h. A. EcnrOeder.
The conductor telegraphed Supt W.
| H. Wright of the Coast Line, who, in
turn, telegraphed to the address indi-
Gated in New York. The superintend-
| ent directed that the remains be turn
ed over to an undertaken at Waycross
who would prepare them to be sent
| to New York, or for interment a. Way
cross as might be determined by the
| reply received from the man the sui
| IN
| Schroeder evidently was not pressed
for funds. On his person was found
| $115 in cash and a check for 500.
Instructions from Schroeder's sister
were received at Waycross last night
for his remains and baggage to be for
warded to New York, and they were
sent via the Coast Line.
Son of Brooklyn Mayor.
An Associated Press dispatch from
New Yorw says that Schroeder, who is
a son of Mayor Schroeder of I4r0ok-
lyn, left New York two weeks ago to
| look after a tobacco plantation in
Florida, in whAh he had an interest.
BE was then apparently in good health.
He was Al years old and was married
eight months ago and resided at No. IL
Lexington avenue, Manhattan.
The Plaza Hotel, at Fifth avenue and
Fifty-ninth street, entrance to Central
Park, New York city, is not to be torn
down, as recently enormously reported.
But, on the contrary, during the past
summer, at a great expense, it has been
redecorated, furniture renewed, the
most improved water purifying system
installed, and an interior long-distance
telephone provided for every room. The
Plaza remains as not only one of the
best located, but one of the best kept
j hotels in New York and there is none
i better in the world.-ad