New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-07
LAY DEATH TO POISON.
LOOKING FOR WOM1N.
Theatrical agent Dies in COnUuI-
SiOnS-NysteriOus Telephone Call.

Detectives attached TO the West One-hun-
dred-and- twenty ffth-et. station are searching
for a young woman living somewhere on the
upper East side TO explain the death Of Leon
Melles. tweuty-eight years old, theatrical
agent. who died yesterday afternoon at his
home No 400 Manhattan-ave. after convul-
siuus Dr. G.. w Buffum. Of No. $50 Manhat-
tan-ave.. who attended Melles. says he believes
the Young man was the victim OF knockout
drops. In deIirium. before he died, Menes men
toned the name of young woman with whom.
his father says. he had been keeping company
for about year The police say that after he
mentioned th, vo.uau's name he said: she's
responsible for this. She gave me the dose
~ times. tae police s3y. na spoke as If there
wore several women Instead OF one.
,r.vas was known 20 the stage rs Lance de
N.Gas lie had furnished room and office az
30 SO WEST Twcnty-eshth-st- and often
slept there. His home was in the Par;henon
apartments where he lived with his father and
two sisters.
About :; %. M. yesterday NeIIes entered the
apartment house in a conscious but dIzed con-
ditlon H. told the elevator boy he had lost his
KEYS. The boy took him to his fathers apart
ment and Mr.. AIelles says his son went i'm
mediately 20 his room. About ten minutes later
lie called to his father and said:
IT'S awfuIly close in my room. I'm going TO
lie down in the sitting ROOM
About a. m. Mr.. Melles heard his son
Eroanirg. and going to the sitting room found
him I'm commissions. lie sent for Dr. Buffum,
who treated the young man and left him. About
o'clock young Mclles was again seized with
commissions. and again Or. Buffum was sent
for. He said there were symptoms Of poisoning.
and treated the patient accordingly. not leaving
him until he was resting quietly. Again. at
o'clock in the afternoon. the theatrical agent
was seized with convuIsions. and Or. Buffum
was called FOR the third time. He worked over
Melles until he died. about 800 o'clock
Or Buffum told Mr.. MelIes that he saw signs
Of chloral and cocaine. and thought his son was
the victim of knockout drops" He then In
formed Coroner Scholer by telephone. and tho
corner told the police Of the West One-hundred-
and-twenty Y nfth-st. station.
According TO Mr.. Melles and DR.. Buffum, Mel
les mentioned the name Of n young woman VINO
is employed in a downtown wholesale house, and
gave her home address. He mentioned her name
frequently and said she did II. I want to see
her" At one time he said deIriously: There
she IS again. Let get her" And he reached
out, as if trying seize some one
Detectives Fitzsimmons and OLeary. of the
West One hundred -and-twenty -fifth-st. station,
went to the address given by Melles. and found
that the young woman lived there. She was not
at home. but they said last night they expected
to arrest her within a few hours.
The police say that MeIles's watch miss
ing and that he had no money about him when
he returned home.
About noon yesterday a woman called up the
Parthenon apartments and asked how Mr..
MeIles was getting on" She was told that he
was very i'll. and, according to the elevator boy,
replied.
THAT is too bad. Tell him that viii be up
this evening to see him"
The woman did not give her name and did not
appear as she had promised. The police and
Coroner Scholer are anxious learn her
identity
Coroner Scholer said last night:
We cannot tell much about this case until we
examine the young woman mentioned by Melles in
his delrium. I think he was poisoned but cannot
formed. | have instructed Dr. weston 10 perform
an autopsy tomorrow morning.
AIeIIes was violinist. He had been IN part
nership with man named Ward. and they had
started several road companies. He at the
time Of mis- death engaged in getting up mu-
steal production with Solomon Kaufman, a
music dealer at No. 36S Eighth-ave. At his
home No. less MadisOn-ave-, last night Mr..
Kaufman said Melles had been drinking heavily
Of late. and was under the influence or liquor on
Saturday night.
DR. Buffum said that Melles had weak heart
and that probably resulted in his death.
Had his heart been strong" said DR.. Buffum.
''he might have withstood the attack. But the
commissions from the pOison-if II was poison,
and 1 am pretty positive that it was-made him
so weak that his heart gave out
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