The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09
KILLED WIFE AND HIMSELF.
NEWARK BOOKKEEPER DRIVEN
TO DESPAIR BY JEALOUSY.

Kissed HIS Little Adopted Daughter Be
fore Committing the Double Crime
"A Letter written to Unknown Mar
who, He Believed. Lured VIE Away
Alfred NJ. Fryer, who shot his wife anc
himself just before midnight on Friday
was bookkeeper, IS years DID, employed
by William Cooper, the head of the Newark
Hay end Grain Company In Frelinghuyser
avenue. Fryer was little known in Newark
having moved from one section Of the
city to another several times. The couple
had been married seventeen years. but had
had no children. They adopted q little
girl several years ago.
Fryer was in financial difficulties when
he went to work for the hay and grain
company year and a half ago on account
OF a disastrous stock deal and was pay
ing his creditors half OF his salary every
week to get his affairs Strengthened out.
When he became moody some weeks ago
Mr.. Cooper attributed it to money troubles,
but on Thursday, while walking on the
street with his employer, Fryer partly
told Mr.. Cooper Of his family troubles,
saying that he had discovered that Mrs.
Fryer was receiving the attentions Of a
man whom he did not know. He was
extremely respondent and said:
@I'n have to end it all. 1 can't stand it
any longer
He then said that he was going to see
a lawyer and start divorce proceedings.
Fryer had the strongest affection for
his adopted daughter Bessie, and kissed
her repeatedly before going into the adj
joining room and shooting his wife ana
himself. For an hour or more before
the tragedy he was writing and told his
wife to 20 to bod as he would notbe through
writing letters until midnight. One Of
the letters he wrote was addressed to a
man whom he blamed for destroying his
know. 1t was as follows
You are the cause of this sad ending. My,
wife confessed to me you lured her away1
Thoeyer you are and wh VINE eye .t you are,
you are the cause Of brea king our home and
heart. OIL il l could only get hold Of you
You dirty cur you ToobbeT o. oI %omefn yoS
your head, which would be G good thing.
could not find out who you are or Just
where you live.
OF ~ Elm street to take care Of Bessie. the
eight-year-old child who ran to Reighbor
in her nightdress and told Of the tragedy.
Mrs. Kingston took the child in charge
Yesterday. She knew the Fryers from
having lived In the same house with them
several years ago, but had seen Mrr. Fryer
only once since they moved,
Another letter left by Fryer was adj
dressed to Mr.. Cooper and asked him, also.
to look afte,l he child EThis letter reiteT t. d
the charges against Mrs. Fryer and in it
he said that he had not told his employer
a part OF the story, as IL was better that
nobody should know It all. He asked
Mr.. Cooper to convert his personal property
into cash for tho childs support, explain
ing that there were insurance policies
upon the lives Of himself and wife and
e11umeratlng what property he owned.
In this letter Fryer said that his wife
had struck him and thrown things at him
for seventeen long years, but until the
last he had never raised finger to her
and he thanked God for It. He wrote that
ne was tired OF hearing her come into the
house in the early hours Of the morning.
Both bodies are in HOLES morgue, that
Of Mrs. Fryer having been sent there from
st. Barnabas Hospital, where she died
after the shooting. II Is not known that
either has any relatives In this country
The Fryers are English. Some years ago
they went back to England and lived there
for about year.