Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-11
DEATH A MYSTERY
MAN APPARENTLY ASPHYxIAT-
ED IN NEW YORK HOTEL.

dispatch from New York last night says:
A maid at Suesen's Hotel. 9th avenue and
Bth street smelled gas on the second floor
this morning. Landlord Suesen tried the
door, found IL locked and broke II down.
On the bed, undressed. was the body of
Alfred krattinger, an expert accountant,
who lived with his wife father and brothers
al 4'6 west sd street He died, apparently.
OF asphyxiation. At first glance everything
Indicated that the man lad taken his own
life. The body rested in natural posi-
ton: the features were composed: gas es-
Gaping from a wall jet filed the room, and
there We're no signs of violence. 1t APP
peared to be a commonplace suicide
Coroner Scholer and detectives made n
systematic examination of the body and
the room. 1t was observed that. the tran
som was half open. the fan light set at
an angle. The experience of the police in
suicides from gas poisoning includes few
cases where a man set about deliberately
to asphyxiate himself and left the tram
som open. The window of the room OPEN
ms on 9th avenue WAS shut, but not locked
The door key was broken. Half remained
In the lock and half lay on the floor near
the door. The coroner, on examining the
body of the dead man. found a large brulse
Just over the right ear near the temple.
1t was such confusion as might have been
caused by hard fall a blow from q
heavy stick or blunt weapon
Autopsy to Be Held.
An autopsy will be held tomorrow.
krattinger's brothers told the coroner
that there should be found on the body q
diamond pin, worth SLIGO, and a consid-
cradle amount of cash which he was known
to have carried in a wallet. Scholer went
through Krattinger's clothes but the dia-
mond pin was not there. Neither was tho
wallet nor his watch and chain and loose
silver.
In the hotel office the coroner discovered
another odd circumstance. Krattinger's
entry on the hotel register had been altered
He came to the hotel 1t was said at about
4:3O o'clock this morning The time indi-
Gated on the register had been scratched
and 40 am, Saturday, substituted Con-
corning this the hotel people knew nothing.
They had made no change. they said
Then the father and brothers OF young
Krattinger told Coroner Scholer they were
positive he had been murdered In his room
for his money and pin, and that the thief
and murderer had escaped by the window
after arranging the body neatly and turn
ing on the gas to create the impression that
Krattinger had committed suicide. They
believe the murderer met Kra ttinger some
where and accompanied him to his room.
Coroner Scholer thought the case was
somewhat similar to that of Jacob II.
Thompson, exchange editor of the New
York Times. who was murdered in his room
at the St. James Hotel in West 47th street.
Police Captain Gallagher, who is investt-
of his detectives on the krattnger case.
The police were inclined to believe tonight
that ii a OF suicide. although
they could not account for the circuIu-
stances of the open transom, the missing
valuables and the altered registry entry.
Clews in the Thompson Case.
Two distinct cews have been found in
the Thompson case, ana the police are
working on both. A hammer was discov-
cred in the rooms Of the murdered man,
and 1t was found that his wallet, which
he carried always in the inside pocket OF
his waistcoat. was missing when the am
bulance surgeon arrived at the Hotel st.
James and began his attendance on the
injured man.
The hammer. with which the police agree
that the murderous deed undoubtedly was
committed, was lying on a shelf in the
telephone closet. The missing wallet, in
which there may have been a large sum
of money, is regarded as positive proof
that the murder was committed for theft.
Mr.. Thompson always carried considerable
money with him, and always carried 1t in
the inside pocket of his waistcoat.