The sun., 1905-09-11
ANOTHER DEAD NAN PUZZLE.
RRuISE ON kRATTINGERS HEAD;
HIS S1,1OO PIN GONE.

f,ss Was Turned On In the Acc0untant's
Room in suesen's Hotel. but Transom
Was Open-Registry Altered-'Lssk
After Me, Jack" on . slip q Paper.
A maid at Suesen's Hotel. Sixth avenue
and Fifty-sixth street, smelled gas on the
second floor yesterday morning about o
o'clock She had been on the floor earlier
in the morning but didn't remember SMELL
Ing gas then.
Herman Suesen, who runs the hotel. which
Ia pretty well known around that section
of the West Side, went up in hurry. He
tried the door, found 1t locked and broke
4 down. On the bed, undressed, was the
body of Alfred Krattinger, an expert ac-
countant, who lived with his wife, his father
and brothers at 43o West Fifty-second
street.
Krattinger apparently had died Of asphyx-
iation. At first glance everything indicated
that the man had taken his own life. The
body lay in a natural position on the bed,
the features were composed gas escaping
from a wall jet filled the room and there
we're no signs Of violence. 1t appeared to
he a commonplace suicide such as Coroners
handle dozen times q week.
Coroner Scholer and detectives from
the West Forty-seventh street station
cot to the hotel about II O'Clock with Krat-
fingers brothers, William and Joseph and
his father They made q systematic eI-
animation Of the body and the room and
began to discover things that set them
thinking
1t was observed that the transom Of
the room was half open, the fanlight set
at an angle. The experience Of the police
in suicides from gas poisoning includes
few cases where q man set about deliberately
10 asphyxiate himself and left the transom
open. The window OF the room opening
on Sixth avenue was shut, but not locked.
The doorkey was broken. Half remained
in the lock and half lay on the floor near
the door.
When the Coroner came to examine the
body closely he noticed that the face was
not blackened or dtscolored, as frequently
happens in asphyxiation cases. Then he
saw large bruise just over the right ear,
near the temple. 1t was such confusion
as might have been caused by hard fall
or a blow from a heavy stick or q blunt
weapon. The Coroner couldn't determine
from cursory examination whether the
skull was fractured. That will be deter
mined to-day by DR.. Weston, the Coroner's
physician.
Krattinger's brothers told the Coroner
that there should be found on the body
diamond pin, worth 81, 100. and consider
able amount Of cash which the accountant
was knswn to have carried in q wallet.
scholer went through the pockets Of Krat-
tnger's clothes-the coat, trousers aud
undergarments were lying on chair in
orderly arrangement-but the diamond pin
vas hot there. Neither was the wallet
nor Krattinger's watch and chain nor loose
silver. The only thing the Coroner found
in the pockets was q cheap pOcketknife,
worth, at large valuation, 80 cents.
On the top OF the dresser lay slip OF
paper on which was scrawled in hand not
Krattingers, his family are sure, this line:
Look after me- Jack" The words were 10
arranged that the Coroner couldn't tell
whether the injunction was intended for
man named Jack or whether Jack was the
signature Of the note.
Very probably" said the Coroner after
ward, -the note had nothing to do with the
case
By the time the examination OF the body
and the room was finished it was observed
that there was little odor Of gas In the ROOM
the smell having disappeared in about
twenty minutes. This was considered
rather peculiar because when enough gas
has escaped to kill man the scent hangs
on and is apparent about the room for
twelve hours, perhaps much longer.
Downstairs in the hotel Office the Coroner
discovered another odd circumstance.
Kratinger's entry on the hotel register
had been altered He came to the hotel.
it was said at about I3O o'clock yesterday
morning The time indicated on the
reg.ter had been scratched out and '42S
A. NJ Saturday" substituted. Concerning
this the hotel people knew nothing. They
had made no change, they said.
Then the father and brothers OF young
krattineer told Coroner Scholer they were
positive the accountant had been murdered
in his room early yesterday morning for
his money and pin. and that the thief and
murderer had escaped by the Sixth avenue
window after arranging the body neatly
and turning on the gas to create the i'm
preston that Krattinger had committed
suicide.
The brothers had this to say: ALFRED
Was public accountant who worked by
hts and starts az such men do usually,
getting good money for q Job and then
laying of until another turned up. Until
four days ago he had been going over the
hooks Of market opposite our house,
aboring day and night on them. When he
finished up he was tired and went for
little enjoyment. He was accustomed to
gcing to Suesen's Hotel. where he was 80
well known that his comings and goings
were not particularly noticed. Usually
Re occupied the same room.
When he left home he wore diamond
Pin worth 81 100 and had In his wallet $3.50
In cash, besides q smaller sum for spending
money and watch and chain. He had,
besides, few ether small articles Of jew
eiry. He was accustomed to drink little,
but was never in the habit ~ sauandering
e lot Of money on a spree.
He was undoubtedly murdered for
these vaiuabies The murderer might have
leen one who met him Saturday night,
observed the pin and noticed that he had
good deal of cash about him. Whoever
1t wa& 10 doubt went to the room early
this morning. either with him or after no
had entenpd and got IN Rl0eD. From the