Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-06
INHALED GAS AND DIED
BALTIMORE SALESMAN ENDS
CAREER IN THIS CITY.
Philip Holstein Leaves No Letter or
Word in Explanation Of
His Act.

Philip Holstein a salesman who was in
the employ of Jay S. Strouse & Co.. man
ufacturers of hats in Baltimore, committed
suicide at the Engel Hotel, In this city,
some time last night or this morning by in
haling illuminating gas No writing of any
kind was left by the unfortunate man. so
far as the police were able to ascertain dur
ing their investigation of the case this
afternoon. He had stopped at the hotel
on previous occasions, but the clerk did not
recall his name when he registered there
yesterday afternoon about o'clock under
the name Of H. Hillman Holstein was not
seen about the hotel after he was assigned
to his room, but he was evidently out of
his room during the night, as the conditions
there today indicated that he had not only
removed the burner from the fixture in his
room but had turned on the gas in the ad
joining room and in the hall. This was no
doubt for the purpose of hiding his own
conduct and preventing his being found be-
fore life was extinct. He knew that there
was possibility of some of the gas
Gaping from his room. Notwithstanding the
fact that he had stuffed the keyholes and
orevices with paper.
An investigation to ascertain the cause of
the odor of gas in the building. he knew.
would lead the investigators to the vacant
room and to the fixture in the hall. They
would then neglect to investigate the condi-
tons in his room. and by the time they
found him he would be dead. Tehre was
not a hitch in the scheme, and 1t worked
just as he had intended 1T would.
Mr.. Edward Kelly, the hotel clerk, had
occasion to go to the upper floor this morn
ing to show a room to a prospective guest
and was surprised at finding the odor of
gas there. He went upon an investigating
tour and found the trouble with the fixtures
in the vacant room and hall. No more at
tention was paid to the gas incident until
about noon, when one of the chambermaids
reported that she had detected the odor of
gas coming from the room occupied by the
man who had registered as III. Hillman."
Found Dead Body.
The clerk went to the room and found the
dead body. Mr.. Holsten had removed his
clothing and gone to bed. only to wait for
death to claim him.
An empty flask left upon the dresser in
the room indicated that he had probably
INDUCED in half pint of whisky before he
turned on the gas. A number of letters
and papers had been torn in small pieces
and thrown into vessel in the room The
only papers left by the Baltimorean were
receipts to show that his policies in an
insurance company of New York had been
paid up to September of this year. A short
time after the body had been found a mes
sage was received from the firm of Peters
& Co, in Baltimore, asking for information
about Mr. Hostein. The man at the other
end of the wire wanted to know If Mr..
Holstein was stopping there There was no
such name on the register, he was told,
but the clerk told him about the dead man.
His description was such that the man in
Baltimore was convinced of his identity,
and few minutes later Undertaken Sond-
helm telephoned that he would be over for
the body later in the day
The suicide was fifty years old and wild
over. He had for several years resided
with his sister, Mrs. Wessburg, in BaIti-
more.
He was in the hat business in Baltimore
up to the time of the big fire, when he is
said to have lost everything he had.
This morning his sister received a note by
mail saying that his dead body would be
found in Washington this morning.