New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-09
D0CTOR TRIES SUICIDE.
SAYS HE HAS MANIA.
Wills Body to p. and S. College end
.SscdlLozes Poison JfintUre.

bodv 10 the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
from which he was graduated, DR.. R. w. Steger.
of No 1O1 West S4th~st., took a mixture of NOR
phine and chloroform in room at the AUDUBON
Hotel. s9th-st. and Broadway, last Sunday ana
lay down to die. He was found unconscious by
one of the hotel servants shortly after o'clock
yesterday afternoon and taken to Bellevue Hos
pitaI where it was said last night that he would
probably die
In letter which was found in the roOm DR..
Steger said he had been seized with frequent
attacks of Suicidal mania" Sometimes. he
said the attacks took the form Of "hoHicidal
mania" After he had taken the poison he wrote
a message. in which he compared his mental
| state to that of the hero of Robert Louis
Stevenson's Or Jel1yI and Mr. Hyde"
DR.. Steger registered at the Audubon Hotel
last Sunday at noon. He retired to his room
almost Immediately, and was not again
until yesterday afternoon, when one OF the
harnberr1aids entered the room. She saw the
man lying on the bead and breathing heavily.
a porter was called, and he tried TO awaken
Dr. Steger, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
Patrolman John Brady called, and. realiz-
ing that the man in dangerous condition,
summoned ambulance from Bellevue Hos
pital. The doctsr was hurried to the hospital.
On dresser in the room, the police found a
letter. addressed ITO whom it may concern
and reading follows:
Sunday. January Z. 1905, 7 p. m.-My name is Rob
ert w Steger and I am forty-elght years old
Occupation, physician. Place of birth Alabamad
and s Of 9GdE & tG city the For GGss9 0f
m srsduSte Tna of fhat sehooi @ class 5 Of @
not been mentally sound for several years, having
These would sometimes take the form of homicidal @
mania. ana again combination Of both The dring at
which time impossbIe for me to sleep on+,T Ihe
afee would be worse than death. SO feel justified
in taking my life. This condition has caused me me
10 do things for which 7 have been severely cen
sured trust my friends may now know tnat M my my
have been of tRs RoBRr esaa eRe W. sTEGE Rf &
another message evidently written after the
doctor had swallowed the poison, was found.
| Tho second message was written on an envel-
| one o4 +he Audubon Hotel and read as follows:
A AS been @ for three weeks and expecting to die in
an hour, want to say that the BOOK & or
| and Mr. FIvde'' is none 10 strong. also tlhhh-
The writing. which was bold and firm at tn"
beginning of the message. but had graduaiiy D
| come wavering, grew so ipdstinct as 10 DC uIi-
! decipherable at the end.
There was a bruise on the UNCONSCIOUS pnyl
.,ar,s face and another his body, whlch
| looked as if he might have repented OF MS ace
before he became completely unconscious anu
had arisen from the bed to call assistance Iaii-
ttng to the floor before he reached the electric
| hell. How he managed to crawl back to the ned
| is puzzle
| Among the doctors other effects was fouhd
| pawn ticket calling for watch tnat nao oee-4
| pledged on December last, for 81 Iliee ~
| ters were also found in the room. One was ad-
zrossAd5 +o tt1ea"Fostmaster of. Station W, Co
I Iurnfbus-ave and gS4th-st',; another to 'Mrs. l.
= Davies. No 1.71e~ Afilan-st., New-orleahs'
] : o.. and the third to ':sdr J. Marshall care OF
+bes RACQUET Hnd-T Tennis Club. West 43d-st
! ATr Marshall who is the head waiter at the
| cInbl when seen last night. said he met Dl'
| stegsr- -at-Hot Springs. Ark, a year ago nc
! said that he had been a patient of Dr. Steser
| for severaI months When he opened the letter
| oadrassed TO him. he found the following direc-
| ton:
Consult DR.. Frank s. Matthews No, ~ West West
| kO+e 81 Won will find him all right IN every
way.
e.oao,,s home No. fo1 West S4th-st., it
| ,r1. learned that he had been boarding with
/ -, nar,ed Morgan for several weeks. Mr.
xxa.,.,, said DR. Steger had been a prominent
,,,s,ctap. In Chicago several years ago, He also
s.ts that he had married the daughter OF rleh
| 80, rronrsetor in that city but that Dr.
e.teaer,s wife had separated from him, as he
! 1,as addicted to the morphine habit
| prior to having lived at No. lol West s4th-st
| ~ eteeer boarded with Mrs. A. b. Pearson, al
| No Is West 37th-st.
nr Frank S. Matthews. whom Mr. Marshah
was directed to consult. said last night;
"Dr. Steger formerly lived In 6oth-st' i'l.i. .
| = ee,v doors of my home grst met MIN apou'
four wears ago. when was called 10 at'eiiu -i4 .
! 60 T never noticed that there was any DIS
a.rreernent between Dr. Steger and his "lle'
For some erason. which I do not know Mrs,
steeer spent most of her time in the !S SCUM =; her
nave always thought that she vas t IN steger
Nm right only few days asoi mel DI; sfd
-, ~ the street and he told me that ne eApeS'eu
! q y fn,r,ilr, In the city IN 9 few days.