The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-17
Mrs. Reuter-, Who Killed
Child and Self by Gas, Lived
Recently in Belleville.
IN COUNTY ASYLUM ONCE
Moved to New York May | and
She Was Under Specialists
Care-.W Wrote Farewell as
She Saw Daughter Die
aad Felt Herself Going.

Mrs. Henrietta Reuter-, who killed
herself and her ~10-year-old daughter
Marion at their boarding house, 459
East, Fifty-seventh street, New York.
yesterday, formerly lived in Belleville.
Friends of the family in that town
when they learned of the woman's in
sane act were not greatly surprised,
as they remembered she had been COM
mitted to the Essex County Hospital
for the Insane while a resident in
Belleville this year.
Mrs. Reuter- and her family lived at
5 Colonial terrace, Belleville, for about
a year until May last. She had suf-
fered from a nervous affection. n
had been attended by DR.. John F. Con-
DON, of that town. The latter ordered
her remoya to a sanatorium. The
however, refused to 60, and
later DR.. Condor and DR.. Fl. B. Vail
ordered her commitment to the county
insane asylum. She was removed to
thai institution, but later her usban
moved to New York and had his wife
released. They boarded with Mrs.
Edward Hocher at 459 East Fifty
seventh street, New York.
The husband, Ernest Reuter-, who is a
bookkeeper employed in New York, came
to this city on Monday night for some
clothing that was stored here. He SAYS
he lost so much sleep during his wife's
illness that when he spoke OF coming 10
this city she told him he had better stay
with relatives here. He had planned an
outing for his little family yesterday, and,
hurrying home in the morning about .
o'clock, he ran lightly up the stairs to MS
md tho little Girl dressed and ready for
the day In the country.
The gas Jets were turned on full. Every
crevice in doorway and window had been
filled with bits of cloth and paper for the
deliberately planned murder and suicide.
The child lay on the bed. whhe the wife,
who had become unconscious while sitting
on a nearby chair. had fallen to the floor.
Reuter-, although nearly overcome by
gas fumes, opened a window and shouted
for help. :.
Mrs. Reuter- had a pencil in one hand
and n notebook crumpled in the other.
When Coroner Acrltelli arrived and ex-
amined the notebook he found she had
left this message In German:
Marion Is going. have watched her
beautiful face change from the glow OF
life 10, the pallor of death. I will soon
be with her. The world will think me
wrong and blame me, but my mother love
was too great to leave my darling alone
In this world. In this alone have I been
selfish.
ERNEST. dear. forgive me. I realize only
too well tina I can never get well again
and do not want TO leave my Marion alone
and motherless. I I'M very nervous as |
write this farewell letter to you.
Farewell, Ernest. l thank you a thou
sand times for your goodness and patience
since / have been Ill and realize what
you must have suffered and how you Will
suffer more when you find us. Forgive
me. but I cannot live this half life and
death existence. The flowers you and |
have raised and taken care Of you must
keep to remember me and our daughter"
At this point the writing became almost
illegible. ending In scrawl which was par
TALLY deciphered to be:
Marion has surely gone now, and I am
going fast. I have suffered. and know
that you have done all in your power to
make life less hard for me-"
Mrs. Reuter- was 81 years old. attractive
and the little girl was very pretty. Reuter-
told Coroner Acritelli that his wife had
been suffering from melancholia for about
n year. She was under treatment by a
specialist.