New-York tribune., 1907-11-26
SUICIDE CHEATS LAW
BROKER TAKES POISON.
Louis StrduS Falls Dead While De
tectiUeS Wait IN His Home.

While detectives stood in the hallway Of his
home last night. after announcing that they had
warrant for his arrest. Louis Straus a min
ing broker, of No. 90 New street. and living at
No. ls West SD street, swallowed the contents
Of small vial and. rushing upstairs dropped
dead The detectives, horror stricken. followed
him, but they were too late to prevent his death
In spite of a thorough investigation made by
Coroner Hamburger it was not learned what the
vial contained, apd an autopsy will be per
formed on the BODY
That Strauss suicide is a direct result of the
recent financial panic was established by the
statements of Mrs. Straus and Mrs Josephine
A Son, who was Mr.. Strauss secretary and
financial confdante- He was heavy loser In
the recent depression. II is said that his losses
will amount 10 over 100000
The warrant which was the cause of Strauss
Death was issued at the request of William A
Avis head of William Avis & Co storage
warehouse men and custom house brokers at
No ~ Front street. II was said bv Avis that
N'raus had negotiated q loan Of $1,000 on
forged bill Of lading on 5000 shipment Of ore
from Washington. The warrant was given TO
Detectives Beery and Fftzsrnnons of Distri q.
Attorney Jeronle's Office. At the SD street a6
dress William Straus answered the bell and.
suspecting the detectives errand. said that he
was the man wanted.
they did they heard a woman scream VIII
lam StraUs then admitted that he was not the
man wanted and rushed UP the stairs followed
ny the detectives. Going 10 the third floor rear
to the room occupied by Helen, the fifteen-year
olo daughter OF Straus. they found him lying
on the floor dead. DR.. Herman Koenig
hrother-in-law Of +he dead man. who lives at
No ~ West SD street summoned. but he
found that he could do no good. According to
he cTo 4oId
have been standing on the stairs when the de-
tectives announced their errand. and in order
10 escape arrest took the contents Of the vial
Sidney Rosenbauu. Of No 30 William street
who said that he vas counsel for Straus ar
rived at The house SHORTY afterward, and said
that MS client had called h'm up on the tele-
phone early YESTERDAY afternoon and asked him
70 call 81 ais house II the evening. as he wanted
70 see him Important Business He said
that st-aGs lad been mixed Up in several small
sli:E bGt thst he ;tra1 II 20 reason why he
should take :.is lite.
The police OF the yveft 6st,7 street station did
not know os t'le suicide for some Sine. and the
first notice that the corcners oa4ce received was
~hen ? newspaper reporter called up Coroner
HarLUrser ard told him tbat there had been
suicide He Immediately hastened to the house
I'D conducted investigation.
A-..-.iflng n Mrs. Straus her husband had
teer melancholy of late and she knew that he
IVES IN tcs habit Of carrying around poison with
I'm and that he rad frequently said that ne
would XII: himself She said that she
aware that her husband had been a heavy loser
Of late. hut said that he never confided to her
how he had lost his money. Mrs. Son. Mr..
Strauss secretary, in the house at the
time of the suicide and It was her scream that
attracted the attention Of the detectives. She
said IN answer to Coroner Harburger's ques
tons that while she was familiar with Mr..
Strauss affairs she did not know just how he
had lost his money. She said that she knew
that the sum was over S200,0O0, and that her
employer had acted very strangely at his Office.
Assistant District Attorney Perkins, who had
charge OF the case against Straus said last
night that he arew Of Only one warrant against
him, and that was the one III which Mr.. Avis
appeared as complainant. 1lr Avis, II is under
stood had several conferences with Straus
about the money and threatened Straus with
arrest unless he made the amount good.
Coroner Hamburger and Coroner's Physician
O'Hanon still mystihed to what was in
the vial with which Straus killed himself No
vial was found, but 1t was said by DR.. Koenig
who was one of the first the scene. that
straus had taken cyanide cr potassium. If this
he would not have been able to rush up
the two flights Of stairs, this poison causes
almost instant death. 1t is the opinion of Cor
oner Hamburger that the vial contained prussic
acid, and that an autopsy will establish this.
Mrs. Straus is a licensed physician, but has
never practised. She and Mr.. Straus had beer
happily married twenty four years and had one
daughter, Nellie Mr.. Straus himself was forty
seven years old The Straus home is three
story and basement brownstone front, hand
sornely fitted. It said that the house was
owned by Mrs Straus, who is wealthy in her
own name.