The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-05-26
PATRICIDE AND SUICIDE
TO STOP A WEDDING
George E. Sterry, Millionaire Mer'
chant, Killed by Son.
OBJECTED TO SECOND MARRIAGE
Murderer Had Been Drinking Heavily
Father Was Soon to Wed a
School Teacher Half His Age
Son Leaves Odd Letter.

Father Was Soon to Wed
School Teacher Half His Age
Son Leaves Odd Letter.
New York City.-George Edwart
Sterry, president Of the Weaver 4
Sterry Company, wholesale druggists
a director OF the Princeton Theologi
cal Seminary, an elder of the Fourth
Avenue Presbyterian Church and ;
man of wealth, was shot and killed a
noon as he sat before his desk in hi'
old-fashioned private Office at No. rs
Pine street The murderer was hi!
second son, George E. Sterry, Jr.
aged forty-three, the secretary of the
drug company. After shooting hi:
father the son walked to chair few
feet away, spread a newspaper on hi'
lap and then fired a bullet into hi!
own brain. There were no witnesses
to the shooting.
The elder Sterry was seventy-twc
years old. On June he was to have
married Miss Rachel Briggs Blaikie
a school teacher, of East Orange, for
ty years his junior 1t was his sons
objection to this marriage that led tc
the tragedy, as was shown conclusive
ly by the following letter, written
presumably at the sons desk in the
Office adjoining his fathers short
time before the crime and found af-
terward in his coat pocket by Coroner
Hamburger:
"To whom it may concern (the Cor
oner, first, / presume) l took sol
emn oath to myself that my father
should never disgrace the memory OF
my sainted mother. There is not a
faint of selfishness in me, and had my
father engaged himself to a lady OF
mature age, | would not, and certain.
1y none of my brothers would not have
done else than bid him good luck, and
certainly trust that he should live for
ever. I always desired a long and
happy life for my old mana term
which l frequently and affectionately
used toward him. This is now II
o'clock, May 49, No one is in my
confidence, but my brothers may draw
a conclusion from my double murder
There is point which struck me
as particularly interesting. While
riding down ON the Ninth avenue ele-
waited l passed casual glances on those
around me, as they doubtless did on
me, and the thought that desire to
convey is this: How many thousands
would have stared me out of counte-
nance had they known of the prom
inent captions my double crime would
warrant in to-morrow'S papers.
There is comical and laughable
Gid IN t1ic T Vrn111d within oil cyiuc
$500 to Rachel B. Blaikie to hear
the beautiful and touching prayers
for the salvation of my soul that she
will offer up. OF course, I am under
a violent strain. Many of my SEN
fences may not be grammatical and
may be crude.
1T seems to me that God has told
me to do what l propose doing.
prayed to God no less than twenty
times day to show me some other
way out of this trouble, and truth
fully believe he has shown me the
proper way to save my family from
disgrace GEORGE E. STERRY, Jr
tP. S.-Another point l desire to
mention. Two seconds after my faith
er starts 1 will follow, as the poor
old man needs a guide and guard
ian. Should we run across some OF
that East Orange bunch, we will glide
up side street."
This letter was written on blue
note paper of the Manhattan Square
Hotel, where the dead son had been
living for three years with his wife.
How near was the old gentleman
marriage, which the sons bullet frus-
trated, was shown by slip of paper
found carefully folded in his wallet
On it was written this in the senior
Sterry's handwriting, evidently in
tended for the newspapers:
married, at Englewood, N. j., or
June 3, 1908, at the residence of Mr.
and Mrs. Cameron Blaikie, by tht
Rev. Brewer Eddy, of East Orange
Rachel Briggs Blaikie to George Ed
ward Sterry"
Mr.. Blaikie is a brother of the
woman Mr.. Sterry was to marry, anG
he had turned over his house for the
wedding. Mr.. Sterry had intended tt
start Immediately after the ceremony
on a European trip, and had his tick
cts bought. Their destination was
Italy, and letter telling of rates al
a hotel at Leghorn was found opened
on his desk in front of him.
Mr.. Sterry was particularly hale
and vigorous old man. His first wife
the mother of the son who murdered
him, died three years ago Since
then he had lived with two of hi
sons, John and James, at his house a
No. 81 West Seventy-fourth street
The news that he had decided t,
make Miss Blake his wife was frs
broken by the father to his sons las
January. The sons opposed it, it i
said, owing to the disparity in ages
According to the story the police an
the coroner got the leader in thi
opposition was George Sterry. who
beside having a rather irascible dis
position, had been rather heav
drinker in recent years. The othe
sons are William Dewitt, the eldes
of the family, John and James. An
other son, Wallace, died a few year
ago. George Sterry was forty-thre
years old. All four of the sons hav
been helping their father in his dru
business.