Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-20

estrangement which had driven one CT
the members to insanity eliminated
today i'll the murder of George Z. Ster-
ry, a millionaire drug exporter, by his
son, George z. Sterry, Jr., and the
suicide of the latter. The elder Sterry
was shct down in the office OF Weaver
& Sterry Ltd, where he had been
closeted for IL few moments with the
murderer. The son Immediately after
ward snot himself and both men were
dead when others Of the firm hurried
into the room. The determination OF
the father to remarry led to the traS-
edy. a letter left by the son made
plain that his acts were deliberate.
The senior Sherry was 72 years Old
and in addition to his drug interests,
was president of the Bloomfield Mills
Co., and Il director in the Spring Coal
Mining Co. He WAS socially prominent
and active in religious affairs. He was
an elder in the Fourth Avenue Pres
bytcrian church, member of the
board OF managers of the American
Bible Society and also of the Ancri-
can Tract Society, and Il director of
Princetoc Theological Seminary.
George T.. Sterry, Jr., was 40 years
old and with his wife, well know.
society woman, lived at Manhattan
Square Hotel. HIS wife had known Of
the unrIeasantnoss in the Sterry fam
lily but had received no intimaton that
her husbands mind had become UNI
balanced as IL consequence. Others of
the family were equally aStuniSned
and Mortified.
The murdered man was president of
the firm of Weaver & Sterry; the muir
derer was it's secretary, while William
Dewitt Sterry, a second son, is the
treasurer. John w. and James W., al
80 sons of the elder man, are direc-
tors.
Mr. Sterry's wife died four years ago
and last January he announced his in
| tention of marrying Miss Rachael
| Blaikie, public school teacher of
East Orange, N. ]. Miss Blail,ie. who
| is 90 years old, was a friend of the
late Mrs. Sterry. The sons disapproved
of the proposed alliance, but were I'M
able to influence their father against
| it. Today George Sterry, Jr., went to
his office as usual and passing through
those Of his brothers addressed them
casually and then entered his father S
private room.
Perhaps five minutes later the re-
| ports Of revolver twice discharged
attracted others to the private office
| The body of the elder Sterry sat up
right in the chair before his desk,
blood trickling down the face led from
the bullet wound in the right temple.
Stretched out upon a chair nearby his
fathers desk was the lifeless form of
the son. He had been killed by a bull
let over the right ear. His right hand
clasped a revolver.
The story of the tragedy is told i'll
two papers, one found in the coat
pocket of the murdered man and the
other in the pocket of his son. The
first was an advance marriage notice
which evidently had been prepared for
inserting in the newspapers. 1t read
as follows:
"MARRIED-tSterr -Blaillie at En-
glewood, n. j., June g. 1908. At the
residence of Mr.. and Mrs. Cameron
Blaille by the Rev. Eddy of East
Orange, Rachael Blailiie and George
Edward Sterry."
The other paper took the form of an
open letter and ran thus:
Manhattan Square Hotel, May 10,
1898.
To whom it may concern:
'"Thc coroner first 1 presume. I took
Il solemn oath Ito myself that my ia
Their would never disgrace the memory
of my sainted mother. There is not a
bit Of sel1shness in me. If my father
engaged himself to a lady of mature
age, l would most certainly bid him
good luck and trust he would live
forever certainly always desired a
long and happy life for my old man
term which I frequently and affec-
tionately used to him. 1t is now II
O'Clock, May IS. Now no one is in my
confidence and my brothers may draw
a conclusion or may form an opinion.
There is one point which strikes me as
particularly interesting.
"Whle riding down on the Seventh
avenue car l cast a glance on those
around me as they doubtlessly did on
me. The thought which l desire to
convey is this. How many thousands