The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-20
KILLED FATHER,
THEN HIMSELF
George Sterry, Jr., of New York
Commits Murder to Pre-
vent Wedding.
ACTS WITH DELIBERATION
PLANS eRUEsoME TRAGEDY IN
ALL ITS DETAILS.

PLANS GRUEsoME TRAGEDY IN
ALL ITS DETAILS.
New York. May 19.-Because ne was to
be married again. George Sterry, p years
old. was shot and killed today by his son.
George Sterry jr The younger man
committed suicide. The father was a
member of the large wholesale drug
firm of Weaver & Sterry. He was en-
gagged 10 be married to a young school
teacher.
The elder Sterry was president and the
son secretary of Weaver & Sterry. The
old man had been working at his desk all
the forenoon. 1t was nearly noon when
his son reached the office.
Seemed to Be Sane.
As the young man passed through the
warehouse on his way TO the offices on
the second floor Of the building. he met
his younger brother, James W Sterry
and. addressing him cheerily. asked him
how things were going Being told eV-
erything was all right. he continued on
his way upstairs. a moment later two
shots rang through the building and
when James Sterry and several employees
rushed up to the office they found the
old man still sitting in his chair at the
desk. and George. jr., lying on the floor
bv his side. Both we're dead. \ There was
a bullet hole in each mans temple and
revolver was lying on the floor.
Elder sterry PhiIanthropist.
George Sterry. ST.. was an aged philan-
thropist prominent in business and re-
ligioCs circles He was z years old, the
senior member OF Weaver & Sterry,
the Princeton Theological seminary, a
member of the board Of mana gers OF the
American Bible society and of the Amer
lean Tract society. He was also pres
ident and director of the Bloomfield Mills
company, and a director of the Spring
Coal Mining company.
The young woman to whom Mr.. Sterry
was engaged to be married is Miss Rebec-
ca Blake. who lives in East Orange. n
j. They were TO have been married carry
in June.
The murdered man was president of the
firm of Weaver q Sterry, lne murderer
was its secretary, while William DeNltI
Sterry, a second son, is the treasurer
John ". and James w. also sons OF
the elder man, are directors.
Determined to Marry.
Mr.. Sterry's wife died four years ago.
and last January he announced his lnten-
ton of marrying Miss Rachel Blake, a
Dublic school teacher of East Orange, \.
]. The sons disapproved of the proposed
alliance but were unable TO influence
their father against it. George Sterry'
ir today went 20 his PLACE OF business
as usual and passing through the Ottlce
of his brother, addressed him casually
and then entered his fathers private
room. Perhaps five minutes later the re-
ports of a revolver twice discharged at
tracted others to the private Off1ce Inc
bOdy of the elder SteTTy sat upright in
the chair before his desk. with blood
tricklng down the face from a bullet
hole in the right temple Stretched OUT
i'm a chair near his fathers desk was the
lifeless form of the son. He mad been
killed by a bullet over the right ear. Ills
right hand clasped a revolver
The story of the tragedy is told in two
PAPERS one found in the coat pocket OF
The murdered man and the other in the
rocket of his son. The first was an ad-
vance marriage notice, which had evil
IDENTIFY been prepared for insertion IN the
newspapers. II read as follows:
'Married.-Sterry-B Blake. at Engle-
wood, n. J., June 3, 1903. at the residence
of Mr.. and Mrs. Cameron Blaikie, by the
Rev D. Eddy of East Orange, Rachel
Blake and George Edward Sterry.'
The other paper took the form OF an
open letter and ran thus;
In Mothers Memory.
Manhattan Square Hotel. May 70, 1908.
"To Whom II May Concern; the Coroner
first, / presume;
4 took a solemn oath (tO MYSELF that
my father would never disgrace the MEM
DRY of my sainted mother Ihere IS not
a bit of selfishness in me Had my IA
Their engaged himself to a lady of mature
age | would most certainly bid him good
luck and trust he would live forever.
certainly always desired a long and happy
life for my old mana term which
frequently and affectionately used TO
him 1t is now ii o'clock, May -. Now.
no one is in my confidence, and my broth
ers may draw a conclusion or form an
opinion of the matter There is point
which strikes me as particularly inter-
esting.
Curious About Stories.
while riding down on the Ninth ave
nue. elevated l cast casual glances on
those around me. as they doubtless did
on me- The thought which ! desire TO
convey is this; How many thousands
would have started from me had they
known the prominent captions my double
crime would warrant tomorrow.
There is comical and laughaDie end
to this. | would willingly give $500 TO
Rachel Blaikie to hear the beautiful and
touching prayer for the salvation of my
soul she will offer up. OF course !
under a violent strain and many of my
sentences may not be grammatical and
many sentences may be crude. II seems
TO me that God has told me to do what /
propose doing. I have prayed to God no
less than twenty times a day to show me
some way out of this trouble, and
truthfuIly believe he has shown me the
proper way 10 save my family from dis
grace. -.-,..,,r,.-
Another point desire TO mention. Two
seconds after my father starts / VIII
follow. as the poor old man needs a guide
and a guardian. Should We run across
some of the bunch from East Orange, we
will glide up a side street
Orange. y. j., MAY 19.-Miss Rachel
Biaikie who was to have married George
e. Sterry. killed by his son in New York
today. collapsed when she learned tonight
of the murder and suicide. Friends of
Miss Blaikie here understood that she was
to have been married early in June. With
this purpose in view, she resigned her
position as a teacher in the Seventh
street public school of Newark on May /.
IDAHO IN LUCK.
Especial to The Herald)
Washington May 19.-The conference
committee on the sundry civil appropria-