New-York tribune., 1909-01-01
GRIEVING PARENTS
IN SUICIDE PACT
PROF. GORDT 1ND UIFE
FOLLOU DEAD CHILD.
F0nnd LifeIess Together Il Fec
Hours after ONLY Daughter En-
pres from Pneumonia.

Professor ]. P. Gordy. Of New York Univer-
sity. and his wife. Eugenie made inconsolabIe
by the death Of their only child. girl of TWEEN
y. carried out 4 suicide pact yesterday after
noon in their apartments at the Palermo apart
mcnt house. No. 500 West 116th street, by in
haling the fumes Of chloroform. When disCov-
cred they had been dead FOR some hours.
The daughter. GwendoIen. whom both parents
adored had been i'll for the last three weeks
with bronchial pneumonia and her father had
employed two trained nurses Miss Blanche
Blackulan and Miss Florence Post. VINO
rlained in constant attendance on the girl The
father and mother insisted on lowering about
the bedside and staying Up the greater part Of
each night that they might minister 70 the
stricken girl.
Until late on Wednesday, night it was believed
that Miss Goriv would recover She had appar-
entity passed through the crisis Of her illness
few davs before. but about ! o'clock on Wednes-
day night she experienced a severe relapse
and gradually grew weaker, until about > o'clock
yesterday morning when death intorvened
When the parents Informed that their
daughter va, cead tne,r grief was -heert-rend-
ing. but the sympathy Of their f-i,nds ap-
peared u have soothing effect. and when they
were left alone with the body of their child they
had appa rently succeeded in sitting their grief
About Q o'clock yesterday morning Professor
CIordy and his wife informed Miss Post one y
the nurses that they were worn out by the
trials or the last few davs and would retire to
their bedroom and rest for hours, and re-
quested that they ne not disturbed
It was discovered later that Professor Gordy
had written and posted letter to Professor
John f Lough. of No. 21an Andrews avenue,
The Bronx. also member Of the New York
University faculty before retiring. in whicn he
asked Professor Lough To come Immediately 10
the Palermo apartment house on receipt Of tn"
letter. The latter arrived at the home Of the
Gordys shortly before o'clock yesterday after
noon, and meeting DIT. r. Van Santvoord. Of
No 10 West I22d street. who had attended the
daughter throughout her Illness. in the eleva-
tor. ascended with him to the Gordy apart
17ents where after being obliged break in.
they found the bodies.
In addition to the note which he had dis
Matched TO Professor Lough, Professor Gordy
had written three other letters. all OF them
sealed and addressed 20 Mrs. Jessie ID. Stod-
dard Of No 927 West Monroe street. Chicago.
a sister IF Mrs. Gordys. and also note scrawled
on a piece Of paper. and left on bureau, which
read: Il desire Professor Lough TO take charge
Of our bodies and all funeral arrangements He
will find valuabes and papers in the safety
deposit vaults at 14th street and Fifth avenue.
all Of which / desire to go to Mrs Jessie u.
Stoddard"
In answer to questions by Coroner AcritelN.
neighb Of the couple declared that after the
dea n of their daughter. the professor and his
wife repeated again and again that they
longer cared 70 live. that their only child
had died and could not bear the thought of
seeing the new year, with its attendant cele-
l,rations ushered in without their daughter be
ing with them
Professor Gordy fftyrfve years of age.
He was attached the Washington Square
branch of New York University, where he had
orcrpied the chair Of history of education of
the School Of Pedagogy since 1901. He was
born at Salisbury. Md. Following his early edu
cation in his native town. he took course at
the University Leipsc, from which insti-
tuition he received the degree of doctor of phi
Iosophy in 1884. The same degree was con-
ferred on him by the Western University or
PENNSYLVANIA seven years later
From 1886 to 1896 he professor Of educa-
tion Of Ohio University. and up to 1900 was
professor of education in Ohio State University.
Besides translatings Kuno Fischer's Descartes,
Mr. Gordy was the author of The Growth and
Dovnlopu1ent of the Normal School in the United
states" Textbook on Psychology" History of
Political Parties in the United States (two vol
ur-es, and at the time of mis- death prepar-
ing two more: "A Liberal Education and 'Edu- (
cation in the Elementary School" In 1884 he
married Miss Eugenia Day. at Dresden, Saxony.