The San Francisco call., 1913-08-25
THREE SUICIDES IN
ARKOvY ROMANCE
Father of Girl Who Eloped
With Bogus Noble Ends
Life as Mother Did

NEW YORK, Aug. c4-Robcrt Schroe-
der retired malt broker and brewer.
who told his friends several times
within the last year that his heart
had been broken by the runaway mar
riage of his daughter, Elsa, to a bogus
Hungarian baron. killed himself by in
haling gas. in the bathroom of his
home.
Mr.. Schroeder took his life In the
same bathroom and by the same means
that Mrs. Schroeder used in commit
ting suicide few weeks after 1t was
discovered that her daughters hus-
band, Richard Won Arkovy, was not a
Hungarian baron, as he had pretended
to be- but cigar store clerk, and the
son of a Hungarian dentist.
The suicide of Mr.. Schroeder. COM
pleted a cycle of three deaths follow
Elsa Schroeder. Miss Schroeder was a
schoolgirl, in her nineteenth year,
when Arkovy began to pay her at
tentions in 1909. According to her
father, she was fascinated with her
suitor's tales of princely palaces and
royal estates in Hungary. The father
had Arkovy's claims investigated. and
on finding that they were bogus for
bade him the house.
MOTHER AIDS ELOPERS
In November 1909. after some months
of secret correspondence in which Mr..
Schroeder believed his wife joined, Elsa
ran away and her marriage to Arkovy,
under the name of Count Richard Won
Arkovy, followed There was stormy
scene between Schroeder and his wife
in which Mrs. Schroeder was accused
of having been party to the match.
She confessed that she had been, ac-
cording to report that became cur
rent among friends of the family. but
she insisted that ArlSovys claims to
noble blood were genuine. Mr.. Schroe-
der then produced proofs that the
daughters husband was an impostor,
and Mrs. Schroeder collapsed. She re-
manned in her room for a week, after
which she ended her life.
Mr.. Schroeder. on opening her will,
found that she had beuueathed her en-
tire fortune to her daughter and COM
manded that her husband turn the
money over to her on her twenty-first
birthday The fortune amounted to
s250,000. being mostly represented by
stocks in a brewing company.
1t was said that the turning over of
this sum left Schroeder financially en-
barrassed, but that he did not hold back
a penny. He announced on surrender
ing the fortune that his son in law had
ruined him financially. had destroyed
his home and his happiness, and that
neither his son in law nor his daughter
should ever cross his Threshold.
DAUGHTER. REPENTING. RETURNS
In 1911 the girl who had run away TO
marry Arkovy came back to her
home in New York, disillusioned and
ready to obtain a divorce. Friends arr
ranged a reconciliation with her father
al ch - ret frrp ed ne
only member of the family present
when her fathers body was discovered
by two servants after she had given the
alarm on detecting the odor of gas.
Arkovy and his wife came to this
country in March. 1871, from the Hotel
Carlton in London. They registered at
the Plaza and engaged one of the most
expensive suites. While they were eat
ing breakfast in their rooms the
baron was arrested on a charge of
grand larceny preferred by Julio S.
Jarron. then Cuban vice consul in New
York. Jarron charged that the alleged
baron had stolen two platinum cruci-
Lles from him worth 5000. The charge
was withdrawn after Magistrate Corri-
gan had held Arkoyy for trial, but 1t
brought out enough of his past to dash
his social aspirations, of which he had
many.
April is, finding that he could no
longer keep up the way of living to
which he had become accustomed while
he was going through 100000 of the
$3.50 600 inherited by his wife, Arkovy
committed suicide in the Hotel Carlton
in London.
1t was said by friends of Mr.. Schroe-
der that his daughters unfortunate
marriage and its consequences-the
suicide of his wife and the loss of the
family fortune-never ceased to prey
upon his mind. Mrs. Arkovy had been
planning for some time to go abroad.
and had bought tickets. The reserva-
tion was Cancelled by Mrs. Arkovy. who
was prostrated on finding that her
father was dead. and she had to be
placed under the care of physician.