The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-06-10
.PADUCAH NAN IS
FOUND DEAD IN
HIS OFFICE CHAIR
Is Either Victim of Suicide or Two
Accidental Discharges of
Pistol.
VERY WELL KNOWN IN CAIRO.
One Shot Penetrated Right Temple,
While Second Bullet Found Lodg-
ing Back of Right Ear.

Palucah. June 9.-Seated at his
desk in his private office, Sci Drey-
fus, 81 years old. president Of DIey-
Iius- Well 4 Co.. Was found dead
Sunday afternooa about 1915
o'clock. Death resulted from two
bullet wounds on the right side OF
the head. The family and personal
and business friends OF MIR. Dreyfus
are positive that mis- death was ac-
Icidental.
Nobody heard the pistol shots,
and the discovery OF the body was
made by ]. Benedict. secretary of
Dreyfus-Weil Co., and his son, Sam
Dreyfus, who went to the store to
look for Mr.. Dreyfus when he did
not return for dinner, and when
unanswered. Mr. Dreyfus left his
residence, 1905 Broadway, Sunday
! morning about o'clock, telling
members OF the family he wanted to
look over the mail. and would be
absent for several hours.
| When found Mr.. Dreyfus had the
opened mail on his desk, and had
been at the office for at least an hour
before death. About 10 o'clock
Sam Dreyfus, his son, had a conyer-
sation with him over the telephone
| but later than that hour several at
ltempts were made to reach him owe.
| the telephone. Mr., Dreyfus was in
| his private office, which IL located to-
I the right Of the general office at the
back OF the building, l15-117 North
Second street.
The dead man was in his office
chair, which was turned sideways to
the desk His body was leaning
slightly on the right forearm. In
| his right hand was 32-calibre re-
volver. His left hand practically
covered the barrel of the pistol.
Two Bullet Wounds.
| DR.. ]. ID. Robertson was called i'm
mediately but pronounced Mr.. Drey-
| fus dead. Coroner Robert L. iEley
was summoned and he empanneled
| a jury. DR.. Robertson and ]. Bena-
Idiot we're witnesses before the jury.
| One shot entered the right temple,
The other bullet pierced the skull
back of the right ear and calsed in
slant death.
| In speaking for the family j. BEN
edict, who was closely associated
with Mr.. Dreyfus, says that his
death was entirely accidental. Mr..
Benedict as secretary says that the
lbus,nes of the firm is prosperous,
and that there is no reason from a
business standpoint to advance a
lsuicide theory Mr.. Benedict Is con-
Ifident that the death resulted from
1.-THE accidental discharge Of Mr..
Dreyfus's pistol. which he kept al
ways in his desk.
During the last year the store has
been robbed frequently of liquor, and
although every effort has been made
to discover the guilty parties, they
have never been arrested. The
thieves have always picked Saturday
or Sunday nights or sometimes Sun
Iday morning for their work. Detec-
live L. j. Moore has been placer on
guard at the store at intervals.
Satad day the precaution of placing
iron bars on the rear windows was
taken.
1t is the belief that Mr.. Benedict
that while Mr.. Dreyfus was at work
lin his office that he detected noise
las Of somebody attempting to enter
the building. Naturally Mr., Drey-
fus was a nervous and excitable man.
Taking his pistol from the desk, it Is
believed that the weapon was dis
charged accidentally, and both
bullets struck Mr. Dreyfus. There
were two empty cartridges in the
pistol held by Mr.. Dreyfus.
Citizen of Reput.
Mr.. Dreyfus was one of the best
known business men in Padueah
and prominent in public life. lie
was former vice-president of the
Padueah Commercial Club and also
was vice-president of the paducah
IAnti. tuberculosis society, in which
he took an active interest Mr. Drey.
fus was born March IL, 1856, in Al
sece- Lorraine, the son of Isaac and
Hannah Dreyfus, natives OF Ger
many. He came to America in 1871
when he was fifteen years old
While in. Europe he received a good
: education and was familiar with tht
: German, French and Hebrew Ian
, guages.
II Came Here in 1883.
He came to Paducah in 1883, and
lenfered the wholesale LIQUOR bnsi.