The sun., 1916-08-25
HERMIT OF HUDSON
ENDS LIFE ON YACHT
3. NJ. Van Allen, Sportsman
and Promoter, Leaves Bit.
ter Note for Mother.
FAMOUS AS RIFLE SHOT
Mysterious Woman Appears to
Ask Details, but Keeps
Identity Secret.

A boatman who rowed from the Fulton
Motorboat Club. issth street and the
Hudson River. to the Hunter. q thirty
five foot launch owned by the sports
man and promoter Stephen NJ. Van
Allen. yesterday morning discovered the
proprietor's body lying In q narrow pas
sage between the bedroom and the front
cabin. A double barrelled shotgun lay
near the body. The boatman. Norman
Dickerson. had pulled but to the launch
to tell Van Allen he was wanted on
the telephone. The person Mt the other
end OF the wire. who gave no name, had
learned that Van Allen meditated suicide
and had called up In an effort to prevent
the tragedy.
Not lons afterwArd. a. the sportsman's
body was being taken from the launch
TO the motorboat club. a middle aged
woman appeared n asked the police
for details OF the suicide She was told
that Van Allen had written three letters.
one OF which was addressed to Mrs. j.
NJ. ulonoran. room 1850, Congress Hotel.
Chicago. The woman insisted that this
letter should be delivered to her, but
was told that II would have to be turned
over to the Coroner. In great agitation
the unidentified oma drove away In q
tax.cab.
Three Letters FOund.
Patrolman Essig. who was sent from
the West l2bth street station when the
suicide was reported, said Van Allen had
seated himself In \ low chair, placed the
mussle OF the shotgun In the pit Of his
stomach. and. leaning over. had pulled
ooth triggers. Apparently he was killed
instantly.
In the cabin were found the three let
ters. one In an ~envelop addressed to the
chicago m and two others written
on heavy brown wrapping paper. To
HIS mother. Mrs. Catharine Van Allen OF
Jamaica. l.. l.. the sportsman wrote IN
the bitterest vein, indicating that he had
not been on friendly terms with his
FAMILY. II was known that he was
separated from his wife. who was
Augusta Bell. daughter of a Jamaica
physician.
Il have no money n no place "a
live" he wrote In part. IL hope you are
Happy. don't want you or any of my
family to have the body. Nothing more
10 say. Your son. Stephen"
The third missive was for William
NJ. Gtlen. q jamaica attorney. who
sometimes acted for Van Allen.
Il want TO thank you for all you have
done for me-" he wrote In this letter,
and ask one more thing--that you see
that my body Koes to the nearest college
FOR the students to use for scientific pur.
poses. After they have finished. please
bury in Po,ter's Field. Yours very
truly. ). II. Van Allen"
Body seat to Morgue.
His body was sent to the morgue for
the present.
Van Allen was ~ years old. His
father was Henry A. Van Allen Of ia.
maica. who left him a considerable for.
tune. With this money Van Allen. with
Curly joe Cassidy. formerly Demo.
cratic boss Of Queens. and David J.. Var
Nostrand. now dead. leased Madison
Square Garden. but they did NOT make
a financial success Of II. When Cassid,
and Van Nostrand withdrew from the
venture, Var Allen essayed to 20 II
alone. Several OF the Sporismen's
Sh " In the Garden were managed b,
Ntn Allen. hut after a time he wa:
forced to re!inQu!sh control OF the biz
amusement place.
stock raising In South Dakota at
tracted him for a time. but re did no
make much money at that. and returned
to The East to enter the real estate bust
ness. Al one time Van Allen lived in ;
house he had built rea- his mother!
home at - Cn!on avenue. Jamaica. Ther
family troubles interviewed and he stayet
away from Jamaica AZ much as possible
spending most OF his leisure hours OF
board his launch. Not i~nfreouently Val
Allen remained for days on the Hunter
seeing and visiting nobody, He cam
10 be called the Hermit OF the Hudson.
From his tenth "a Van Allen was
famous rife shot. He became 80 exper
that he toured the country and CAV ex
hibitions OF his skill.