New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-23
War-Crazed
Pastor Kills
2andHinself 2
Wife and Her Aged Mother
Are Victims of DR..
Berry, of Bronxville
si.ter-in-Law Also
Shot in Parsonage
Tragedy Ends a Night of
Terror; Minister Thought
Family Pro-German

,,rosr villa Park Chapel, better
-, "a Bronxville a. large as The
,ss. Church on the Hill" stood
,.,s,s and deserted yesterday. On a
..o,,, o. cardboard tackled to the door
=, he explanation:
ss,esusc Of the sudden death OF the
- n, Robert Berry there will not be
:, Sunday school or church service
isisy.-
m the manner Of the pastors death
-, n two other equally sudden
j,,.s, in MS family the descons chose
.ov nothing. Il was left for the con-
-.,,tion 10 learn elsewhere that Dr.
s,rrv's mind had given way after long
t,..sing on the war and that while
,,,,,.sed OF a homicidal mania he had
,,r,s Mrs. Caroline Bahr. his seventy
.,..v,sr-old mother-in-law, and Mrs.
Matilda Berry, his wife; shot his wife's
sru Miss Caroline Bahr, and then
led committed suicide.
Follows Night of Terror
The triple tragedy followed a night
n terror in the parsonage. For hours
the three women, after locking them
,.lv,, in second hoor bedroom. heard
nr Berry roaming about the house,
moving he had a loaded revolver at
hand and fearing that at any moment
ls might decide 20 use it.
Al s o'clock in the morning cam.
ne sound the women had been strain
ing their cars and praying for The
soor Of the front bedroom-Dr. Berry :
slammed. Mrs Bahr dropped off to
itsp. An hour later Mrs. Berry vent
red into the hall. Almost immediate
5s shot was fred. heighbors heard
no more shots m rapid succession.
hsa Miss Caroline Bahr appeared-on
b yerands Of the parsonage. Blood
ns Eufhi8g from wound in her right
ari.
-Aurder." she screamed.
Homer Bird, q neighbor. was at work
n bis garden directly opposite the
ssaso. At the same tirae he heard the
iaam he saw d little figure crash
through a hedge and run 'cross-lots
ior tie home Of Henry Welch. another
nsighbcr. Il was ten-year-old Caro-
Ets Serry. one Of three children who
sad been sleeping in the attic nursery
q lhe parsonage, running for help.
Help Comes Too Late
Bot the help she brought came too
kic. Bird and Welch. racing into the
Berry house, stumbled over the body
y TIE pastors wife at the head Of the
fislfs leading 20 the second floor. She
I'd been shot through the head and
sn dying. DR.. Berry lay on the floor
q The bedroom, breathing his last, with
iss feyelyer 81 his side. Mrs. Bahr,
g he bed, hsd been shot as she slept.
d. Berry and Mfs. Berry were both
ts.e before physicians arrived.
On msntel in the rear bedroom was
'eand scrap Of paper on which, in the
FNers handwriting. appeared the
Nnfds.
Insane Prussianism
Il. ne KEY 20 the note was supplied by
AM caroline Banr. who is secretary
. ne Board Of Missions Of the Presby-
ffah Church.
ID. Berry had been under the oelu-
ssa thai We we're all pro-German," she
20 Coroner George Engle. OF YOnkers,
apiatr was born in Germany. She
sas to this country fifty years ago,
nosgh, and always haG been good
american. Sister and we're born here.
fItslaer fought for the North in the
Vsll Var.
~ broiher-in-isw began a TRADE
vast Germany and Germans last
~ he kept Il up for hours, accus-
e OF siding with the Kaiser. We
- 70 calm him, but couldn't. lie
~ We revolver In sight most Of the
1'Aaa threatened TO XIII as.
Gets Revolver Back
aaili. got It from him and put it
.a mothers pillow. lie wanted il
oy and b., and persuaded sister
w nm nave u, saying / was sure
roa'a keep MS promise 20 put il
~ shd 20 70 bed. II was after that
.,'e<ed ourselves IN the bedroom.
~ vas Matilda he shot first Just
yhe went into the hall. We
.kn' ae lad gone 10 bed. After the
NOT ne ran into mothers room
ste' AZ ne, fill on the floor and
- while he bent over me. Then
s.aneo Two more shots one for
and ole for himself"
-. Derry, who was thirty-nine. had
noer treatment for neurasthenia
6s..-sIe VIe thsn year. I'm his room the
round box Of pills bearing
~, eoel warning that not more
,e should be taken 20 the dose.
III osfiys settled IN BrOnXville last
~ susn Dr. Berry, whose last charge
4 ss9t3h az Wilton, Conn, undertook
na Up the congregation Of the
lllls Park Chapel lie had
Nf wilton from May. 1914, to July,
- fssigning a. the request OF mem
ns " lhe church board. His resig
a.. was asked, Il was explained, be-
~ obviously was living on the
'"er PlymOuth Assistant
s,.sis had been in Wilton and in
s.,.aa ille The impression that DR..
s esa been az one time assistant
s,e - Newell Dwight Hills, Of Plym-
is,.s Ssa,afeh' Brooklyn. This DR.. Hills
ee last night.
a ,.s.ionNsille DR.. Berry had played
.s~- I've paft in organization OF the
81 snsfd, snd had been among the
plant war garden"
ss,li income from the church was
a eng his sister-in-law had been
~. '.si support Of the family for
N. "ae, she told Coroner Engle.
u sefry children Caroline, Ma.
-, l,s slo = eight, and Eva, hyea
n. ufea fer BY Mr. Weleh. They
~ l,,s ssf been told their parents