The sun., 1919-05-25
FRED W. HEINRICH
TAKES OWN LIFE
Wealthy Silk Merchant Wades
Out Into Lake, Then
Drinks Poison.
ILL FOR MANY MONTHS
Woman Sees Suicide in Little
worth Lake, Sea Cliff,
Long Island.

Frederick W. Heinrich, who gained
prominence three years ago by trying
to force an audit of the expenditures of
the New York State Commission to the
Panama Pacific Exposition in behalf of
the Brooklyn Young Republican Club,
committed suicide in Littleworth Lake,
near his summer home at Sea Gin.
l.. l., yesterday. Heinrich, who had
beer Ill for many months, walked into
the lake up TO his chest, drank from a
small bottle. which he hurled ahead OF
him. and then dived into deep water
His act was witnessed by Mrs Ethe-
lyn Nelson. who was sitting on her
porch, fronting the lake Thinking OF
first that Heinrich was a mere trespas-
ser. she called to him good natured,y
Hello, there! Get off my property
Get out OF the lake"
without turning Heinrich drank from
the bottle and plunged beneath the wa
ter. Mrs. Nelson ran to the shore and
launched a small raft used by children
which she tried to paddle to wher(
Heinrich disappeared. Failing in thi!
she rushed 10 a telephone and Ave min.
ute, later the police and Dr. E. c. Bray
nsrd arrived and recovered the body
Efforts at resuscitation failed. A dis.
tine, discolorStion was noted about the
lips OF the dead man, but DIR. Braynard
saic that an autopsy would be necessar,
to determine whether death had beer
due to poison or to drowning.
Heinrich, who was a member OF the
SILK firm OF +. w. Heinrich & Bro. .;
Madison avenue. Manhattan. with his
family opened his summer homo at Sea
CHI about a week ago. Just before
IL o'clock this morning he told hi.
wife that he was going for a walk :,
Few minutes later he asked the di. &c
ton to Scudder's Pond. now known a.
Iitileworth Lake, at the house of Mrs
Charles Nostrand. Mrs. Nostrand's hus
band had died on Friday and his bod,
was In the house awaiting the funera.
IL Is thought that iris chance encounter
may have added to Heinrich's melan
choly.
Mrs. Heinrich Vas Frustrated whe,
| Informed of her husbands death. III
, had been under the care of a physician
for long time as the result OF a nervous
breakdown and only recently had com
from q Brooklyn hospital where he hs,
been operated upon for an affection O
| the throat With his brother he hs,
conducted q considerable business II
broad silk at the Manhattan address TO
many years and Is reported to hav
| amassed a fortune.
Though he had taken no active par
I'm Republican politics in Brooklyn, whei
| charges Of gross extravaganza wer
made three years ago against tn
| Panama Pacific Commission, OF whicl
Norman Z. Mack of Buffalo was chair
man, Mr.. Heinrich demanded an investi
CATION. Comptroller Travis ruled that h
| had no power TO audit the books.
II was charged that members OF tn
commission had fitted UP elaborate livin
| quarters for themselves in the New Yor
State building at the exposition and tina
they entertained extensively. Demo
cratic and Republican legislators an
State officials took trips TO the coast a
the guests OF the commission. this prsC
tice eliminating in the trip of Coz
Whitman and his staff, out of whic
further charges of extravaganza wer
made.
Mr.. Heinrich in behalf of the Brookly
Young Republican Club went befor
Judge Hasbrouck OF the Supreme Cour
at Kingston and got from him a decisio
holding that despite the specific prov
sions Of the statute constituting III
commission II was the duty of the Conn
troller to audit all bills. This decisio
was reversed by the Appellate Divisio
however. and no full statement OF III
commissions accounts was ever mad