New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-21
W ar Veteran
And Woman
Die i'm Pact
Former Aviation Lieutenant
and His Companion Are
ound Dead of Gas
i'll a Brook | yn Hotel
Picture Identifies Her
Police Break Into the
Room and Find Win
dows We're Sealed Tightly

Harold E. Ferry, thirty-two years
old, former aviation lieutenant and q
veteran of the World War. and a
woman, believed to be Mrs. Alice Dew
erall, forty years old, were found dead
OF gas in room in the Mohawk Hotel
Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, last
night.
The odor Of gas aroused guests in
tire hosiery and when police broke
into the room they found the windows
had been closed and sealed Gas was
flowing from six jets.
card in the pocket of the mans
coat proved his identity. Later his
aunt, Mrs. Harriet Cleveland, of 70
Wildwood Street Brooklyn, identified
the body. Mrs. Cleveland did not know
the woman.
The hotel management said the
couple had been living as man and
wife at the Mohawk for the last seven
teen days They had registered as Mr..
and Mrs. Harold Berry.
While the police are confident the
man and woman entered into a suicide
agreement, they found no explanation
for their act, as far as could be deter
mined last night. Mrs Cleveland, who
says her nephew had lived at her home
since his return from overseas, was
unaware, she declared, that he was in
any way involved with woman.
When the police forced the door of
the room they found Ferry's body, in a
blue serge suit, lying across the head
crouched position near the foot The
dead woman was clad in pink boomers
and black silk stockings. The feet
were encased in suede pumps.
The woman had red hair and brown
eyes, and several of her photographs
were on a dressing table. An empty
whisky flask was found in a corner Of
the room. There were also two suitcases
and a trunk in the room. The trunk
was filled with women's apparel.
While the identity of Ferry was
quickly established, the identity of the
woman was not fixed until Detectives
Daley and Flynn, of the Classon Ave
hue station, had utilized one of the
photographs found in the couples
room. That was of the woman and a
dog. The detectives took the picture
to Isidorc Weiss, storekeeper, at $40
Fulton Street, Brooklyn, who said the
woman in the picture was Mrs. Dew
erall. Weiss declared he had the dog,
WIllCu lHc WOIldl DdO lclt Will It'll,
Confrmatory identification of the
dead woman was made by Mrs. Fred
Bermeister, of II Parkside Court Flat
bush. The police say from Mrs. Ber
meister they learned that Mrs. Deverall
formerly conducted a dressmaking es
tablishment at Grand and Green ave
nues, and that she had married Percy
Deverall, photographer, in Wheeling,
w. Va.
Mrs. Cleveland told the police Ferry
enlisted with the American air serv-
ice at Fort Leavenworth, Kan, and
after his transfer to France was as
signed to the Royal Air Service. She
said he had been wounded with shrap-
mel and gassed while serving with the
Royal Flying Corps.
Ferry according to the aunt, went to
her home Thursday evening and said
he was going out and would be gone
| for the night.
The police asserted the appearance
of the room was orderly. They are
of the opinion the occupants closed
and carefully sealed the windows,
locked the door and then turned on
the gas and lay down together to await
| the end.