The Washington herald., 1921-11-12
AUTO FUMES CAUSE
CANADIANS DEATH
Police Mystified by Odd Fa-
tality-WiIl Make In
vestigatiOn.

Fifteen minutes after he had been
brought into his rooms in a down.
town hotel in company, with two
women, John J. La Ferne. wealthy
Canadian business man, died last
night La Ferne dted at 1880 o'clock
while being taken TO Emergency
Hospital in an ambulance from
what physicians, term. asphyxiation
by gas fumes breathed from his
meteor car. f..
The two women who accompanied
IL >Ferre into the hospital follow
iAe an hour automobile ride in his
ear last night at 1I;15 O'clock left
the, hotel without disclosing their
ideAtits, 'aEd police were blocked
temporarily in their investiga ton
Of the sudden and apparently mys-
terious death Of the Canadian manu-
fa0Ursr.
- -. Became III ON Ride.
In a story. told bs Ludwig Muel
lers-7pl Dahliaestneet,sTo Tokena Park,
the schauffeura0f the taxicab which
brought La Ferne and his two CONS
panions to the hotel. police learned
that the Canadiah had. been riding
with the-wOnen for about an hour
last night. He became i'll. accord
ing to his story to the chauffeur
from gas fumes from the car At
Tenth street and Massachusetts, ave-
IUe northwest the women became
alarmed at his illness, and, accord
ing to an official of the garage
where La Ferne Kept his CSr, one
Of them phOned for the garage to
send for the machine, an enclosed
five passenger car. and send a taxi
cab to remove lie Ferne to the hotel.
The chauffeur told police that
upon his arrival at Tenth street and
Massachusetts avenue he found La
Ferne apparently very i'll. He said
LaFerne, however, was able to
speak ana told him that he had be-
come i'll fromrthe gas fumes.
Nausented by Fumes.
LaFerne. according. 20 the ehauf-
feur, was forced to drive slowly in
congested traffic about the speed
way and was. nauso ated by the
fumes at this time Neither of the
women appeared to suffer any i'll
effects from the fumes, the ehauf-
feur said.
LaFerne asked the taxi driver
to take him to the hotel and then
remove the women to their apart
ment. However, the driver told po-
lice, upon their arrival at the hotel
the women dismissed him.
LaFerne was put in the care of
hotel osiciaIs. When he failed to
mproya. che hospital ambulance was
summoned: The women refused to
accompany him to the hospital. the
hotel official told police.
Registered From Toronto.
According to garage officials where
La Ferne kept his car. the trio en-
tered the garage about 10 o'clock, and
all were sitting in the front seat OF
the car when they left. Police are
at loss to understand the serious
Illness Of La Ferne from the gas
fumes while the women were not af-
fected.
La Ferne registered at the hotel ON
Wednesday evening from Toronto,
Canada, and. according to business
friends. he was manager of sales pro-
motion for the w. II. Banfeld & sons
Ltd, machinery manufacturers. IN
Toronto. He had been a freouent
visitor in the District during the last
six weeks. hotel officials saw. Dur
ing the war he is understood to havas
been connected with a munitions
manufacturing company.
The body was placed in the hos
pttal moreue last night and beId fo,
an examination by Coroner Nevitt