New-York tribune., 1922-08-21
~ ielow Reveals
Husband : Love
For Girl Suicide
Nothing Else for Me to Do,
koemnlenicli's Farewell
ON Hearing of Vera Leh-
mans Death by Poison
Met During ssApllrodite'
No Attachment, and Young
Dancer Did Not Take Own
Life, Her Brother Insists

Vera Lehman. twenty-two-year-ol
aanseuse, widely known because of her
spectacular dance in "Aphrodite," who
died from veronal poisoning August 15
in Flower Hospital after shaving been
taken insensiblc from the costume
shop of Nine. Lehman, her mother, at
2ae West Forty-seeond Street. and
Louis Koemmenich, fifty-fve, the musi-
clan, found dead of gas asphyxiation
the same day in an apartment at 257
West Ninety-frst Street, were revealed
Yesterday BY Mrs. Koemmeaich, widow
of the musician, as victims of a hope
less infatuation. Both were suicides.
Despite Mrs. Koemmenich's assump-
tion that mutual infatuation was the
motive for the death of her husband
and of the dancer, the latter's brother,
Walter Lehman, is certain that her
death was due simply to an overdose
Of veronal, taken by mistake. DR..
Koemmenich's suicide he attributed to
despondeney over his declining fame,
saying he had tried twice before to end
his life.
Doubts Romantic Attachment
II cannot believe there is word
of truth in the conclusion that my
sister killed herself because of hope
less affection for another woman's hus-
band, he said. "That there was any
romantic attachment between Vera and
DR.. Koemmenich never occurred to me
or any member of the family.
''She was young, ambitious and
striving desperately to make the best
use Of her opportunities to attain her
ambition of becoming great dramatic
actress She knew that the public life
OF dancer is short and that her suc-
cess, wonderful as it had been, could
last but few years DR.. Koemmenich
helped her and she helped herself.
"She fell and hurt ner back while
on the road with 'Aphrodite' and she
was taking chiropractic treatment for
the injury. 1t was to all this that
ascribe her use of veronal.
81 have seen her take the drug my
self and | am as certain that she took
it only to seek relief from pain and
sleepiessness rather than with any
intention of self-destruction as though
it were my own act. She simply took
an overdose.
as it hard to believe that DIR. Koem-
menich, distressed and disheartened by
reverses at the time he met Vera, may
have reused her sympathy and that he,
temperamental and impressionable,
may have exaggerated this sympathetic
attitude? Such theory seems plausi-
bic to me. Further. it must not be for
gotten that DR.. Koemmenich made two
previous attempts at suicide"
Mr.. Lehman said he dreaded more
than anything else the task Of telling
his mother OF his sisters death. She
is in France and is about to return.
Miss Lehman wrote no letters.
Koemmenich left four lines scrawled
on an envelope. They read:
"Just had word of Vera's suicide,
This being a great loss to me, there is
nothing else left for me to do"
Composer Thirty-six Years Married
According TO Mrs. Koemmenich, she
had been married to Koemmenich
thirty-six years. There are two
daughters and. son. One daughter
is married. The composer reached his
highest fame in 1912, when he sue
ceeded Frank Damrosch as conductor
of the Oratorio Society, Several years
prior to that he was director of the
Junge Maennerchor, in Philadelphia.
When Koenmenich went out with the
road company of "Aphrodite' as musi-
cal director his professional fortunes
had been failing for some time, ac-
cordiDg to his WldoW- Sne was at nfst
pleased that ne developed an interest
in Miss Lehman, described in letters
by him as q girl of talent, and one he
wished to aid with instruction.
after the tour ended" Mrs. Koem-
menich said last night, miss Lehman
was frequent caller at our home.
There was talk among certain of my
friends, and ! realized that what had
been professional interest had become
infatuation | forbade Miss Lehman to
call on Mr.. Koemmenich during my
absence from home.
Kills Self at Third Attempt
This was not effective. Mr.. Koem-
menieh ATTEMPTED suicide on a pre-