Evening star., 1923-03-14
CRAMER ENDS LIFE
WITH PISTOL SHOT
Ex-CounseI of Veterans Bu-
reau Found Dead in Bath
room of Home.
WIFE HAD LEFT CITY
Newspaper Clipping on Desk Told
of Approaching Probe
of Bureau.
WIFE HAD LEFT CITY

SHdrieS r. trainer. forty-f1ve years
old, who resigned as general counsel
OF the Veterans Bureau last Thurs.
day, was found dead in the bathroom
OF his residence. 2314 Wyoming ave-
nue., the former home Of President
Harding. shortly after o'clock this
morning. A .45-caliber revolver lay
beside the body. a bullet wound in
the right temple caused death.
Coroner hewitt viewed the body and
gave permission to have undertakers
take charge. He announced he would
issue certificate Of death by suicide
later today.
Wife Had Left City.
At midnight last night. Mr. Cramer
accompanied his wife to the Union
station and placed her on a train for
New York. She was to return late
today. He went home, and shortly
after his arrival retired to his room.
He seated himself at a writing desk,
where he was last seen alive by the
colored maid employed by the fam
lily. She said today he asked her for
two stamps. These stamps were
ters to which they were to be at
tached were located.
A book OF Oscar Wild<'s poems was
on the writing desk, with many other
books. In it was found by Capt. Lord
of the tenth precinct, in charge Of
the house during the emergency, a
from d local newspaper tell
ing of an investigation of the opera
tions of the Veterans Bureau, and
predicting that such an investigation
probably would be undertaken by a
joint committee of the House and
Senate or a special committee of the
Senate following the adjournment OF
Congress.
The article pointed out that repre-
sentations were being made that this
to former officials of the bureau and
others. The'article also contained an
account of the rendering of the
designations of Col. Sam Alexander,
recently appointed successor of Com
mander c. r. OLeary as director OF
supplies. which was not accepted by
Acting Director Ijams.
Only two servants are in the house
"a chauffeur and the maid.
The body Of Mr. Cramer was clad
only in light underwear. He was
stretched full length on his back in
the bathroom. The bathroom window
was open.
Police Find Body.
The discovery was made following
the attempt Of the chauffeur to find
Mr.. Cramer this morning. He found
the bathroom door locked about 8
o'clock and notified the police Sergt
Mcdonald of the tenth precinct ar
rived with a duplicate key set and
opened the bathroom door and found
the body on the floor. The chauffeur
remembered later that early today he
heard what might have been a re-
volver shot, but what he thought at
the time to be the slamming of a
door. He paid 1t no further attention.
The home is the beautiful residence
which was sold by the President and
Mrs. Harding to Mr.. Cramer shortly
after Mr. Harding's election to the
presidency. Cramer Is reputed to
have been wealthy. Mrs. Cramer was
described as being considerably
younger than her husband and at
tractive.
That the couple had lived in the
greatest domestic harmony and that
Mr. Cramer's health had not been
impaired recently was learned from
the maid at the house. The cause for
the suicide is not suspected, accord
ing to the police.
Mr.. Cramer became general counsel
Of the Veterans Bureau on June 20,
1921. His tenure of office expired on
March of this year.
He was a member of the New York
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