Fred Yerke and John Schriber suicide pact

Fred Yerke was 26 years old and lived with his parents on Erie Street. Like many young men of his generation, he struggled to find steady work during a period of economic uncertainty. He had a close friend named John Schrier. A local newspaper described them as “life-long chums.”

On January 31, the two young men bought two ounces of carbolic acid at the store of R A Jenke on Main and Niagara. Later they went to Edwin Langbehn's saloon at 260 Main Street. They ordered to beers, shook hands, and drank the poison laced beer. They died within minutes of one another. 

Newspapers of the time reported that their deaths appeared to have been planned together, though the exact reasons were never fully understood. Authorities noted that both men were unemployed, and speculation ranged from despair over their circumstances to youthful bravado. No clear explanation was ever found.