Inquest to Determine Cause of Death of Former Newspaper Man.

Percy Werner, Jr., a former newspaper man and the son of a prominent St. Louis attorney, was found dead in bed at his father’s home, 5505 Cates avenue, at 8:40 o’clock yesterday morning. A Coroner’s inquest has been ordered to determine if death resulted from other than natural causes.

Werner was 36 years old, and recently had been engaged in organizing an educational travel camp for university students. He is survived by his widow and two children, who are in Kansas City; his father, four brothers, Courtney, Howard, Saunders Norvell, and Matthew, and two sisters, Mrs. Dorothy von Schrenk and Miss Virginia Werner. Funeral arrangements have not been made.

An odor of illuminating gas was present in his room when his body was found by an aunt, Mrs. Emma Werner, but it could not be determined whether the gas had escaped from a leak or from an open jet. Beside his bed was a bottle with a label of a common medical preparation.

An autopsy was ordered by Coroner Vitt and Dr. R. B. H. Gradwohl instructed to make a chemical analysis to determine the cause of death. Members of Werner’s family could ascribe no reason to believe that Werner had ended his life intentionally, and declared he had no marital troubles. His wife is employed on a Kansas City newspaper.

Necrology Scrapbook - Vol. 14