Frederick R Barnheisel

From Judy Cooke:

On December 30, 1903 the Barnheisel brothers attended Mr. Bluebeard at the Chicago's new luxury playhouse, the Iroquois Theater. When a stage fire spread to the auditorium, Freddie survived, but his brother Charles became one of the six hundred fatalities.

Their parents were Pennsylvania natives, Henrietta "Mamie" Barnheisel (1830-1918*) and the late Harry H. Barnheisel (1830-1883). They had two sisters: Mary L. Barnheisel (1865-1951) and Katie Barnheisel (1856-1918).

Frederick was a $10/week clerk in a cigar store who became Herman Kohlsaat's right-hand man and president of his company. Owner of a large bakery and chain of lunch rooms, Kohlsaat was a friend and advisor to President McKinley and became co-publisher of the Inter-Ocean newspaper. When Kohlsaat became busy with politics and publishing, Freddie Barnheisel assumed management of Kohlsaat's business interests and advanced his brother Charles Barnheisel within the company. Charles served in the sales department and was a corporate officer.

Reportedly, Charles's mother and sisters did not know he had attended the matinee and their first knowledge of his death was when they saw his name listed in the newspaper.

Since Freddie would presumably have contacted his mother with news of Charles's death, perhaps Freddie was injured and hospitalized. Supporting that theory is that Charles's body was located and identified by Ernest I. Dresher rather than by Freddie. Dresher was a bookkeeper at Kohlsaat who had demonstrated his company loyalty the previous May.

Charles's body was transported to Logansport, IN where the Barnheisel boys grew up. Their father had been a prominent entrepreneur and dry goods merchant in Logansport, in partnership with Samuel Tanguy. The pair operated a store at 405-7 E. Broadway.