Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-06-30
"ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE"
II. u. DoweH Commits suicide by
shooting Himself.


number OF persons about the south.
western corner of Market Square. 1t
excited some alarm, but as no one
seemed to know from whence the
sound came, the matter was forgotten
until a little before l. O'clock, when
Mrs. Hall, who keeps private board
ing house on the corner mentioned
above, went into one OF her rooms ups
stairs, where CHASTITY spectacle was
presented to her view. The body of
r. Z. Dowell, who had been lodging
with her the two previous nights, lay
upon a bed in the room, covered with
gore, pistol ball having penetrated his
left temple, passing through his head
and coming out above the right ear.
The ball had also penetrated his right
hand and ranged upwards towards the
wrist, where 1t was lodged. Mrs. Hall
at once made the fact known to her
son, Mr.. H. II. Hall, who summoned
a policeman, when Coroner A. w. Rose
was called in. He summoned jury
of inquest and proceeded TO investigate
what, from the beginning, was believed
to be suicide. The jury consisted of
Matt Hill, /. p. Alley, Jas. Cooper,
J. ]. Crawford, J. b. Mcmillan, S. A.
Walker and Nelson Mynatt.
Upon his person was found the fol-
lowing note, in his own handwriting
- r. b. Dowell has suicided. The
grave is welcome home. God will
take care of my little boy. have $50
10 bury me with. Men will say crazy.
Nary time.n
Mrs. McCsmphell, who resides in
the house was summoned and testified
to hearing the report of the pistol shot,
but did not know at the time where
the sound proceeded from.
Mrs. Hall was not in the house at
the time, but was the first to go to the
room where the tragedy occurred and
testified substantially as stated above.
Or. w. n. Carson states that the de-
ceased came to his drug store on We'd
nesday, aud looked wild, manifesting
au inclination IN talk about suicide. He
mentioned the Beecher trial, and pre-
dicted if it was decided adversely to
Mr.. Beecher he would commit suicide.
He also alluded to the story published
In the New York Herald, in which
Beecher is alleged to have purchased
prussic acid. He inquired of DR..
Carson about the effect of taking that
powerful drug, who, to satisfy him,
showed him his dispensatory aud al
lowed him to read for himself about
prussic acid. He also inquired about
hydrO-ch ioral, aud finally told the
Doctor that he had for sometime past
been contemplating taking his own
life. CDR. &. warned him against har-
boring such thoughts, and gave him
some advice which seemed to eGliveu
him, and he Went away apparently in
much better 90 ,iliun of mind. With
all these facts re them, of course,
the Jury could - der only one verdict,
aul TASK was tuh, ae came to his death
from pistol shot directed by his own
hand. Two pistols We're found in the
room, one of VIII "a Smith d Wesson
seven shooter, near his left hand,
one chamber haI x been discharged.
The other wa "a Derrenger, and was
loaded. The IN uey found upon his
person was $50 81, ten cents less than
the amount mentioned in the note LETT
10y the deceased.
We learn that he had been talking
for several days and even weeks about
taking his own life. saying his troubles
were unbearabl-. He went to number
Of physicians ian town, for opialts, say
ing he could not sleep. He went into
drug store few days ago and asked
for morphine. His brother, Mr.. Il. 5.
DOwell, who slept with him on We'd
nesday night, heard him get up in the
bed during the night and saw him
take some medicine from vial, and
then throw the vial out of the window
into the street. This was no doubt
laudanum.
He told Charles Cofiiman the even
ing previous to the fatal shot, that he
was going to shoot himself and show
ed him the two pistols which were
| found in his room. Everything goes
to show that the act was premeditated
and that he had had it under consider
alton for some time.
! AS to the causes which led him to
the rash deed, there are different theo-
ries. He had had family troubles. His
wife had sued for a divorce and had
obtained it. He had taken his child
away some time ago, little boy two
years old perhaps, and had been forced
to return him to his mother. Only
! two days before his death he came into
! the CHRONICLE office and wanted to
see the files of our paper. Upon the
]
lished account of difficulty he once
had with his father-in-law. These
troubles no doubt were the prime cause
of the unfortunate affair. Add to this
the fact that he had once been dissi-
pated and had been engaged in
the practice of the law, which
! business he had lost. The
storms of fortune overlook him,
and he could not meet and battle
against them. All these things taken
together furnish an explanation.
Mr.. Dowell was about 2S years OF
age. At one time he was AttOrney-Gen
eral of Judicial Circuit embracing
the counties of the present Seventeenth
Circuit. He was a young man of fair
talent, and with proper associations
and training would have been success
ful in life. Unfortunately for him, he
got into bad company, where Ne &C.
| quired habits he could not shake off
He had good impulses and naturally
popular manners. 1t is with exceed
ing regret that we hear of his untime-
/ ly and unfortunate end.