The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-17
SUICIDE OF w. F. COOLBAUGH.

Chicago had tremendous sensation on
Wednesday morning in the discovery, at the
foot of the Douglas monument, of the dead
body of the banker W f. Coolbaugh, with q
pistol in his hand and bullet through his head
showing that he had committed suicide. Il
seems he had acted strangely all the day pre-
vious, indicating that he was sngularly cXcit
ed about something, so as to be nearly beside
himself He had left home about the usual
time in the morning, but instead Of going tC
the bank, as was his custom, had wandered
about the city, at noon being seen at the foot Of
22d street. where he took the tram 10 Hyde
Park In the afternoon he was seen near tho
Lake shore at 55th street, apparently waiting
for the train back to the city. Next he was
seen about : o'clock in the evening at the bank
lust after his wife had been there in calriag,
looking for him and there were indication
that he had seen his wife and kept out of he
sight to avoid her. lie spent but little time il
his private Office in the bank, but went out ant
was next seen, about o'clock, in Kern's res
taurant, adjoining the Union Bank Building
where he partook Of a light lunch. This ws
the last anyone had seen of HIM until he w;s
found dead at ~ O'Clock next morning at tIr
foot of the Douglas monument, although hS
sonn.law-M. W. Fuller, Esq, land one of rs
sons had spent most of the night hunting FIR
him
Besides acting strangely, the janltor sa,s
when he appeared at the bank in the evening,
he had on close fitting travelling cap, drawn
down over his face so rs TO disguise him
have on in the street, as he always wore high
crowned hat
From kcrn's restaurant he must have zone
to the vicinity of the Douglas monument, and
sitting down on theupper step on the cast side,
about 3 O'Clock in the morning, shot himself.
He was man Of large frame and full habit,
and though known to have taken stimulants
pretty freely of late years, was never seen lntoX.
icated yet from the amount Ofbood that oozcd
from the wound in his head, his brain at the
timcmust have been in such n high state of cy-
citement that, as physician remarked, it must
necessarily have been disordcred. How the
man was driven to commit the rash act is the
mystery. 1t is certain he was not impelled to
it by any pecuniary troubles or difficulties,
connected either with himself personally on
The Union National Bank, of which he was
the President and manager for his own estate
is worth at least Il couple of millions and is
free from mortgage or embarrassment, while
the L. S. Bank inspector had but few days
before examined the Union National Bank
and found it in an exceptionally sound condi.
,;o-
The general conjecture is that his troubles
were of a domestic nature He had been mar
ried a second time, and having three or four
children by his first wfe-all but one dAugh'
tcrs-of whom he was devotedly fond, his Chli.
dren had all left home soon after his second
marriage, declaring their inability TO live with
their step mother Many other little facts
coming to light indicate that all was not peace
and plcasantncss about his domestic hearth.
Mr.. Coolbaugh was born in Pike County,
Pa, 1921, and never had but limited common
school education. At the age of - he entered
IA wholesale grocery establishment in Phila-
delphia, with which lac remained until q years
of age, when he gathered up stock Of grocer.
les and started business, in about 1912, at Bur
lington, Iowa. lie seems to have prospered in
business and not only became prominent as a
business man Int entering politics as demo
crat, occupied various important political pos
itions in that state, as representative, senator,
fund commissioner, &c, coming, in 1860, with
in few votes of beating Harlan for the L. S
Senate. In 1862 he moved to Chicago and
started the Coolbaugh bank, which, in 1866, re-
organized as the Union National Bank, (Which
he had up TO his death been the chief owner
and manager.
The Illinois state Register remarks Of the
A. A.