The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1878-01-26
SUICIDE, OR MURDER!

The Coroner's Inquest Tho Con-
dition of the Body When
Found.
Suspicious Clroumsta 'ces - An
9th ,r Inquest TO be Held
To-Day.
Our neighDoring village OF Mound
City was yesterday morning thrown into
a state Of the utmost excitement over the
report that one of the oldest and most
prominent and influential ciiiz"ns Of that
place-Mr. John W. Carter, had
COMMITTED SUICIDE,
and In less than halt an hour from the
time the discovery Of the body wss made
nlhe out Of every ten citizens OF
the place had heard OF the affair.
Word Of the death Of Mr.. Carter having
reached reporter for the BULLETIN. he
started Immediately for Mound City,
where he arrived 10 due time, and at
once set to work to gather what In.
formation he could OF the sad event.
From those who were most Intimately
acquainted with Mr.. Carter. and who
were among the first In a, the scene after
the body WAS discovered, we learned the
following facts:
THE OFFICE.
In order to give the reader a better
understanding OF the surroundings OF
the body when discovered, 1t will he
necessary to give brief description of
the inside arrangements OF MIR, Carriers
Office. The building is one story high.
and Mr.. Carter was the only occupant.
The inside Of the building Is divided into
three apartments, the first Of which, and
the one first entered from the street,
was occupied by Mr.. Carter as an
Office. Next is a small room-perhaps
twelve feet long by eight wide This
room contained desk, bureau, several
mattresses. two or three pillows and
quantity Of bed clothing, and II was in
this room that the body was discovered.
Back Of the bedroom Is another room,
perhaps twelve feet square, which, from
1t. sppesrancc,we should Judge was used
by Mr.. Carter az storeroom. This is
tho arrangement Of the inside OF the build.
lug. and the reader will now be
ab!o 10 form better idea OF the sur.
rourding,.
fBk CoLORED PORTER
who attended Nj. Carriers Office, swept
/ out, made fires, ETC., stated that when he
/ entered the office ID the morning. be-
tween six and seven O'Clock. he found
! the oCco Ia It's usual order, aud started
TO 80 from the Office to the store.room,
and when passing through the bedroom
saw Mr. Carter lying Oh the mattress,
and II occurred to hirn that his couu,
tensnce wore peculiar look, lie por.
| ter stopped and looked Carter in tho lace,
! and saw that
he ~AsDrAD.
He Immediately gave the alarm, and in
few minutes half dozen persons had
gathered In the office. When found, the
body WAS
COVERED TO THE NECK
with bed clothing. On removing the
quilts 1t was found that he had all his
clothes on. In his right hand. which
lay on his breast, be held small re-
volvrr. the iore.tinger claspiny the
trigger. The lett hand also lay on the
breast, only a tew inches Tower down.
THE CAUSE OF DEATH
was then looked Tor, and a bullet hole
was discovered in the right temple just
apove and TO the front of the ear. The
ball took downward course and
came out just under the ear on The LETT
side Of the head. The mattress under
the body was saturated with blood.
though nowhere else in the room could
blood be found. From all accounts II
would seem that Mr.. Carter had gone to
his olHce sometime between nine and
ten o'clock the night before. MIR. George
Richards, the conductor on the Mound
City railroad, just before starting on his
regular trip to Mounds junction TO
meet the up train on the Illinois Central
went into the Office. IL seems that there
were four keys to The outside door. MIR.
Carter carried one and Mr.. Richards and
The colored porter each had key, and
the fourth was usually to b. found IN
drawer In the Office. Mr.. Richards
unlocked the door when he went into
the Office, and finding the door
leading from the Office to the bedroom
locked on the inside, felt sure that Mr..
Carter
HAD GONE TO BED.
On entering the Office he found the lamp
burning, aud before leaving put out tho
light and re>locked the door. Mr.. Rich.
ards then LETT for the Junction and did
not return to Mound City again until
fifteen minutes before five o'clock In the
morning. When he re>entered the Office
he found that the
LAMP HAD BEEN RELIaHTBp,
and moved from the place where It
usually set to another part Of the office.
He saw too that the door leading to the
| bedroom WAS omen. and that nm the tesk