Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-02

trance of tho Neighbors-Geod Aim anu
Quick work-Why He Did It-Domest'o
Infelicity the Cause-A River Falls Nj usic
Te.,.,sr ,,a D,s,urber Of Fletcher's Hap
piness.
wThere's a man shot himself up on Rice
street, near Tenth,' was remarked yesterday
morning about o'clock in the hearing OF
G1onE reporter. The words were spoken in
a crowd, and in that common place way,
when the suicide is unknown to the speaker,
and tho tragic circumstance which impelled
the deed.
Such the introduction to the tragedy.
These are the facts:
Between s and o'clock yesterday morn
ing the nejghborhood of No. 70 College ave.
nue., near Rice street, was startled by the
shrek of woman.
Mrs. Frank M. Fletcher thus alarmed the
neighborhood, and made known the cause of
her alarm to Mrs. Wagner, living next door,
by saying:
II am afraid Frank has shot himself" ~
In the meantime others had gathered
around the frightened, trembling and weep
ing woman, Mrs. Fletcher. She was adjured
to be more coherent, and finally impaired
her surmises enough to induce Mrs. South
worth and Mrs. Marks, neighbors, to enter
the house.
They were appalled, by dreadful
sight. Frank M. Fletcher was found
on his bed gasping on the point of death,
his hand systematically releasing its grasp
from the pistol with which he had taken his
life. Blood spurted from an ugly wound in
the right side of his head, and orimsoned
pillow, sheets and settled in pools over and
about his person. Mrs. Southworth and
Marks soon retreated from before
the dread presence of death in so CHASTITY a
shape. Others, and fortunately Mr.. Wag-
ner came in and bestirred themselves to
learn the cause of the deed, etc.
DR.. Mattocks city physician, was sum-
moned, and following him DR.. Stein was
soon on hand. A speedy examination
showed that Fletcher had placed the muzzle
of his revolver to his right ear, and firing
the shot, expired almost instantaneously
The revolver, Victor, calibre %, was found
on the bed at his side
THE CoRoNER's INQUEST. :.
Following this corouer's jury was en-
panneed, consisting of Messrs. Nick Wag-
ner, John Lunkenheimer, Herman Conrad,
Iduh 1ODeI, IIduh AAouIy
Stable, and the inquest began.
Mrs. Marks, Mrs. Wagner and Mrs South
worth were examined, and testified substan-
TALLY to what is briefly stated above.
Mrs. Belle Fletcher, wife of the suicide,
who lay yet warm with ebbing flow of life in
the adjoining room, was called. Her story
was that she was in the basement kitchen.
She heard the shot, and darted to the door,
giving word to her fear in a shrek that
alarmed the neighborhood.
She feared that Frank had killed himself.
Continuing she averred that she and her
husband had lived happily together. She
could assign no reason for his rash deed,
whereby he took his life and deprived her
of a protector.
Having spoken, she was conducted to Mr..
Wagner's residence, next door, by friends.
Mr.. Erren, partner of deceased in the
marble works conducted at No. 1853 St..
Peter street, gave in his testimony. He had
been at the house as early as o'clock inquir-
ing for Fletcher, wishing him to come to
work. He was informed that Fletcher was
sick and in bed. Erren indicated pretty
plainly, and in substance said that all was
not altogether pleasant in a business way be-
tween him and Fletcher. Latterly Fletcher
had neglected work, had contracted
debts, in fact was living be-
You'd his means. These expenses
being incurred about his house. Erren COM
planned that about a week ago Fletcher had
accompanied his wife home to Ellsworth,
Wisconsin, and had failed to return on the
day promised. He confessed to the belief
that deceased was depressed and harrassed
about money matters.
The inference seized all that Fletcher COM
Nltta6 auici1n hocauSo IF fhia 1aapor1opoxy
The coroner's jury returned verdict &C
cordingly.
uPsETTINa THE ACCEPTED THEORY.
Such are the surface facts of the tragedy.
Accompanying these, historical facts may
be related. Fletcher's family resides in
Ellsworth, Wis, a village thirteen miles from
River Falls. So do his wiie's relatives, her
maiden name having been McEwen. Two
years ago deceased formed a partnership
with Erren, and began business on
st. Peter street as mentioned in the fore
going. La May, Frank M. Fletcher and
Belle McEwen we're married, to the mutual
satisfaction of the families of each. They
came to this city and established themselves
at No. 70 College avenue, where the husband
terminated his life so tragically yesterday.
After five months of married life, with a
youthful wife, scarce seventeen years old,
young man only twenty-five becomes tired
of living and commits suicide.
1nexplicable, on the hypothesis that debt
led him to death.
What then was the cause?
A man in the flush of vigorous manhood
not afraid to work, with paying trade to
work at; seemingly happily married, if
youth and beauty in wife goes for any
thing, could the paltry debts which he
might have incurred need such a remedy,
Would he have applied it?
The reason, if reason can be claimed for q
suicide, must be sought for elsewhere than
among his debts, figuring in the aggregate
to an amount not even respectable among
the hundreds.
What then?
THE MOTIVE SUGGESTED.
From. behind this fimsy veil of facts, the
homeless fingers of skeleton protrude. A
skeleton which is closeted in more than one
household in this highly civilized land of
ours. That of faithless and foolish wife,
Faithless, perhaps, not wholly in act, but
foolish to the full extent of a. criminal firta-
ton, at least. And such Irritation could
not be carried on without the subject, man.
he was available IN the person OF music
teacher of no mean pretensions. an old time
acquaintance made and cultivated over
year ago both in River Falls and Ellsworth.
The wife hasn't been screened in her wick
edness by the hint above, and the man
should be no less spared. He is Prof.
George Burt, an accomplished musician, who
has made his residence at River Falls and
Ellsworth for nearly two years. He came
here from the Goth U. S. infantry, having
been band master of that regiment. He was
accoupanied BY O charming Hifa who in