Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-07-01
SUICIDE IN The STORM.
A Pistol Shot in City Hall Park while Al but
One Man Had Sought Shelter


New York Sun, June 10.
When the violent squall, follow
ed by drenching rain, reached the
vicinity of the City Hall yesterday
afternoon, the Park and the side
walks were thronged with people.
Many had noticed the ominous
clouds and the gloom, and were
hurryiug to places of shelter.
Others were sitting on the benches
in the Park or saunterIng leisurely
along as though they had assur-
auce that there was nothing III the
watery- looking clouds that were
mounting toward the zenith from
over the row of buildings on the
west side of Broadway. Soon a
binding cloud of dust was wh.rled
into the Park; large drops of rain
began 10 fail. and The thrOugs
sought shelter wherever they could
Obtain it. me corridor of the Post
Office gave shelter to a great many;
but the doors and windows Oh the
west side were open, aud the dust
cloud that swept through the build
ing was almost "a dense as that
which swept around it. The crowd
inside was almost blinded, and it
was so dark that they cuud hardly
see each other. TIE rain increased
to drenchiug shower. 1t seemed
to come down in sheets, and it flow
ed dGwn the street over the paving
stones ia small cascades. TIE West
ern Union Telegraph building was
almost invisible from The poitic) Of
the Post office
When the throng in the City
ter, there was one man who SEEM
Ell utterly obliviUus to the commo-
ton in the sky and the warning it
brought. He was sitting on II bench
under the large tree near the Broad
way side of the Park, in the Muir
ray street row. The cloud of dust
enveloped him, and when it had
swept by and had been succeeded
by white sheets of falling water lie
still sat there, as oblivious to the
wet as he had been to the warning.
He was man apparently about 35
years old, of medium hight and
weight, and was dressed in neat
suit of black. He looked like a
German. He had dark brown hair
and musteche. Ills right arm
hung at his side. He did not move
through all the fiercest part of the
squall. After the heaviest of the
shower was over he put his left
hand in his pocket, drew out self
hi Ix.p tl.,
almost against his left temple and
fired. He fell sideways from the
bench. The report of the pistol
attracted the attention OF several
bootblacks anJ gamins who had
been diSporting themselves in the
shower, and they ran 10 where the
man lay. Many persons in the
doors and windows of the Post
Office saw the boys running, but it
was still raining so hard that none
cared to venture out. a policeman
on the Broadway sidewalk saw the
man fall ana ran to the spot. A
stretcher was brought from the
City Hall police station, and the
man was taken into the station.
He was already dead. The bullet
had made an ugly wound in his
skull, from which the brain eX-
uded.
On an envelope ia the dead mans
pocket was written: $40 whoever
it may come. Charles Steiuken,
17S Elizabeth street, near Spring.
Bel Mrs. Lins,n Not cent OF
money was found OH his person.
He was unmarried. He was form
erIy well to do, aud was u carriage
builder by trade. a few months
ago he used all of his capital in
starting factory. He lost every
thing. Then he fell seriously i'll,
aud when he lately arose from his
bed his right arm was paralyzed
Work was plenty but lie could not
work. His money was all gone.
Since yesterday marning he had
had nothing to eat. He wandered
to the Park and sat there despair
ingly through the pitiiess shower.