Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-30
ON. wo-..0:-

s1Ot.ton DtctEtAut A<OhCe
CHfcAso, November 2s.-The 1iibuns
publishes the following: 'One woman's de-
eeIiul love caused me to do this" Frank
F. Smith scrawled this on an envelope and
lald II upon a table in his room, got into
bed, drew the covers well up around his
neck, piaced the muzzle of revolver against
his leit sde, sent q bullet through his heart,
and died without a struggle. OF the causes
leading 70 this sad suicide little is known
beyond what ia, implied in the sentence
quoted above. Mr.. Smith, who was sales
% an IN the employ of Shourds & Story at
No. 90 SAFE street, appeared at the store at
the usual hour yesterday morning, but COM
planned Of feeling unwell. He particularly
spoke OF being chilly In spite of the fact that
the store was Unusually warm, and,
saying that he feared return of an
attack OF chilis that he had had
something like year ago, he went out
across the street 10 the Office of DR.. Palmer,
who was his room-mste at No. IS North State
street. Alter listening to his description OF
his symptoms, the doctor told him that the
best thing he could do was to go home; and
acting upon this suggestion, Mr.. Smith
readily obtained the requisite permission
from his employers. His parting with the
doctor was OF arather unusual character.
Mr.. Smith seeming DESTROYS of expressing
more feeling than upon ordinary occasions,
and remarking, as he was about to leave,
that he feared he should "neyer get over the
chIils. These words Came back to the
doctor with great force later in the day.
After leaving the doctors office Mr..
Smith went over to the North Side,
dropping in al the Saratoga laundry.
near his boardi1g-hous and .ielling them
to have his clothes ready for him in the
afternoon. He then seems to have gone to
his room and spent an hour or So il looking
over his effects, destroying all letters and
papers that would give any cleW to the
secrets OF his emotions, at the conclusion Of
which task he left the house and took
walk. Along about . o'clock he dropped
into neighboring cigar store on State
street, near Michigan, and purchased cigar,
rem arkIng TO the young man who sold ii
to him that it would be his last cigar.
The remark was quite naturally attributed
to determination to swear-of, and nothing
was thought of it. The laundry was next
visited, aud while there Mr.. Smith had quite
a chat with the manager, Charley Schlund,
with whom he was on very friendly terms,
and who noticed that De appeared i'll and
troubled in his mind. As he WAS about TO
leave he said, "Good-by, Charley; this is the
last time you will ever see me-" Here,
again, his remarks were misinterpreted, Mr..
Schlund never dreaming Chat he Intended to
do away with himself, but imagined that he
was about 10 leave the eit5. Re is sorry now
that he did not understand its full import,
for he believes that he could have dissuaded
his friend and ridden him of his melancholy
thoughts and purposes. From the laundry
he went directly 10 his room, locked the
door after him, and was not seen again alive.
At 4:S0 O'Clock Mrs. Aiken, the landlady,
heard muffied sound which she attributed
to her husband. who was IN the basement
preparing some kindling- socd, but which
was undoubtedly the pistol-shot muffled and
deadened by the thick bed-coveriDgs which
the suicide had been careful enough 10 ar
range over his body before firing the shot.
At few minutes before 8 o'clock DR.. Palmer
returned and went 10 the room as usual.
When he opened the door be discovered Mr..
Smith lying in bed dead, though still warm,
with a ghastly rent in his side, through
which the blood was slowly ooaIng and stain
ing the Sheets At the end OF his ner1eless
fingers lay thirty-tWo-caliber centennial
revolver with one empty chamber. The
young man had undressed before getting
into bed, and the clean hightsshirt that he
had put on was blackened and stained around
the bullet-hole. D.ath had evidently been
perfectly painless, the expression of the fea-
lures indicating as much, and the prepara-
ton TOR the deed bad been carefully made.
DR.. Palmer found upon the table lying be-
side the few lines loted above. an envelope
note addressed to him. This he
took and says he will keep for the Coroner,
refusing to show il to the newspaper men
who called upon him, but he said that it
contained no explanations OF the affair. 1t
is simply directions for the disposal OF his
body, which, with his effscss, he wished for
wsrded to his sister at Cambridge City, Ind.
His sealskin cap MSS 10 be given TO the
doctor 90 a memento OF his friends. During
the Tribune reporters Investigation of this
case a number OF namesof Young ladies' were
mentioned, each Que of VII ON Was said to be
the one referred to in the last sentence the
suicide ever wrote, but with lack of evil
dence in the matter the publication Of their
names would be evidently Unfair and uu-
wise. As Mr.. Smith was very popular
young maR and mosed in society great
deal, some of his friends insist that the de-
ceitful one is a resident Of the city, young
lady who lives on the South Side and in
whose company Mr.. Smith has frequ nlly
been seen. Others, however, claim that the
cause of the trouble is located at Cambridge
City, and as condensation OF their idea state
that there was marked change in his
actions after returning from there about
two months ago. 1t is mol likely. however,
that the truth viii ever be known. Mr..
Smiths death by his own hand was a severe
shock to DR.. Palmer, BY whom he was much
liked, and who never dreamed OF such a
thing az suicide. @Why," said The doctor,
"when he heard of : suicide eome time sgo
he laughed aud said 10 me, sWsif, Doc, I'll
never die that way, whatever comes. He
always ridiculed suicide, and ! would not
believe that he would ever kill himself" II
IL hin'ed BY some of those who associated
must with him that his mind has for some
time shown evidence OF weakening, add
they were not greatly surprised to hear OF
his suicide.