The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-14
AMASA STONE.
The Cleveland Millionaire Takes
His Own Life,
And IS Found Dead with a Ballet ina
Has ALeart--The Probable Causes
Effect of His Death.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 12.-The pee
pie of Cleveland were startled lAst:evening b
the announcement that Amasa Stone, the well
known railroad man, capitalist and philanthro
| pist, had killed himself. Since last Novembe
| Mr.. Stone has been afflicted with insomnia
brought about by indigestion, and of late hi
condition has been SO much worse that he wa
| unableto obtain more than an hour or two o
sleep in a night He did not leave hi
| bed yesterday morning, and at noon com
planned that he was feeling more depressed
than usual AT o'clock he was consulted by
his secretary on matter of business, convers
ing at that time in perfectly rational manner
About 2:;}o O'Clock Mrs Stone, who had beer
in her husbands room all day, went away for
Il short time as he expressed. desire to sleep
About O'Clock she again visited the room
| and discovered that Mr.. Stone had arisen
from his bed Searching further, the bath
room was found to be locked on the inside.
Mrs Stone called the butler, and he climbed
over the partition, only to find his master living
ON the floor, half undressed dead and cold
With a pistol ball through his heart. The ps-
to- was clutched in his right hand He must
have been dead for some time, but how long
cannot be learned, as no report of the pistol
was hoard,
PIE SENSATION IN CLEVELAND.
The affair is the sensation of the town, and
all Cleveland is talking of the peculiar man,
his peculiar life and its sad ending
He was sixty-fiye years of age, and until the
last two months, was always active in bust
ness. For that period, however, he had been
an intense sufferer from insomnia and has
been ont of his house bat little
MI. Stone was born at Charleston, Mass,
of Puritan parents He remained on his faith
er's farm until young man. and then learned
the carpenter trade Afterwards he became a
bridge builder, and finally took, with others,
the contract of constructing the Cleveland.
Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis railroad
part of the work was paid for in stock,
which, becoming valuable, made Mr.. Stone .
comparatively wealthy man. The Lake Shore
from here to Erie was also built by him, and
placed under his superintendent
Mr.. stones only son, Adelbert was drowned
some years ago IN the Connecticut river while
attending Yale college, an occurrence which
the father has never got over. To perpetuate
the memory of this son, college was reared 4
in this city, called Adelbert an account of the
dedication of which appeared In The Tribune
last October
Mr., Stone worth about SIS, coo, 600 Per-
5onally he was cold, austere, and very close
de was tall and slender, of grave visage.
bearded and mustached heavily, with iron
gray hair, and generally had a clerical aspect
md his personal habits plain and simple.
de had been living in retirement since This |
Tlthdrawai from the Lake Shore directory last |
all, when the Nickel-Plate deal was made
He leaves wife and two daughters, both |
one the wife of Col. John Hay the
lterateur and diplomat, and the other of Mr. /
samuel Mather, prominent iron man and /
banker of this city. 4
The body viii Be buried Tuesday next.
EPISODES AND BUSINESS CONNECTIONS.
NJ. - 4
atent, and, after a few years, defects began
show themselves in the various bridges
uilt by him, and the credit of the firm for
God work began to shake Mr. Stone himself |
hid: Il came TO the conclusion that something |
lust be done or failure was imminent / /
'ssed and tumbled in bed until O'Clock next
forming, when an idea came to me Then
ept, and in the morning had models made.
he invention was great one, and revolutions
ed the bridge building of the time"
Mr.. stones firm also built the Cleveland. |
ainesvilIe & Ashtabula road and furnished {
rs, taking stock and bonds in payment {
any early difficulties came up The firm | I
ent 100000, and only received sIo0.0O0. !
It'll Cleveland company was formed the L.
ssing 100000 subscribed, the work finished. :
Amasa Stone made snperintendentfof the.I I
nd since that it has been merged into the 8
Ike Shore. =
In 1862 he was elected director of the Cleva- | d
I'd, Ashtabula 81 gainesville and the sthree
and also continued 10 act superinfend- |
for both.
n 1855 he with Mr.. Witt built the Chicago 4
lWaukee railroad and was for many wears | Il
ector, and for some time president of it. Y
4ater he was prominent in the building of | .
st Louis, heokuk & Northwestern road
lie has also been director at times cf the q
rchants National bank, Bank of Commerce. {
'ond National bank, aud Commercial Ma | v
lal bank of Cleveland, the Toledo brapel ft
the State Bank, the jamestown d Franklin | W
II company | IN
lis connection with the Lake Shore road Is | Il
Il known, as well as the circumstances /
lch drove nun out of it. He was also, at
ncils of the Cleveland, Lorain a y,
ceiling, and Plttsburg. Fort Wayne q Chi u;
2; IN both Of which he was largely inter tn
ID as stakeholder. Heswas also director az
he Union Iron and Steel works at Ch cago til
The Kansas City mills, and connected with ia
Sc OF Brown, Bonnel1 x Co, at Youngstown IT
lac time of the late disasters.
lis intimate friends say that since 1877 he
been gradually raTIng out of business. |
was trustee of the First PRESBYTERIAN |
rch OF this city, and had always been OF
d, staunch churehman. pa
THE NEWS IN CHICAGO. Ell
CHICAGO, May 12-The news of the w
'ide of Amasa Stone, OF Cleveland, reached |
> last night, and caused an Intense sensa
Ia commercial circles. AS MrlStone was |
ely interested III the Union Iron and Steel IA
panys affairs, it was thought his death
Id have the effect of stopping the arrange
It for opening the mills ON June /, but Mr. L.
4 Griffin, the receiver, said last night that !
would not be the case
did you know of any embarrassment of MIR.
le's in financial matters" IL
70. l supposed and still think that the con-
III of his finances did not cause the trouble 1
INK it was i'll health purely, as his health
been very poor for some time. 1 saw him
months since and he was very much de-
sed IN mind on this score, he has been | A
the past year. l was terribly shocked to
of the suicide. A dispatch came to me
a Cleveland saying that Mr. Stone had died
lenly and requesting me to break the news
ly to A II. Stone, who il stopping at the
ner. Soon after a.seeond message came, VIII
lg me the information that the cause of a.,
h was suicide by shooting, while he was ooo
BRING from temporary alteration of mind dea
rried to the Palmer, but Mr. A. B. Stone tina
gone out, and was unable to find him. 1879
hen the mention of Amasa stones suieide A''
made to Lucius S. Boomer secretary of the the
N Iron and Steel company, last evening he and
limed, Can 1t be possible? Amasa' Stone ms
was member of the board of ~
tors OF the Union Iron and Steel company ny
the time of it's organization, some fifteen owe
8 ago The company became largely in tive
9 A'0i7oaoh' Oh | thru
r and advances of money made from time my
ne. At the time of the companv's sus-.i feet
ION and when a receiver was appointed, hur
-; - 1921 stone optalned Judg- fun
ment has never Seen sotisf;ed ox, ras mu,
selvency. Mr. Stone resigned his director. you
IA the company on the 14th of April last a w
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