The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-06-06
DOWN TO DEATH.
Another Tragedy at the Southern
Hotel, st. Louis.
Ex'Auditor of the Treasury Reynolds Takes
Header From the Third Floor to
the ROtunda Below andis
Picked Up II Corpse.

O'CLOCK tnlS morning the Southern Hotel
was the scene OF the sensational death
of r. NJ Reynolds, of Washington,
d. c., First Auditor of the United States
Treasury. Mr.. Reynolds arrived at the
hotel at about eleven CLOCK last night.
He was assigned to room 272 upon
the third floor, and retired to bed al
most Immediately. The last seen of
him until this morning was by the bell
boy, who showed him to his ROOM
At five minutes to six this morning the
clerks, bell boys and early birds in the
rotunda of the hotel were startled
by the dull, heavy sound of
human body falling from great dis
lance upon the lagstones of the floor. 1t
was the body of r. NJ. Reynolds, who had
Jumped or fallen over the railing on the
third floor around the opening over the ro-
tunda. j. II. Long, one of the hotel
porters, who saw the body in its gyra-
lions through the air, ran to Reynolds
assistance. He picked him up and seated
him in q chair. DIR. Powers, who was
Immediately sent for, made hurried ex-
animation, which developed that Reynolds
had broken his back, fractured his skull
on the right side, and broken his right
Les at the thigh. Restoratives were sent
for, but before they arrived
REYNOLDS WAS DEAD.
The police were notified, and an ambu-
lance ratified up to the door of the hotel
within a short time in which the body
was conveyed to the Morgue.
j. H. Long, who witnessed the fall
from the third story, speaking to a re-
porter, said: 81 was sitting in chair
directly to one side of the opening over
the rotunda reading paper when l heard
a rushing, whizzing sound. Looking up
saw Reynolds body flying through the
air at rapid rate. AT the second story
the body turned half sOmersault, in
creased in velocity, and struck the flag
stones of the floor horizontally on mis-
right side. picked him up and carried
| him to chair, doctor was sent for i'm
mediately, but Reynolds expired within
two minutes after he fell.
In appearance he was about sixty
years old, gray and bald, with small
mustache and scanty chin whiskers. He
weighed about two hundred pounds and
was well dressed in grayish wooden suit
OF well-ftting clothes.
Mr.. II. c. Lewis, the manage" of the
hotel, was seen at the Southern, immedi-
ately after his return from the quest of
Mr.. REYNOLDS friends. "It was just six
O'clock" said he, "Whcn he was awak-
ened and told that one of the guests had
killed himself. | went at once to the
room on the third floor where Mr.. Rey-
nolds had passed the night aud found it
full of gas, so full that it was almost inn
possible to breathe in 1t. This was the
more remarkable as the gas was turned
off in the room and was not leaking, the
bed mad been slept upon and the toilet
stand showed that Reynolds had washed
and dressed but few minu,eS before.
The soap was still wet. then went and
examined the body There is an air shaft
or skylight which cuts through each floor
of the hotel aud which is carefully rallied
Mr.. REYNOLDS had either leaned over or
climbed over this railing on the third
floor and fell to the rotunda pavement.
OF course the shock killed him at once.
The noise of the fall is said to have been
very loud. 1t startled the night
clerk and the nioht watch and
was heard by people in distant
parts of the hotel. 1t was a most hor-
rible thing. A medical examination was
made by DR.. Powers, who rooms at the
hotel, and it was found that Mr.. Rey-
nolds' skull was fractured and one of his
legs badly shattered. 1t seems that he
fell rather on his side. lie must have
turned In the air. The base of his skull
was also badly crushed and he was bleed
ing from his ears. lie was, of course,
picked up at once anl everything done
for him that could be done, but he was
dead"
"You found some letters on his per-
SOM"
eyes, but they were turned over to the
Coroner without examination. There
was this address, however, scrubbed on
: piece of paper: &c. II. Albers, lOS N.
Third street. / got Mr., Albers' house
address out of the Directory and went
; out there at once. Mr. Albers knew r.
NJ. Reynolds well. He was the First
, Auditor of the United States Treasury,
' and his home was in Washington, ID. G..
He was in st Louis on his way to Kan
sas, where he meant to buy some lands. "
q elbow old a man was he!"
"About sixty years, l should say. l
don't think, under the circumstances,
| tnaJ IL can DE SulClue. AS ldr rs we eau
tell at this hour there would be no rea-
son for it, He may have fallen over the
railing accidentally"
,, HIS OFFICIAL POSITION.
+ Robert NJ. Reynolds was First Auditor
# of the United States Treasury Depart
z ment and his name was recorded in the
s Blue Book of Federal officers published
-. in 1881. He was born in Ohio, and was
appointed from Alabama. His salary was
/. So, GOO a year. Inquiry at the lnterna
4 Revenue office shows that his name IL
: very familiar with all Internal Revenue
. men, as his special duty was to audit al
beer checks and all drawbacks.
The place where r. NJ. Reynolds drop
N ped to his death is not fifteen feet awal
from the cigar stand in the front OF tn,
1t hotel. He either fell or jumped through
g at the southeast corner of the shaft Of
lie the third floor. The distance which h
l. fell is about sixty feet. At seven o'clocl
: all trace OF the tragedy had been removed
p, and were IL not for the excited grou