Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-18
PROBABLY SKIPPED,

Perrin Busbee, manager OF the coal office
of Popkiss & Walser, doing business on
Wichita street north of the Sunfiower depot,
did not show up yesterday morning a. the
Office, and could not he found during the
day, therefore the proprietors have con-
cludei that he has skipped the gutter. III
asmuch as there is a shortage in his accounts
their conclusion is probably correct. He is
reported to have led disipated life lately,
INDUCING in the ardent and gambling-two
elements that Can down the best man in
town in an incredibly short time.
A reporter called on Mr.. Popkiss for the
particulars IN this case, but the foregoing
was all he could gather at that time. Mr..
Popkiss said that his brother, from Fort
Scott, was out st the time working up the
case. and that they were at work on the de-
lnquent mans accounts to discover how
much the shortage WAS.
LATER-A reporter learned further par
ticulars of the Busbee affair last evening.
from which it appears plain that he wishes
to be considered dead. but very few of his
acquaintances give the suicide theory any
credence.
Three letters were found ut the Office of
his employers, one for the proprietors, an
other addressed to his wife. who is in New
York, and the other to the Citizens bank.
in all of which he declared he was going to
commit suicide. He requested Mr.. Popkess
TO look after his funeral. Mr.. PoDkess
believed strongly in the suicide theory
yesterday morning, and was loath to say
anything about the man. Other of his ac-
quaintances figure it thus: IT he really
meant suicide he would not have put the
letter to his wife in his employers office, and
probably not the one to Citizens bank either,
and this is very reasonable conclusion.
The last words of man contemplating sui
eide, to hi. wife, a man would consider too
sacred for other eyes. 1t is plain enough
that he wanted his employer to
read all these letters so AS to throw
him off the track while he got
out of reach. This is the common sense
view of the case, although Mr.. Popkiss be-
lieved the suicide racket to such an extent
tina. search was instituted along the river
and in every place he would be likely to do
the deed, but no corpse could be found and
the conclusion is that he skipped on the
Frisco train yesterday morning. There is
talk of kilograms being sent about the sui
eide also but the reporter couldn't find out
much about them. A pistol box,
empty, was found in his room
at Mr.. Blakemore's boarding house, No
237 North Market street, where he boarded.
Everything tends to prove that he wanted to
make show of intended suicide.
Policeman Dan Parks says he saw him in
front of the fremont house about o'clock
yesterday morning, and that he went in
there and was writing something.
Some particulars of Bushels antecedents
we're also learned which go to show that he
the naval academy, Annapolis. Nd, and his
wife is the daughter of United States ad-
miral. He is reported TO have dropped all
his wifes means in Wall street, and then
came west to retrieve his losses. General
Manager Miller, lste of the Sunfower read,
knew him back east and it was probably
through him that Busbee obtained the po
sition he held here. He had been here since
about the last days OF March, coming here
from Fort Scott. At this writing all his
aceuaintanccs believe the would-be corpse
is far from this city.