The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-11-23
E., III. MUGFORD SUICIDED.
An EmpIOye of the Western
Union Ends His
Life.
Fear OF a FellOw-OperatOr and
Temporary Insanity
the Cause.
An Old Fashioned Terror" Does
its Work A Widow and Child
to Mourn His Death.
npelos (Cal.l Tribune. Nov. IA.

OAANN OAAANCA
Haskin was summoned by telephone
to IL Seventh street, near Spring,
where he found the lifeless body of
Edward MugfOrd with bullet hole in
his head-the work of his own hand.
Mr.. Mugford was q years of age, a
native of Sedalia, Mo. He came here
only last July, and has since been for
the greater part of the time in the
employ of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company. He came from
Buford, Wyoming. where he had been
station agent and telegraph operator
for the past two years. He was cOnsid-
cred one of the best operators in the
city, and has a record of eighty-6ve
messages in as many minutes, in the
office of the Missouri Pa;-iic at St.
Louis. For four years he was manager
of the Union depO. telegraph office
at Leavenworth, Kan. Since his
arrival here he had lived on Ann street
until last Wednesday, when he moved
with his family and mother in-law
to Seventh street, where his death Oc-
Cured. He was very quiet and re-
firing, stunning all but the very best
Of society.
A STRICTLY TEMPERATE MAN.
he was uncommOnly we'll educated,
thoroughly versed in science, medicine
and history. 1t seems that he had
conceived the idea that one of his
fellow employees in the office was
contriviHg to take his life. This i'm
preston seems to have had no fodn-
datiOn in fact, but it nevertheless so
preyed upon his mind as to cause his
temporary insanity upon the subject.
He seems to have had no financial or
family trouble which could have led
him to take so fatal step. He
leaves a little girl and heart broken
wife to bewail his untimely death,
Friday he is said to have been present
at the hanging of Baynton, and this
is thought to have made a deep i'm
preston upon his over-taxed mind.
Coroner Mcfarland being unable
to attend, Justice Austin held the
inquest yesterday at 2 p. M, at the
undertaking rooms of Orr IL Sutch.
r X. Haynes, superintendent of
the Western Union Telegraph com
pany, was the first witness. His
evidence was substantially as follows
Il knew the deceased in his lifetime
by occupation he was a telegraph
operator. / know nothing OF the
cause of his death; saw him last alive
on Wednesday of this week; saw the
body when first brought here. For
about two months, and up to Monday
last, he has been in the employ of the
Western Union Telegraph company
he was married man, and, as far as
l know, perfectly sober. |
do not know if he was
embarrassed, but do
know the reason he alleged for leaving
our employ /; it was that ill-feeling to-
ward him among the associates in the
office had sprung up, and that, by
many little things, they had made it
so unpleasant for him that he tender
ed his resignation; | know no cireum-
strances further relating to the cause
of his death, except the suspicion,
formed in my mind by my last inter-
view with him, that he was crazy.
This was induced by his statement to
me on Wednesday last, as | have
already given, in part; only the
charge was more direct than when
he rendered his resignation. l have
charge of the office in which he was
and have no reason to
think his statement true, or that there
was any feeling whatever against
him in the office. Evei ything went
smoothly, until last Sunday morning,
when he handed me letter to the
effect that there was too much feeling
against him in the Office and he felt
compelled to resign. The letter was
coherent and well written. 1 handed
it to the chief operator with in
structions to investigate the mat
ter. This he did and reported that
there was nothing in it, but Mugford
still insisted upon resigning. Wednes-
day | met him he made the statement
that a relative had tried to poison my
mind against him. l did all | could
to disabuse his mind of such a false
/ had not seen nor did
know the relative to whom he re-
ferred. l have not seen him since
alive"
Chief of Police Davis was the next
witness. He said: 81 have known
the diseased from a few days back,
when he came to me and said that
some of the employees wanted to take
his life. / told him If that was