Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-11-15
RUIN And DEATH.
Broker Bolts Driven to Suicide by,
Losing Election Bets.
DESPAIR MADE HIM INSANE
He Was Not the Only One Who Lost
Large sums-Thcrc Was Probably Half
aMilIion wagered ON cIeveland's
Election In New York.

NEW YORK, Nov. l5-The Office of Thomas
l. Bolts, who committed suicide at the Hotel
Royal by shooting himself, was locked when
areporter called there, but directly across the
ball the rooms of Erastus +. Mead & Co.
we're found open. There it was said that
Bolts was popular among the insurance men,
capable business man and had large mum
Der of customers. He was tall, slim, ner-
Tous man who seemed to be constantly on the
nerve. He was probably driven to insanity
because his losses of wagers on the result Of
the national election were more than he could
afford to pay.
What was the amount OF his lossesa" was
asked.
II really cannot say was the reply, "but
we understand that the total reached a
large figure He was so certain that the
Democrats would be successful that he took
all the wagers he could get When he found
that he had lost he could hardl believe that
the returns were accurate. The later re-
turns on the afternoon of the day following
the election left no room for doubt as TO the
defeat of the Democratic ticket. 1t was no
ticed that Mr.. Bolts was in a despondent
frame of mind. He disappeared from his
was that he had killed himself
Mr.. Bolts was a member of the board of
Insurance underwriters, and meeting of
that body win be held to take action in re-
gard to his death.
1t is well known that the betting among
the insurance brokers, the members of the
down town exchanges and business men gem
orally on the result of the late election was
more extensive than ever before known
in the history of the country. Accord
ing to estimates made by those who are in
position to know, the losses will foot up fully
5000, 600. As there Is no insurance to cover
this class of losses, it is not to be wondered at
that in many instances the losers are driven
into condition of mind bordering on des-
peration.
. One man ON the Stock Exchange lost $15,-
600, another $40, 900, and still others various
sums ranging all the way down to $5 A
broker narrated the following incident illus
trating the popular craze:
"A man recently purchased a house and
lot at Orange, N. j. He had it nearly paid
for. Two or three days previous to the cleo
ton, having wagered all of his ready money,
he was induced to put up his house and lot.
/ Well, he lost, and his home goes to the win
ner.n
On the Produce and Stock exchanges the
betting was exceedingly heavy, and many
men down there are in desperate state of
mind. Like Bolts, great many of them
fail to see how they can meet their obliga-
tions. Especially 50 is this true in the cases
of clerks and curbstone brokers about the
Produce Exchange, who went in head over
ears as Cleveland hackers
One young clerk on the Produce Exchange,
whose father is a wealthy man, but who
himself has only his salary to depend upon,
was SO sure of Democratic success that he
wagered over s., 500 on the result--alI In
o US. He has appealed to his father to help
him out of his betting difficulties but the
stern parent positively refuses to come down
and the young man is on the verge of in
sanity. The 'sold man. will probably loosen
his purse strings after his promising offspring
has found comfortable berth in Blooming
dale or quiet resting place on a cold slab in
the morgue. Stern parents always relent
after it is too late.