The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-23
CASHED In HIS CHECKS
Yoal6 John L. BILLINGS Takes Bis Oun
Life BY Morphine.


young man about town, COM
mitted suicide to-day by morphine. Early
I'm the morning he went into niger drug
store and asked for the drug. saying that
he had been drinking and desired the
tn quiet his nerves so that he
could go tn sleep. jeff Thoroughman, the
clerk, rcfased tn sell him any morphine,
hut put him up a dose of bromide of po-
GassiuIn, which,, he said, would have the 1
desired effect. The clerk and his GUS
toner were a~cquaintances and Billings |
stood behind the Prescription case while
Socn afterwards Mr.. T~horoughman
went out, leaving Billings i'm the store
with another clerk, who was occupied
with n customer in another part of the
store. Mr.. Thoroughbred returned soon
after =, and having occasion tn put up
was am ingredient. he discovered
az the time about 10 grains. wa. missing.
The truth flashed upon him at onCs,-that
Billings had managed to get possession OF
the bottle while no one was looking. Mr..
Thoroughman informed friends of Bill
ing of the facts, and they began tn look
for him.
Billings meanwhile had gone To the
house of Mrs. Frederika Boyce. or upper
Main street, opposite the Clear Grit mime.
He had roomed in this house up to four
weeks ago, and his trunk was still there.
He told Mrs. Boyce that he wanted to go
" Sa s'ss Up IN sia a.S room r Inns a .;me. ,sa. : hs m mStii
the next day. Mrs. Boyce approached him
on account of his irregularities, and he
use the room across the hall from the one
he had formerly occupied. and he imme-
A few minutes before noon, Mrs. Boyce's
daughter having occasion tn go past the
room, heard q sound of very heavy breath
the room. Billings face was covered by
she bed clothing, and on raising the quilt
his face was seen to he black. Miss boyce
passing the house. was called in. He
Hsed n oma pump, an electric battery
aud all known means to counteract the
effects of the drug, but all his efforts were
unavailing, and Billings died soon after
3o'clock. He had evidently swallowed
the entire contents OF the hottie OF NOR
phine immediately upon retiring to the
room and thrown:thc bottle out of the win:
dow, as pieces Of it were aftewartls picked
Billings was "A years old. and was the
son of a Brooklyn. n. Y Clergyman He
when quite young. Two years ago he
came to Butte. and for "a while was asso-
AGENTS . of the Parblo Sampii9s Works. a
few months ago Major Hornbrook severed
their connection On account of Billings
among his acquintances, hut gambling
was his ruin, and after his death, on the
bureau was found a card With the Words
An inquest was held this afternoon.
DIR. Murray testified that about 1 o'clock
to-day he was called to- see Billings. He
found his respiration about six per min
ute. The man was unconscious. This
was evidently from the effect of
and that was doubtless the cause of the
death.
DIR. Gillespie said at 12:15 y. m. he was
Main street and Billings was found to be
suffering from, the effects of an overdose
Of some kind OF opiate.. Antidotes were
at once administered and finding help was
necessary DIR. Murray was summoned
Everything usually done i'm such eases
was resortel to without effect as the mar
siiafl nInsIt a O'Clock. When "A: search vgls
made "a hottie. label which had "morphine'
written upon IL was found upon the Hoo
which had evidently been thrown ont a
the bed room indow
j. ID. .~Thoroughman,, employed il
ingcr's drug store, said this mOrnins
about 80 the deceased came into thu
the store and asked for morphine. Tn,
witness refused to sell il unless IA doctor
prescription was obtained. The dsse,ases
said he had been up all night and was ner
sous and could not sleep; ~ then CAV
he went away seemingly satisfied. Aboul
O'Clock he returned and while 1 was on
scription case. Mr.. Martin. anotser en-
ploye of the store, WAS waiting upon an
other customer. billings came out fror
i'm. q short time. When I returned to TIN
store about the first thing ! happened I
kept upon o shelf in the store. I at ono
suspected that deceased had taken il an
started out TO look for him: did not fin
him and soon after was told that he wa
dying from the effects Of morphine. TIL
deceased was apparently sober and wa
not known to be habituatcd to the use q
morphine."
Major X. L. Hornbrook testified: ~ an
acquainted with The deceased, havin
known him for about eight years. He Wa
abbut - years of age and was not ma
rieSl. He was u native of New York stat
and came To Montana about two yea
ago. His has been that OF IA
ore miller. He WAS not addicted To I'll
use of morphine so far as 1 know.
saw him i'm the room where he died tn
afternoon. He was then suffering, l b.
lievc, from the effects of morphine. n
was not conscious mt that time. DIR. Gi
lespie was working upon him trying
resuscitate him. He appeared to he vel
Respondent of late, hut I did not siIspe
that he would attempt to take his ow
life. Hau he been in the habit of usir
opium or morphine 1 think l would ha'
known it,"
". r.. Helmer testified: "About 1:
O'Clock I was told that Billings was dyiI
and i'm company with NJ. b.. Henderson
went to the house where / found the a
ceased upon n bed i'm an apparently dyiI
condition. His breath was very slow al
abored. / don't think the deceased W.
addicted to the use of morphine. 1 ~
him about two days ago and found him
very good spirits apparently. l know
no trouble which the deceased had. viii,
would induce him to commit suicide, We