The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-09-27
From Wednesdays Daily.
ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE.
James E. Dennis Puts a Bullet in His
Brain and Ends His Life.
A Distressing Tragedy.

suicide by shooting himself. The deed
was done in the office of n. 7. Lees
hack and bus barn at half past nine
O'Clock this morning. The agent ofdeath
was revolver and the bullet, Il large
3S-calibre, entered the forehead nearly
over the right eve and an inch and a
half above 1t. The alarm was instantly
given and Drs. Andrews and Davis re-
spouded to calls and did everything in
their power to save the boys life, but
the most that they could accomplish was
to lengthen the ebbing life few hours.
The young man was unconscious from
the time of the deed and never moved
or spoke, and to all appearances was
dead, except that he continued to breath
with difficulty. DIR. Andrews ran probe
for six inches into the wound without
reaching the bullet, which Is supposed
to have lodged in the base of the brain.
The motive for the suicide can only be
surmised. Since May LIST, 1888, Mr..
Dennis has been employed by Agent
Drake as the driver of one of the ex-
press wagons, and he sometimes made
short runs on the trains out of the city,
taking the place of express agents. Dur
ing the past six months he has develop
ed a liking for liquor--a desire as strong
as il was northumberland this has
sometimes made him little unreliable.
Lately the habit has eXerted greater
influence over him, and for two or three
days he has been more or less under the
influence of the wine glass. His excess
es became so great that Mr.. Drake was
obliged to discharge him, which was
done last evening. This action was not
taken hastily or unexpectedly, however,
as Mr.. Drake has for some time been
trying to reform and save the young
man. Before discharging him, the
agent gave him serious and fatherly
talking to, giving him kind advice and
offering to do all in his power to secure
him position with the company in st.
Paul. He offered to write letter to
the company's superintendent at st.
Paul recommending the young man to
| POoiiiOii iioPOu W SVt iiili ohS
liar to that which he held here.
Dennis seemed willing to go and
promised to do so to-day. He seems to
have changed his mind and concluded
to go to Sioux City or Omaha, telling
some people that he vas going to one
and some that he was going to the 9th
er. He packed up his effects and sent
them on last nights train to Sioux City,
where brother and sister reside. He
intended to go himself, but was pursua-
ded by friends to remain little longer.
Remorse over his drinking habit and
the loss of his situation seem to have
| turned his mind and he became actually
crazy. He threatened to shoot himself
last night, but was deferred by a friend,
who put him to bed and hid his revolv-
er- He assigned the above reasons for
his desperation, referring to himself as
common drunkard. He met several peo-
| pie this morning and told them he was
crazy, but they thought that it was SIM
| ply the joke of n man somewhat drunk.
He limited to a bartender what he was
about to do, and on incredulity being
expressed he said you'll see it in to-
that he was going to Omaha.
About nine O'Clock he went into Lees
barn and sat down in the office. The
only person around Mas Chas. Foyles, a
cripple who is employed there. A few
words passed between them in a sort of
joking way, as Fovles thought, and Den
nis finally said Charley, you can all
dance at my funeral to-day" Foyles
stepped out of the room for an instant,
and without warning Dennis fired the
fatal shot. He was sitting in the corner
behind the stove and when found was
| leaning back in his chair, his head
against the partition, and the revolver
| lying in his lap. He was carried to the
and the doctors, arriving soon after
wards, found him stretched thereon,
Unconscious. A piece of brain was ex
uding from the wound, though little
blood was found where he had been sit
ting. The revolver was of the bulldog
type, Johnson make, and contained five
cartridges one only being empty. Dur
| ing his conversation with Foyles, Den
mis- said that he was going to Omaha to-
night. He asked Foyles to hitch up a
| team as be wanted to be taken to see
some girl or woman, but he didn't say
whom. He seemed to be dead
large crowd soon gathered, but was
Among the articles found in Dennis
pockets was letter addressed to his
father and written from Wells under
date of Sept. LIST. He referred to the
night run, thought it was rather hard,
but thought that was the way to work up.
Only 81 cents were found in money. He
he had on his best clothes and overcoat.
Mr.. Dennis was about twenty-three
years of age, and came to this city two
or three years ago, being first employed
as delivery clerk in the postoffice. In
Minneapolis he was connected with that
city's department of the Pioneer Press.
| Very little else is known of his life, as
he was reticent in talking of his own af
fairs. His father, James +. Dennis, ST.,
resides at Rockford, Ill. He leaves two
brothers and one sister, Frank Dennis,
of Colorado Springs, COL, Charles and
| Miss May Dennis, of Sioux City. The
former is well-known in this city as is
also Miss May, both having lived here
prior to year ago. The family is an
excellent one.
The unfortunate young man boarded
at the Clifton House. He was we'll liked
| by all who knew him, and his acquain-
lance was naturally quite large. He was
fine appearing, pleasing to converse
with, and had the making of first-class
| MAN DSCh dblC vi W
control his passions. There were few
more popular young men in the city and
his suicide causes the greatest sorrow.
Few persons knew his faIlings and many
expressed surprise when informed of
them. His employer thought every
thing of him and did all that was posi-
BILE to keep him. When talking to-
gether Yesterday, Dennis told Mr.. Drake
that there was not much In life left to
make it worth living and said that there
was one person whom he would like to
see again, but afterwards said that it
didn't make much difference. His sui
eide seems to have been premeditated,
and the result of his spree and the fact
that he was out of his mind from it's eff
fects. At times he probably actually
thought of or was pursuaded to 60 to
some other city and start again. His
debts may have also proved on his
mind, as he was owing something like
$3.50 to diffe rent parties. 1t must be &C.
cepted that Dennis was temporarily out
of his head, as none of these causes are
sufficient to drive sane man to such
a desperate act. The sincerest sympa-
thy Of their many friends in this city is
extended to the stricken family.
Coroner Paddock and County Attorney
Smith investigated the matter and have
decided to hold an inquest, as the most
satisfactory thing to the friends and rela-
tives.
LATER.
The young mans life fingered along
until 12:45 p. M, when the vital spark
went out, The body was removed to
Jonn Klein's undertaking establishment,
where it will await the instructions of
relatives. Coroner Paddock says that it
is probable that an inquest will be held
tomorrow forenoon.
A telegram was received this after