The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-04-18
HIMSELF
Sensational Suicide at st. Louis
and all on Account of May
Wheat.
Fresh Outbreak of White Caps
IN Indiana-Five of Them
Shot.

ST. Louis, April 13.-At an early hour
this morning, when Louis Napoli, janitor
of the st. Louis grain elevator Office, on
the southwest corner of Biddle street and
the levee, went into the Office to clean up,
he found John Jackson, president of the
Elevator company, hanging to one of the
high posts of the counter railing dead and
the body cold. Mr.. jackson had evil
IDENTIFY stood upon chair while adjusting
the rope, piece of ordinary clothes line,
and then kicking the chair away the moose
closed on the windpipe, death ensuing by
strspgulation. The janitor and his wife
out the body down and laid it on sofa,
where it remained until Mr.. Robert p.
Owens, cashier of the company, came
to the Office. Several letters were found
on JscksOn's desk, one addressed to his
son and others to business friends, which
Mr.. Owens took charge of, and, at this
writing, their contents are not known.
Word was Immediately sent to the family
sent down shortly afterwards.
Mr.. jackson was one of the best known
business men of the city, with very large
interests, and the news of his suicide
caused great sensation on 'Ohapge. He
is said to have been heavily interested in
May wheat, aud it is reported on Change
his grain transactions probably had some
thing to do with his self-dt struotiop, but
of this nothing definite has transpired as
yet.
Later in the day the letters left by Mr.,
Jackson were delivered to the persons to
whom they were addressed. They indi-
cate that the cause of the suicide was May
wheat. The gossip on 'Ohange estimates
the loss at 100000. 1t was also stated
that they had contracts for 100000
bushels of May wheat, but there were
rumors that an investigation into the
affairs of the elevator company will be be-
gun at once.
Mr.. jackson wrote letters to his son, to
e. s. Warner, his real estate
agent, Leonard Matthews, j. B. McKehlor
one of the largest stockholders in the
Elevator company; Thomas e. Tutt, Of
the Third National bank; Horace Chiselm
his secretary, and others. The letter tC
his son, Geo. Jackson, could not be seen
To Messrs. Matthews and McKehlor he
pointed out the hopeless condition of hi
business affairs. To Mr.. Leonard
Matthews he wrote: 'The losses in whea
under my control have been -. an
unable to see my way to get out. Wan
of sleep has made me crazy. l am no
altogether to blame. Mr.. Chiselm, tn,
secretary, will no doubt state how it 90
| Cured at any rate. So good bye. Verl
sincerely yours, John Jackson"
To Thos L. Tut he gave a statement
OF his affairs, and asked that Mr.. Tut
look after them.
To E. s. Warner he wrote with reference
principally to real estate matters, con
Guiding as follows:
"Regards to Mrs. Warner. Look afte
my wife and boy. Goodbye, goodbye
goodbye"
On the margin of the letter was written
"Loss of sleep for the last two weeks ha
made me crazy"
In letter to Mr.. Warner also ap
peared the following, showing pretty con
clusively that wheat was the cause for MI
Jackson's suicide:
GAS for myself l am fairly beat. Whea
is too much for me-"
Mr.. Johnson's real estate holding
amounted to over 100000, his latest bi
deal being the purchase of the Pope's the
alter and adjoining property, which alon
is valued at near that amount.