The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-15
A CHASTITY FIND.
MR., }. p. DUVENAGE FOUND DEAD
IN HIS ROOM AT THE
AVENUE.
He Took His Life with.His Own Hands,
and is Found Hanging by
Cotton Rope to an
Iron Rod.
HIS ARRIVAL,

Duvenage arrived in this city and
registered at the Avenue hotel from
San Antonio.
Since that date he has been about
the hotel occupying his room. We'd
nesday last he had conversation
with Mr.. Tom Smith in which he
stated he was going to leave for home
the next day.
Thursday the chamber maid on her
cleaning up rounds found the door Of
his room locked from the inside, but
as such occurrences are not out
of the usual order she paid no atten-
ton to it, dodgers frequently sleeping
late. Yesterday morning she again
found the room locked, but again
passed it by unnoticed.
A HORRIBLE FIND.
About noon, however, yesterday,
Mr.. Tom Smith, who had missed his
guest for the past two days, noticed
that the key to his room was not in
the key rack and he sent a bell boy
up to see if it had been left in the
door.
The bell boy reported that the door
was locked and that he could
not get in. Mr.. Smith, with
the boy, then returned to
the room, and the boy, being hoisted
up so he could see through the tran
som, said he could see no one in the
room but thought he saw mans
head sticking out from behind the
head of the bed. A colored porter
was called, who opened the transom,
when horrible odor poured out of
the room. The porter climbed through
and opened the door and Mr.. Smith,
entering, found Mr.. Duvenage be-
hind the head of the bed hanging
by the neck, stark dead, and the Of
ficers were at Cnce notified.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
The Avenue building has numer-
GUS anchor ,ods running through it
and one of them passes through the
room occupied by Mr.. Duvenage, just
about six inches below the ceiling.
He had purchased about three or
four feet of new cotton rope, and
from boxes labeled "Morphine" found
in his room, he must have laid in a
supply of that drug.
He then rolled the bed across the
room so as to get it Immediately under
the rod, the head of the bed being left
about two feet from the wall. He
then swallowed the morphine, or it
is supposed he did, as the boxes were
all empty, tied the rope to the rod and
adjusted one end around his neck
he then either swung himself
from the window or head Of the bed
and strangled to death, His body
presented horrible appearance, and
he must have killed himself early
Wednesday night. He left no papers
or letters.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE DECEASED.
Mr.. ]. P. Duvenage was a German
by birth, and to the writer sew
eral months ago he stated
that he had been carefully
educated for the ministry and his
knowledge of theology confirmed his
statement. He came from Chicago
to Texas and married well-to-do and
highly respected lady of Victoria
county. For many years he made
Austin his home and at one time he
was editor and proprietor Of
the "Austin Wochenblatt." He
was fluent talker and most inter
esting conversationalist. AS news
paper writer his German friends con-
sidered him far above the average
For nearly q year he and his family
have been living in San Antonio and
Tuesday his wife telegraphed Mr.
Tom Smith to know if he was
still at the Avenue. This telegram
was handed to him and he said he
would "attend to it," He leaves 6
wife and several children who were
notified yesterday OF his death, anC
they will be here today to attend his
uneral.
NO SURPRISE.
His sudden and peculiar deatl
was no surprise to TIL
STATESMAN reporter who, TO
nearly two years, has had reason t.
believe that Mr.. Duvenage would xii
himself, and on more than one occa
sion he would not have been SURPRISED
to learn that he had jumped from
the river bridge and ended his life
HIS FUNERAL.
Messrs. Weed & Rosengren, thu
undertakers, took charge of the bod.
yesterday, and late last afternoon the!
received a telegram from San An
tonic that friends and the famil,
would reach here this morning, an,
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