The morning call., 1890-08-02
HIS LAST DEAL.
A Mining Man Suicides Because
of His Losses.
J. W. Whitlatch Puts Bullet Through His
Brain in Fourtk-street House-0nce
a Wealthy Spectator.

J.W. WhitlateNka mining man, commit
ted suicide on Thursday night or yesterday
morning in the clearinghouse of e. r.
Owens, at 4S Fourth street, known as the
Pioneer House.
He ended his life by sending a bullet
crashing through his brain from long,
paralleled French dueling pistol, and evil
IDENTIFY died shortly afterward. Despond-
ency, brought on by financial and family
difficulties, Is believed to have been the
cause of his rash act, although his mind
was evidently affected before he went to
the clearinghouse to die.
Gu Thursday a tternoon he engaged a
room in the Pioneer House and retired.
n othing more was seen or heard of him by
the proprietor or inmates, and as he did not
make his appearance at late hour yester-
day the suspicious of Owens were aroused.
A servant went to his room door at 8
o'clock in the afternoon and found it locked.
The landlord was informed and he climbed
through the transom, gaining admission to
the scene of death.
COLD IN DEATH.
Whitlach was found lying on the bed,
cold. rigid and besmeared with blood. The
suicide was dressed only in his uEdercloth-
ing, which was sOddenedswith clotted gore.
with two chambers empty, showing that he
had fired twice in his determined effort to
kill himself.
The bed was covered with coagulated
blood. There was large, gaping, ragged
hole in the top Of the dead mans head, but
only one bullet had entered the skull. No
one in the house had heard the Shots Police
Officer Mccarthy was called in, and he in
turn notified the Coroner. The remains
were subsequently removed to the Morgue.
L.. Nl4 T,... - l. l1N
| tiers, mostly written in an incoherent and
strange strain. indicating thai the writer
WAS either insane at the time of writing or
lab0rlng under great mental excitement.
By the side of the body a letter lay i'll an
unaddressed envelope, dated Thursday,
and written to n. c. Fassett
1t was most unintelligible and incoherent
more so than the others. The writer
conveyed in 1t an Idea that he was in dis
treSs; that he had come here on Thursday
from Oakland and was without money, and
owed bill for board; and further, that he
had borrowed money, ETC., and he thought
it would be honorable to pay it. He said
he felt hurt little that he got crazy the
other way. and from general reports from a
friend II seems that all hands have fol-
lowed suit"
A BALDwIN-HoTEL GUEST.
Among the other papers was a receipted
bill for SOL 80, dated July Is, 1890, Tor
board and lodging at the Balwin Hotel.
Papers, etc. in his possession showed that
he was a mining operator, and card
showed that he lived at 800 First street,
Brooklyn, n. Y. He has been travelling
lately, and several letters containing the de
tails of several mining transactions were
in his pockets.
The deceased had letters from Brooklyn,
n. Y, from his wife. who stated that she
and his family of four sons were in destitute
circums tanceS, while one letter asked for
remittance and telling him in manner of
upbraiding that he had forgotten his family
and no longer loved his wife. In his pock-
cts were several KEYS, among them being
one marked Baldwin Hotel, 124," and only
40 cents in coin.
HIS MINING DEALS.
Whitlatch had been travelling Of late. as
letters in his possession showed that he
was in ST. Louis, Washington aud Montana.
He had been corresponding with \. CAM
eron, attorney, 62 Wall street, New York,
relating to mines and mining matters in
which he was interested. Large transac-
tions were mentioned in these letters.
He had been unfortunate III his deals and
was unable to stand the heavy losses, which
not only injured himself, but left his family
in want. The state of affairs he looked
upon as irretrievable and he brooded over
his misfortune until his brain was turned.
In the end his mind became affected by his
losses, and IL is thought he was craZed
when he killed himself.
Whitlatch made and lost half a dozen for
tunes in this State and Nevada, and was
one of the early miners of California. He
was man of advanced age and had a great
many friends in this city.