The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-05
THE BAR OF HEAVEN.
A Liquor Clerk Puts a Bullet
Through His Head.
He WAS CHARGED WITH THEFT.
A Tacoma Insurance Agent Kills Him.
self ON Receiving Rejection Of
Proposal of Marriage.

a. ~. EIEtrT. q pf{tENueT. lDE Tie past TWO
weeks In tbs employ OF Clancy K Burns. CON-
United suic de by shooting himself through the
head az the Bellevue hotel in North Seattle at
II 20 O'Clock last night.
At o few minutes before the hour named,
Biiier walked into the front door of the Belle
vue hotel Office, and started for table a few
feet from the door, as ii to cit down.
Changing his mind. he turned and
walked up to the counter, and asked
air. Porsus Baxter, the night clerk, for front
room. Saving that he wanted to go to bed. Mr.
Baxter told him that the front rooms were all
taken but that he could give him a good room
facing on the east. He agreed to take this room
and paid 81 for the use of It for one night
He appeared TO be lsboring under a strong
mental strain, and acted in strange manner,
but did not appear 70 be intoxicated. Noticing
some stationery back of the counter he called
for couple OF sheets of paper. some envelopes
aud some ink, and asked that they be sent up
TO his room
Mr.. Baxter asked him to register his name,
but he declined TO do so, and it was not until he
had been told that nc must register and that he
could not have room unless he did, that he
finally did So He put down the name:
"Tnom Hail, Salt Lake"
He then asked where the toiles room was. and
was shown 10 the rear OF the building.
Besides Mr. Baxter and tIr. j. d. Lindsey, the
porter. there were several other gentlemen in
the room when Billsr came in. aud among them
was Mr. II. H. Allen, travelling man, and Mr..
George Lyon. The latter two gentlemen went
out OF the side entrance on Battery street
a moment after Bilier left, and walked
slowly eastward. When near the end
OF the house. and Just as they came
opposite the window OF the toilet-room,
they heard loud report inside They imme-
diaieiy reported az the Office, and a few mo-
ments later they pushed open the toilet-room
door The first two apartments were open, but
the door of the third was shut and bolted on
the inside.
little stream OF blood was beginning to run
out beneath the door. DR.. Kloeber, who lives
In the house, was called Immediately, and the
door was unlocked by climbing up over the top
Of the closet.
Biller was found sitting with his head leaning
or. md nearly touching the floor, quite dead.
A revolver was lying beside him, and the blood
had spAttered on the wall aud was still Team
inc down over his clothes ard on to the foor.
The body was taken 10 Cross & Co.'S under
taking establishment No statement was found
ON hts person which indicated the cause for his
taking his own life.
Dry s. Kloeber was the first man 10 see
Hiller, being notified by Clerk Baxter that a
man had committed suicide In reply to the
inquiries OF Posi- -ISTELLIGREcER reporter, DR..
Kloeber said:
and told me tina. man had shot himself while
in the closet Immediately went down stairs
and entered the apartment. l found the rear
door fast and climbed over the partition. where
] found q man sitting down and bleeding
profusely. His body was pitched forward
against the door. and near his right hand
was Hopkins & Allen ss-caliber revolver
raised the man up and opened the
door, when we removed the body On
examination / found that the man had
placed the revolver against his right temple and
shot himself, the bullet coming out just above
the left ear. Death must have been instantan-
eous. His brains were scattered over the floor
where ne shot himself, but / did not find the
bullet"
Biler, who belongs to Chicago, came here
May 81 last from San Francisco, where he
worked for a time as bsrkeeper In the Louvre
saloon. He worked here first barkeeper
IN Beede's cafe, under the Butler block,
He was known there as tony" Biller ana
was well liked by his associates during the two
weeks or more he stayed there. lie then tended
bar in the Phoenix hotel until June "a, when he
went TO work in Clancy 4 Burns saloon az
the ccfner OF South Third and Jack
son streets. Wednesday, Pete Burns
found a mistake in the cash register any
CHARGED BilIer with It Since then Biller has
acted ST angel and yesterday followed Burns
around until the latter got mad and discharged
him. Bitter went Immediately to the Bellevue
and, IS soon IS be had registered, went
10 the rear Of the hotel and blew mis- brains ont.
Burns saws Bller seemed to be n
Quiet fellow, but acted so strangely Yesterday
that he couldn't put up with him and so dis
charged him. 1t would seem that Biller became
demented through breeding over being charged
with dishonesty and determined TO end his life
rather than face disgrace.
When the body Of the dead man was searched
for something By which 20 identity him ali that
was found was q small memorandum book. a
pccketknife, handkerchief, door KEY, a flask
containing small quantity OF whisky and 81
cents in change.
In the memorandum book were several nd
dresses, but not his own, which was scrawled
upon q card in the book. Among the addresses
were: I. c. Godshall, corner Turk and
Taylor streets, Frisco, Cal; w
]. Holpenc Denver, Colo: II. r.
storens, Phoenix hotel bar: Charles ssuvier:
Maurer Salon, Omaha. Neb.: May Love
land. room IA. Auzers house; John
1elinck, s12 Washington street; Mr..
Custer, so7 Third street. The following
entries were also scrawied on different pages:
sCommenced at Pete Burns and Tommy Clancy,
June "A. 90" Commenced with Beede Nav
e. 90" ''seattie, June 10. 30. Quit drinking
the nth day OF June. &C.,
When found By DR.. kloebes the man had n
card OF the Arlington hotel in his hand. upon
which was written: "Murdock, on West be-
tween Columbia and Marion"