Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-08-28
"A Lenthy Account of the Suicide at
Helena of a Former Bis
marck Boy.
he Drank Till He Had "Snakes"
and Seldom Drew a
r. Sober Breath.
A Citizen Criticises the Enforcement
League and Their Open
Circulars.
A Former Bismarcker Suicides.

A Former Bismarcker Suicides.
The Helena Independent gives the fol
lowing account of the death Of a former
Bismarck boy: Poor Joe Toole, crazed
by whisky, with a body and mind shat
tered in a twelve days fight with alco-
holic demons, dragged himself from his
little road house and ended it all in an
old we'll just back of Wassweiler's de-
serted plunge. It had been a hard bat.
tie before Joe's capitulation, but he had
been through similar contests before.
When his ~big-hearted generosity got the
better Of his judgment and the "old feel
ing" came on he would drop everything
and let King Alcohol have his way.
When the siege was finished Joe became
himself and not another drop touched
his lips until the next drunk COM
menced. Thus it has gone for years, and
each time the poor fellow grew weaker
mentally and physically and the DRINKS
came oftener.
Two weeks ago he started in and never
drew a sober breath. The snakes filled
his boots and his vision was troubled
with strange sights and he wandered
about up and down the road in front of
his place until his old-time partner, Bill
ly Palmer, became alarmed. He sue
ceeded in bringing his friend to a half
sober condition, but before the treat
ment was finished Toole dropped back in
company with the reptiles. Charlie
Moore, who was looking after the bust
ness during the proprietor's spree, heard
the bar-room door open at daybreak
Thursday morning and this was the last
known of him alive. His absence for a
day or 80 was unnoticed for it was
thought he had wandered away and
would return. It was not until yester-
day that any alarm was felt. Then the
boys around the house began looking for
him along the road. Pat Doran, who has
lived along Ten Mile for many years,
came to town and told sheriff LETTERS
that Toole had disappeared and asked
for assistance in the search. The sheriff
told him to get help. He found William
Quad and together they found the dead
man. They searched along the bushes
on either side of the road until Doran
proposed that they cross the bed of Ten
Mile creek aud look around the old
plunge. It was 7 o'clock last evening
when they reached an old we'll which had
been sunk long ago for the purpose of
storing hot water for the adjoining bath.
Doran saw a hat and coat on the edge of
the hole, while his n~ostrils caught the
"odor of decomposition.
"He is there" said Doran, and the
next instant he saw the head and arm
of the dead man reaching just above the
water where his body was submerged.
The body was standing almost erect in
perhaps twenty Fleet Of water. At last
by means of ropes the body was brought
out and placed in a coffin. II had been
in the water a long time. The face was
black, while the limbs were bloated al
most out of shape. One eye was gone,
there was a bruise on his head and his
mustache was gone, which was thought
by some to indicate foul work, a matter
which will be fully investigated. It is
not probable that these suspicious will
be verified.
Joe Toole was we'll known to Helena
ties and was very popular. His place
was. a f~avorite resort with the sporting
fraternity. It was the place usually Sc
lected for glove fights for which there
were special appointments in the way of
a canvas covered platform and a twenty
foot ring. The owner came to Montana
about six years ago from Bismarck
where he was a bell boy at the Sheridan
house. He and Palmer worked for Eu-
gene Meyer at the old road house. This
was Toole's first season at the present
place, for which be had a ten years
lease. He was unmarried, kbut has re-
latives in st. Paul. He was 81 years old.
The coroner placed two men in charge of
the house last night, but it is not known
what will be done with the property un-
til Toole's relatives are heard from.
Don't Like the League Circular.
EDITOR TRIBUNE: To-day I received
q letter from the enforcement league at
Jamestown. Well, since I got that let
ter asking me to subscribe to and be-
come a member of the league I have