St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-06
ONCE AN ALDERMAN.
Now Dead in Detroit by Murder
or Suicide,

Now Dead in Detroit by Murder
or Suicide;
B.H. Billings, of Minneapolis. prom
inent North side business man and eX-
alderman. now lies dead in Detroit
hotel. 1t may be suicide; it looks like
murder. Detroit detectives must de-
eide which it is.
All that is known ins Minneapolis
about the death of Billings is contained
in the dispatches from Detroit. His
dead body was found Thursday after
noon in a room of Miss Carney's lodging
house, on Rowland street. The body
was covered with wounds, evidently
made by a pocket knife. Besides the
wounds on the body, three of which pene-
etrated to the heart, there was
slash across the throat which
severed the jugular vein. The
body had lain in the room sinceWednes-
day night The dispatches from Detroit
say that Billings had been gambling III
the turf exchange there. Forty-seven
cents was all that was found in Billings
pockets. In Detroit it was at first taken
to be case of suicide. The theory was
that he had lost his money in gambling.
Billings was member of the firm of
Billings IL Baker. North Minneapolis
brick manufacturers. His partner,
Willis Baker, has this to say about the
suicide theory:
''He was the executor of the estate of
his uncle. the late Benjamin S.
Wright. of Boston. and later OF Detroit,
and he had gone to the latter city to
close up the affairs of the deceased.
lie had expected to return about the LIST
of May, but was unable to close up af-
fairs as he had expected, and was COM
PEELED to remain longer. But last week
Mrs. Billings received a letter stat
ing that he would be home by Sunday.
There was some anxiety when
he did not return at the expected time,
but it was thought that some unfore-
seen delay had kept him. and nothing
was heard from him until last night.
when l received telegram telling me
of his death. He was the last man in
the world L should have expected to
commit suicide, but my opinion, in view
of the facts contained in the dispatches.
is that lie was disappointed at not Sc
curing enough from the settle
ment of the estate to help him
out of his financial troubles here,
as he had anticipated that he would. |
think he was afraid or ashamed to come
back here and face the music, and so
ended his life. The affairs OF the firm
are III very uncertain condition. While
we have more than enough property to
cover our Indebtedness. it is mostly in
real estate, and in the present condition
of the market it would be exceedingly
difficult to realize upon it. An admin
istratOr VIII naturally have to be ap-
pointed, and l do not know just how
the affairs of the firm will come out"
By others who knew Billings well
the theory is formulated that the ex-
alderman was murdered. His wife
takes that view of the case. His do
nestle relations were always happy.
He was never known to gamble. He
was member of a North Minneapolis
Methodist church. He had a revolver
and could have committed suicide with
that. His friends believe that all these
facts weaken the suicide theory. He
had been settling up his uncle's estate
and must have had a good deal of
money. Hence, his wife and others
believe he was murdered. Last night
word came that Detroit detectives were
working on the theory of murder.
Billings leaves widow and one
daughter, twenty years of age. He was
elected member of the city council in
1888 ana was prominent in North side
business and political circles. The re-
mains will be brought to Minneapolis
for burial. Billings was member of
Khurum lodge. A. F. and A. NJ, and
the funeral will probably be under Ma.
sonic auSDlceS