Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-07
He is SAFE NOW
From Pursuit of the Officers of
the Law.
A. [. HESS OF BRlNKLEY, ARK,
Takes Deadly Morphine Because he Had
Committed Crime and was
Afraid OF tho PenE-
tentlary.

There registered ut the Rotel Pickwick
yesterday man apparently about twenty
eight years old, light build, short sandy
moustache, about five feet eight inches
high, well-dressed, named A. l.. Hess. He
engaged room, being assigned to No. 81,
fourth floor. 1t was about O'Clock a. m,
and the clerk noted that he was either
0rlnklng-or was Just getting OF spree.
He did not get up for dinner, and about 4
p. m. it was learned he was in dying con-
dition from a dose of poison All
attention possible was given him, but
shortly after p. N. he breathed his
last, in the presence Of Chief of Police Mad
doX and several others.
After his death Justice McClung was
notified, and after his arrival the contents
of his pockets were inspected and about
thirty letters and kilograms and s.. 25 was
taken therefrom. These letters were bust
ness letters, personal letters, etc., all Of
which showed Hess up in an unenYiable
light, and that he was fugitive from JUS
tlce and was lodging the officers. One tele-
gram was found dated Brinkley, Ark, Feb.
"a, saying, Look out; officers left here to-
day after you," and signed ]. p. Paseley.
Officer Maddox had in his possession de-
Scription of a man wanted at Brinkley,
Ark, which description tailed identi-
caly with that of Hess. Among
the letters was one from q friend
in Brinkley saying, eff you dare to return
here you are as good for the penitentiary as
a ten cent piece is for a ginger cake"
Another was an affectionate one from
devoted wife at Denison, Tex, saying,
among other things, 1.-The children are con-
tinually asking for papa, and say that
mamma must tell you to come home soon
and bring them some candy"
1t appears from other letters that he was
formerly in business in Brinkley, Ark, and
ho1 r1r,1a ID Sc h -
goods to beat his creditors. The following
is a copy of a letter to Attorney II. a.
Parker of Clarendon, Ark, giving full par
ticular5 of the transaction, in which 1t
seems Hess was euchred at his own game,
and seeks redress. This letter was ready
never got into the mails. Here is the letter
in full:
WHTEsBoRo, TEX, March q 1891
a II. Parker, Esq, Clarendon, Ark,
DEAR SRI have a small collection
which would like for you to make for me.
Hooker owes me SI272.95, balance on stock
OF goods sold to him. Now, Mr.. Parker,
prefer giving this collection to you than
any one else as you understand the nature
of the case better than any one else, that IS
you will understand it when l eX plain mat
ters TO you. At the time l pretended to
sell out my stock of goods to Hooker the
trade was fraudulent one Hooker never
The money he (Hooker) paid me was
mostly my own money, that is, $500 was
my own money which had given Hooker
to buy the stock with, and Hooker bor-
rowed $225 from z. Z. Brown-that was a
check on the Monroe county bank. L vent
TO the bank and got the check caShed
and give the amount 1925 back to Hooker.
Hooker also pretended that owed him
$685. SO in the form of note, which he put
in for that amount, 1888. SO, and marked the
note paid. OF course 1 did not owe Hooker
anything at all. He also paid me 90 cash
out of his own pocket, which gave him
back after the deal was witnessed by
Messrs. Brown and Neagle. The $500 Of
my own money was put in at $500, the note
at S3SS. 96, draft drawn by q. E. Brown
1925 Two dollars of Hooker's money made
the amount called S24l5.96. This was
claimed to be 60 cents on the dollar for the
stock of goods aud store fixtures. After
the witnesses left the store kept my $500,
gave Hooker his 81 and went to the bank
and got cash for the check, e. z. Brown
check, of S225 and gave that back to
Hooker Then, after the suit with the
creditors at Clarendon, Hooker said it
would be best for US not to go in business
together. When Hooker and myself made
the trade, Hooker was to have one-third Of
what he saved of the goods, and we were to
90 in business together after everything
was settled. So after the suit, on our way
from Clarendon to Brinkley, we concluded
to not go in business together, as we had
agreed to. The reason for that was, every
body thought the transaction fraudulent
one, and If we went In business together
that would be dead proof. So proposed to
sell my two-thirds Of the stock (S26s3.45) to
Hooker, and give him % per cent of for
cash, provided he would pay me all cash in
a few days. So he agreed to do that, and
this is the way he paid me:
April Is. 1891, bV cash so 90
May 6, 1891, by cash. ............... 800 10
Annie Moore note. as 10
June 80, 1891, by cash. 100 90
December S, by Allen, by cash. 300 90
January Is, 1892, by Allen. by cash 40 GO
February s, 1892. by Allen, by cash 100 90
February 16, 1892, by Allen, by cash 122 90
Total .sl41O 50
Now Hooker claims that he has paid me
all he owes me, and claims the % per cent
off, Now, Mr.. Parker, if half OF this
amount will be any induecment to you for
it you can have the case or
course would not want you to say any,
thing to the creditors about the matter.
This must be worked through you, myself,
Hooker and Allen. In the event Hooker
should refuse to pay you, you could threaten
him with the creditors and then he would
have to come to time. would allow you to use
your own Judgment in regard to compro-
mise with him. If you could not get all you
could probably get 500 or $500 out Of him
Work him kinder easy at first and appear
to be very independent about the matter.
| have letters enough from him and Allen
TO cshow the trade was a fraud. In
case you could not get compro-
mise out of him you could
attach him for a. Frankenthal 4 Bro, St.
Louis, and Schwab clothing company, St.
Louis. owe a F'rankenthal Il Bro, $40;
Schwab clothing company, $40; Abe Black
Of Cincinnati, Ohio. S447.75 These people
have never attached yet, so they could come
in and attach him for what 1 owe them, and
they could collect it, as the trade was
fraud, but that would S1t do me any good.
[ would not get cent out of it and the
,reditors are rich and don't need it, and we
10. Now 1 will give you half you can get
1ut OF this if you viii take it in hand and
not expose US to the creditors. Let me
know at once if you will do this. Yours,
etc, A. l. HISS.
There were various other letters to him
from men who had befriended him, they
claimed, and were yet willing to do so, but
1t the same time warning him to change
his course and be man-but not to return
% Brinkley.
His wife was wired Of his death, and his
'emalns were given over 10 Wilkes & Cause
o await instructions.
The Rosa Bland,