Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-28
COL. cANApAY,s SUICIDE.
He Preferred to Die Rather than Face
 

ne Hreferred to Die Rather than Face Exposure.
 WASHINGTON, Sep 2S.-The suicide of Col. w. P. Canaday, ex-Sergeant-a Arms of the United States Senate, here yester- day, is the great topic of discussion. There is much sympathy expressed for the unfortunate man, who preferred death to a prison cell.
 Since his retirement from the Senate Col. Canaday had been engaged in a gen. eral brokerage business in partnership with J. Q. A. Houghton, who furnished the financial resources of the firm.
 Mir. Houghton said he was awakened early in the morning by colored boy, who brought him a message saying that Col. Canaday desired to see him at the of flee.
 Since his connection with Canaday in the business, Mir. Houghton said, he had invested $l7, ,000 in the concern, 8, 900 of which he had placed in the safe only Monday night.
 His suspicious were aroused that the message had something to do with that money, and when he arrived at the office he found he was not mistaken.
 Col. Cauaday stated to him that he had been awakened by three colored m en between 3 and 3 &. m., who, with revol- vers to his head, compelled him to open the safe.
 The burglars, Col. Canaday said, had obtained entrance by breaking the window pane with railroad spike.
 After securing the money the robbers gagged the Colonel, using for the purpose piece of his night robe. They then bound him to the door of the office after tying his hands and feet.
 This was the story told to Mir. Tough ton, who promptly declared his disbelief of the tale and left, after warning Col. Canaday that he intended to procure warrant for his arrest. The story told by 8 MT. Stevenson, whose apartments in the house are above Col. Canaday's office, is that some time before o'clock in the morning he was awakened by a tapping sound and imme- diately after he heard a voice asking him to come down stairs.
 This was repeated several times.
 MT. Stevenson hurried to the room be- low and found Col. Canaday bound to a closet door in the room.
 In an excited tone he asked to be cut loose.
 This being done Col. Canaday was asked the cause of his unusual position. He replied robbers. Look on the floor. 7"
 MT. Stevenson glaced down and saw a number of charred papers.
 Col. Canaday told him that robbers had overpowered him and burglari ized his effects
 The police were summoned, to whom Col. Canaday related the same story
 An examination of the premises showed that the window through which the burg lars obtained entrance, as claimed by Col. Canaday, had been smashed into frag- ments.
 The thongs used to hold Col. Canaday to the door were pieces of binding twine tied loosely about his knees, ankles, wrists and elbows. The gag was poorly arranged in his mouth and he had no difficulty in raising his voice so that he could be heard by the boarder in the story above.
 Col. Canaday, after giving his version of the story to the police, repaired to his private room in the rear of the office and dressed himself and then sent the mes- sage to his partner, MT. Houghton. After the scene between them he re- turned to the office and about 7:30 o'clock he was found by the police, who had come to serve the warrant sworn out by MT. Houghton, stretched on cot in the corner of the room with bullet hole in his head.
 The bedding and floor about the cot were a pool of blood. The bullet had passed clean through his head and was embedded in the wall. A note was found written by Col Canaday to his partner, MT. Houghton, saying: "After your conduct this morning have no further use for life." Another note was left by the suicide ] said to have been addressed to a lady, which the police have and will not make public until the inquest.
 It is said that the charred papers found on the floor of the office represented notes, bonds, stocks, and other com mercial paper of the value of $100,0 ,000.