The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-31
BERRY ONCE WELL FIXED
THE SUICIDE GAME TO SAVANNAH
FROM LITTLE ROCK, ARK.


Him-Peopls Trying to Connect the
Suicide With Missing Bsrrys-A
Woman Here Thought He Was Her
Husband-.OthersB Believed Elm to Be
an Alabama BiRamist Coroner
Dixon BesieRed With Inquiries and
Teiezrams.
Coroner Dixon's undertaking establish
ment was visited yesterday by quite num-
Der OF people who were anxious to see Sui
eide Berrys body. The majority we're at
tracted by morbid curiosity TO get view
OF the man who had destroyed his life. but
they were disappointed az the coroner only
granted the privilege to those likely to
throw some light on the dead mans former
history.
Mrs. Berry, who works at the Sa-
vannah cotton mills, called to see If
the suicides body was that Of her
husband, who left here two years
ago with Contractor Lewman. and from
whom she has heard nothing in long time.
Mrs. Berry said the description published
in yesterdays MORNING NEWS fitted her
husband exactly and as they had a mutual
-%~S@N FLOoO hbbAo - AAnt oLC AhVh6AS AcA
husband might have returned here unknown
to her and that the letters signed
81" found In Berry's pocket
other circumstance which made Mrs. Berry
think the suicide was her missing husband
was that he left her with two children.
Coroner Dixon decided to let Mrs. Berry
view the body, and at the first glance upon
the bloody face in the pine coffin she de-
clared it was her husband, but the coroner
told her she should be very careful and as
sure herself such was the fact by every
possible Identification mark which she knew
her husband TO have
HARDLY THE SAME BERRY.
She then remembered that he had a
prominent scar on his right arm, but there
was none on the corpse. Mrs Berry went
away to further investigate the matter and
last night returned with her husbands
photograph and some of his letters to COM
pare with the writing of the dead mans last
note. The picture, however, showed Mrs.
Berry's husband to be a much heavier
man than the corpse, the
writing was not exactly similar and the
signatures we're different, Mrs. Berry's
husband beng named Frank" while the
corpse signed himself flames En- Mrs.
Berry though, is not exactly satisfied yet,
and said she would make further inquiries
and see Coroner Dixon again to-day. Her
husband came from Waresboro, near Way
cross.
A telephone message was sent to Coroner
Dixon by some lady who did not give her
name, requesting that the suicides body be
held until she could telegraph his family at
Troy Ala. Shortly 8fterward Chief OF
Police Green received telegram from Gus
sets. near Troy. asking for Berry's descrip-
ton. 1t was burned over to Coroner Dixon,
who telegraphe1 the description.
Last night another telegram was received
from William Berry OF Sparta, Ca, ask
ing for description of the dead man, and
was also sent.
From the number Of inquiries from differ
emit parts of the country it seems there Is
large number OF men named Berry missing
WAS HE A BIGAMIsrg
Another story has it that the dead man
answers the description of a James Berry
of Union Springs, Ala, who has been noted
as bigamist, with wives in every city he
visited. The origin of TIE story comes from
the fact that party calling himself James
Berry took board at well-known York
street boarding house early in the fall, and
soon began to pay his attentions to lady
in the house. He claimed to be wealthy
and gave references in several places
among them Union Springs.
The lady happened to know some people
there and a telegram of inquiry about
her suitor was sent. The re,
ply came back that he was
an all-rouud scoundrel and bigamst, with
at least five wives living. Berry was in the
hallway at the time his lady love was read
ing the telegram from Union Springs to one
of her friends He cleared out, aud was
never seen around the boarding house again.
When the boarders there read the account
of the suicide in yesterdays MORNING
News they made up their minds that Biga-
mist Berry and Suicide Berry we're one and
the same man, but this is only a surmise
not yet proved.
HE WAS ONCE WELL-TO-DO,
The most reliable news about the dead
man comes from Ticket Agent Brewer of
the Central railroad, who sold and for
warded the ticket which brought Berry
from Little Rock, Ark, to Savannah. One
day last summer, J. w. Dunford, who is now
in the paint business In Atlanta, called at
the Centrars office and asked Agent Brewer
to sell him ticket to bring Berry to Savan-
nah. Mr.. Dunford told the ticket agent
that Berry and himself had been partners in
business in Texas and made consdera BILE
money. When they dissolved Berry had
about $1,000 and went to- Little Rock,
Ark, with his wife and two children. He
met with reverses there, Mrs. Berry died
and he lost everything he had. Berry then
wrote to Mr.. Dunford asking that he send
him ticket to bring him TO Savannah in
order that he might start life over again
In purchasing the ticket Mr.. Dunford ex-
pressed high regard for Berry, saying that
he was to him like brother and he would
do everything he could to help him along.
When berry reached Savannah
his old friend started him up in the paint
business, and put him in pretty good shape
but drink, which was probably the cause OF
all the troubles of the unfortunate man in
Arkansas, got the best Of him here.
DRINK DRAGGED HIM IN THE GUTTER.
He drifted from bad to worse, with no
other object In view but securing drink
until be had pawned all his belongings and
spent his last cent to satisfy his craving for
liquor, when probably he made up his
mind, in t1t Of remorse, to put an end to
his miserable existence. The pistc. vSs....aa
which he shot himself he stole from the room
OF friend across from StepheDson's house.
he HAD $500 IN SIGHT. o.,
Berry would have had plenty of money
soon If he had had the grit TO fight the bat
tie of life little longer. He was still a
partner with MIR. Dunford in the patent for
the compound paints he was selling, and a
short time ago disposed of his share TO a
party for the states of Georgia, South Caro-
lima and Florida for 81 500, and took notes
in payment. The party failed to honor the
notes aud Berry entered suit to recover the
amount through G. b. Whatley, ESQ.,. and
Al.