The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-05
DEAD IN HIS LAW OFFICE,
Walter 4. RhGtt Of Atlanta Fires a
Bullet Into His Brain.

NAANNA AAf AAAANNN
Bullet Into His Brain.
he Was About 20 be Disbarred for
DIisappropriating Money BE Had
Collected for a Chent-Death Pre-
ferred to the Disgrace His Wife
Given Unpleasant Notoriety in the
Harry Hill Case-She is En- Route
From New York Home.
Atlanta Ga. oct. walter II Rhett.
one Of the best known young attorneys
in the city was found dead in his office,
at3.< Whitehall street this morning.
Mr. Rhott was last seen alive Monday
afternoon. he is supposed % have killed
himself some time Monday night. Doc
tors who examined the corpse were of the
opinion that life must have been extinct
81 least twenty-four hours.
A pistol with one chamber empty was
found lying beside the body i'll the middle
Of the floor, where it had fallen from the
Hfeless hand.
Every circumstance points 70 suicide,
and a verdict to that effect was promptly
found by the coroner's jury
A profound sensation has been pro
duced by the tragedy. Mr.. Rhett was
universally popular in society, Of which
he has been leader, and in business and
professional circles he was equally
esteemed.
So far nothing has been found among
the dead mans effects to show why he
killed himself, but his friends think
financial troubles unnerved him. He has
been out Of funds for some time, though
his career at the bar had been fairly pros
porous up 10 five or six months ago.
THE REAL CAUSE FOR THE ACT.
The immediate pressure was fear Of
public disgrace. Some time ago Rhett
collected 500 for a client and used il for
himself In Order TO save him from eX-
pulsiOn from the bar friends made up the
amount and settled the case. Previously,
however, he had devoted 500 which he
had collected for client TO his personal
use, and application for a rule against
him was made 10 the court. Rhett made
no effort 10 get the money to settle this
claim. but at his request the hearing Of
the application for the rule, which was
10 have come before the court last Satur
day a week, was postponed. Last
Saturday it was again, postponed
until to-day at 10 O'Clock The
attorneys on the other side refused to let
the matter go over any further, and
Rhett saw disgrace staring him in the
face. He sent a note to attorney Frank
a. Arnold who represented him, asking
him 10 gain another pOstpOnement and
saying he was going out Of town for sew
eral days. Instead Of leaving the city he
went to his Office and, making a pallet
in the middle Of the floor, lay down upon
it and put d bullet through his head A
policeman heard a shot in that neigh Dor
hood about 10 o'clock last night and it is
thought that it was the explosion
Of Rhett's pistol, though it is not quite
certain that he did not kin himself Mon
day night, as he had not been seen any
where since Monday afternoon.
his WIPE A SOCIETY BELLE.
Rhett ana his wife, who, as Miss Annie
Reed, was great belle in Peachtree
street society circles, have been living at
the home Of Mrs Rhett's step-father,
John T. Jones, for the past year. Some
time ago Mrs. Rhett went 10 New York
for medical treatment, and is now on her
way home. To-day, when her hus stands
tragic death was discovered, she was out
on the ocean, coming from New York
by steamer TO Charleston, and could not be
reached by wire TO be notified of the
tragedy. The discovery of the suicide
was made by Mr.. Jones, the step-father.
He went out in search Of MIR. Rhett, who
had not been home since Monday morn
ing. At the lawyers office he found the
doors all locked, but through transom
saw the young mans lifeless body
stretched out in the middle of the floor.
He thought he might be asleep at first
and did not give an alarm, or force the
door, until he had gone to the court house,
several blocks distant, and asked friends
OF the young man to accompany him and
make an investigation.
THE HARRY HILL INCIDENT
There have been reports of trouble be-
tween Rhett and his wife but Mr.. Jones
testified before the coroner that they were
on the happiest terms. Sometime ago the
Chattanooga News published a sensational
story rejecting upon Mrs Rhett 1t was as
serted that she was badly mixed up in the
Harry Hill Mrs. Porter affair. This
weighed heavily upon young Rhett who
was a man of the highest sense
OF honor, and he began cor
respondence with j. b. Pound,
manager of the Chattanooga News, de-
handing an explanation. MIR. Pounds
and with friend Mr.. Rhett
went to Chattanooga to obtain
satisfaction, on the field of honor if neces-
sary. Mr.. Pound then came to time
and Mr.. Rhett and his friend came home
apparently satisfied. Since the occur.
renee, howeve-, the young lawyer has
been visibly much worried. He seemed
to have lost his ambition and avoided his
old friends as if his mind was under
cloud. He began drinking quite heavily
and gave up his clubs and social duties.
He felt disgraced al the reports concern
ing his wife, though they were not be-
ieved here
Mr.. Rhett came to Atlanta from
Charleston, s. c. He was son of Col.
Robert Barnwell RhetU, a distinguished
journalist and statesman of the Palmetto
state. He graduated with honors from
Harvard and was regarded as an excep-
tionally brilliant young man.