The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-09
GEO. 4. NEEARS SUICIDES.
An Awful Tragedy Which
Shocked the Entire Community.
CAUSE FOR THE RASH ACT.
Ill Health and Worry Over Business
Complications.
The Deceased Was Unable to Meet Press
ing Obligations and While Temporarily
Insane, Sends Bullet Through His
Brain-The Inquest and Funeral.


Another life gone out like snuffed
candle, and only the smile of Atropos left,
as she calmly mends the broken threads
between ephemeral life and the eternity
Of death.
In all the long list of suicides which
have lett in their train broken hearts aud
tear diDamed eyes, in this city, there has
never occurred more pitiable case than
that of yesterday morning. That any
man should suicide seems passing strange,
but that George A. Meears should
have severed the silken cord of his own
existence is ipeomprehensible to those
who knew him, for he had happy home,
loving wife and family, and was re-
spected of all men. And so, when the
rumor spread through the city yesterday
that Mr.. Meears had taken his
own life, the community was in
expressibly shocked, for it seemed
impossible to believe that he, who
was the embodiment OF health and
vigor, whose energy never tagged, whose
spirit was never daunted ana whose ever
hopeful eyes always saw light ahead,
SHOULD have been thus overwhelmed.
THE CAUSE.
The reason for the rash act can be easily
told-fnancial trouble. Mr.. Meears came
here from Birmingham, England. with
his parents, when boy, and for many
years had been engaged in mining and
real estate specuiations.
A short time ago he was accounted
wealthy, but lately, owing to the general
depression, his affairs became very much
involved, and he was unable to make a
turn Keen-slghted and level-headed in
businss way, he easily discerned from
the trend of affairs that financial ruin Was
close upon him. Obligations fell due and
he was unable to meet them and he was
driven TO the wall. He knew that legal
proceedings were to be instituted against
him, and the situation he was called
upon to face caused him to lose heart and
hope. In addition to all this load, his
usually robust health failed him and
worry brought on insomnia.
THE LAST NIGHT.
On Friday night Mr.. Meears went to
bed as usual, but was feyerish and restless,
arising two or three times during the night
to get drink Of water. Between 4 and
3 o'clock yesterday morning, he again
careful to not aggregate the severe cold
from which he was suffering. He re-
| piled that he would and went down stairs.
No one, of course, knows exactly what he
did on the lower floor. No evidence tends
to prove that the suicide was one of long
generalization. On the entrance floor
was a room where he kept variety Of
rifles, reyolvers and ammunition 1t is
supposed he took from this room,
after he came down stairs, a
As Colts revolver, which he
loaded with two explosive and four centre
| fire cartridges, also putting two explosive
cartridges in his trousers pocket. He
then LETT the house and went to the barn
at the rear of the lot. The building is a
one-story frame, divided into three COM
partments, one being used as a stall for
the horse. the middle one as a receptacle
for baled hay and the other by the buggy.
Seating himself upon bale of hay, he
made deliberate preparations for self de-
struction.
In the meantime, Mrs. Meears in the
house with the children, wondered at the
long absence of her husband and started
out to see what had become of
belt OF cartridges in the cradle
alarmed her, and she rushed out in
the gray dawn toward the stable. Only
a few feet had been covered when she
heard the
REPORT OF A REVOLVER.
For an instant only she halted, and
then summoning all her courage, started
on run for the barn. What her feel
ings were when she opened the door and
looked inside may perhaps be imagined.
Seated upon bale of hay, clad only in a
dressing gown, night robe and slippers,
leaning slightly towards the partition,
was the Quiyering body OF her husband
with the top of his head blown complete
~ off. He had evidently placed the re-
volver between his eyes and fired the ex-
plosive bullet into his BRAIN
OF course the man was already dead.
and the sight presented was an awful
one. The poor wife
GAVE A SCREAM
and then returned to the house. The
magnitude of the affection which had
befallen her could not be grasped by her
but relatives and friends were soon at her
side, anxious to do any kindly Office.
Meantime Chief Paul, whose residence
is in the same block, arrived and he was
followed few minutes later by Coroner
Taylor. After hasty examination, the
body was removed to Joseph w. Taylor S
undertaking establishment, where an in
quest will be held tomorrow at 10 O. clock.
a resident of Salt Lake for many years.
He was AZ years of age and leaves a wife
and four children, the eldest being %
years old and the youngest years.
Three of the children are girls.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Mr.. Meears came to Utah when
a boy and formerly lived al
Willard City with his parents, both OF
whom are dead. While at Willard, the
deceased acted as a telegraph operator for
the Deseret Telegraph company
but afterwards branchec out fol
himself, and was for some years en-
gagged in the mercantile business
in Salt Lake. Afterwards he
opened real estate Office and did an ex-
tensive business, but of late had confined
his operations almost exclusively Il
mining. He was interested in a number
of companies, aud was an officer in many
of them, his associates valuing his advice
on business matters very highly. Mrs
Meears, whose maiden name was Mis-
Gordon, is native of Utah, and host o
friends will sympathize with her in he
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