The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-29
THE NEWS OF ALASKA.
Suicide Of Mcfarland, Mission
airy to the Hoonaha
MADE CRAZY ~ clAiM-JuMpERs
strssgisl Himself With . strsp-Ths
Steamer Lseyss Marrow Escape
Arrival ~ the Utopia

News Of the suicide Of Rev. J.. W. Nc
fariand Ut juneau. Alaska. on December
vAa brought down on the City Of To-
peka Mr.. Mcfarland has been Q mis-
sionAry in Alaska for the past fifteen
years and bad charge Of tho Hoonah In
dian mission. He strangled himself with
strap taken from his saschel, forming q
moose through the buckle ana fastening
the other end to the bedstead. The de-
tails Of the affair srs given by the Alaska
Nesss. Is foiIous:
HE arrived from Hoonah on the
steamer seaoiin last Thursday and put up
81 the Occidental. After attending q meet
Ing OF the Teachers Association, held FRI
day evening, he sought his room at ii D.
m. As he assembled the stairs he addressed
John Olds. saving that he had spent .
very pleasant evening 1t the teachers
meeting. According TO Mr.. Odds he
seemed s cheerful and gave no out
sion OF spirits. That was the last seen
OF John w. Mcfarland alive. At noon Mrs
heine. who does the domestic work, tried
20 enter the room TO make up the bed and
set the room TO rights. She found tas
door locked and the key sticking in the
lock. Mr.. 0lds' attention vas called TO
the non-appearance Of the roomsr. Upon
not eaten breakfast nor dinner. Mr..
Olds 81 I'D p. m. climbed up on .
chair and looked through the transom.
The sight that met his gaze curdied The
blood in his veins. Calling in Peter
Hahn. the latter was helped through the
transorn into the room. Peter turned
the key and opened the door, There was
the body. OF the missionary, resting on the
knees, his hands folded on his breast,
while the strap, tightly bound around the
neck. held the body in an upright position.
He was fronting the window, the chin
resting against the headboard. The
satchei strap. from the point where IL was
fastened over the top OF the headboard to
the neck, Was about three feet long. The
deceased could have easily Strengthened
up on his knees and relieved the straps
pressure.
"Hls mode of death was one of the most
painful that could have been selected and
goes to show that his determination TO
strangle himself was almost inhuman. His
snfferings must have been terrible. He had
disrobed and put on his night shirt His
candle upon the bureau. He had gotten
into bed, had wouHd his watch and placed
IL under his pillow. In the night his mind
evidently became unsettled, and in his
desperation OF momentary insanity he
took the only means within his reach TO
end bis existence. He had no weapon Of
any description. not even pocket knife.
Mr. Odds immediately summoned Deputy
Marshal Endeiman, who in turn took
charge Of the remains. and. cutting the
strap, placed the body on the bed. Com
missioner Hoyt Vas notified, and a. coro-
ner he impaneled Jury to investigate tho
circumstances Of the death. DR.. ]. X.
fed that the deceased came to his death
by strangulation and had been dead some
Eve or six hours. The jury rendered q
verdict of suicide.
REV. 8. II. Willard was placed In charge
of the deceased mans effects by Commits
sioner Hoyt. They consisted Of yaiise
full OF clothes and toilet articles, 800
check from the Home Mission, 81 IS in
cash, pair OF gum boots, oilskin coat and
b and the suit he wore. The day before
he wrote in Attorney J. q. Heid's oifice
two letters. one TO O. ID. Eaton, secretary
OF the Home Board of Missions, at New
York city, and the other to his brother at
Summer. Wash. In the former he mar
rated his experience with two men who had
squatted on the mission grant, with whom
he had had some trouble. This trouble,
no doubt, unsettled his mind. He came
TO Juneau to consult J. q. Held about
the difficulty. Attorney Held on Friday
talked with hlm for some time aad assured
him that there was no show for the men
TO acquire any title 10 the land ana not to
give himself any worry about il. Rev.
Mcfarland seemed 10 be unable to tx his
mind on the subject and continually asked
the same questions over aud over again.
Attorney Held noticed this peculiarly at
the time. and saw that il was useless to try
to MAKE him understand that these men
could not jump land granted for mis-
sionary purposes. The deceased was born
in Pennsylvania and vas about IS years old.
REV. J. w. Mcfarland has been mission
airy in Alaska for fifteen years, and was
stationed 81 Wrsngsl tor eight years before
gong to Hoonah. On Sunday afternoon
the funeral took place from the mission
church, Rev. Willard officiating. He
leaves Q wife aud one child An infant
son died about a year ago. A brother lives
IN Washington. Several years ago his
mind became unsettled and his friends
thought of sending him TO an asylum, but
he got over IL and returned TO his duties.
The steamer Seaolin has departed for Hoo
n