The morning call., 1893-04-24
EMBEZZLER ROYCE.
His Mysterious Wound
Was SeIf-InfIicted.
SUICIDE BEFORE DISGRACE.
The Veterans Home Loses an Enor-
nous Sum by Accepting Treas
urer Without Bonds.

Colonel C. E. K. Royce IS still lying dan
Cerously i'll at his home on Pacific avenue,
Tie result of an attempt to commit suicide.
The case has excited the greatest interest
during the past week Various and many
have been tie theories advanced in explana-
ton Of what looked to be an unfathomable
mystery, and il is curious to note that of
all explanations offered not one single ons
lay in the way Of an attempt at suicide.
vet such las it TUNED out to ba-the
desperate act Of a man afraid to face the
shame and disgrace Of being branded as an
embezzer of funds.
One week last Friday Colonel Royce, who
IS a well-known attorney and politician of
this city. was found lying in a room of the
Burlington Hotel, on Market street, les
pcraiely wounded. One wound he had and
only one, but that was Of so severe nature
as 10 cause partial paralysis The wound
was in the top OF the head and had injured
the brain severely.
The Chinese servant of the hotel, when
he found Colonel Royce in his deplorable
condition, uudressed him and put him to
bed An that the wounded man could say
was, Call me- the clerk of the house; [
must have doctor" BY some means or
other the summons was not answered until
nearly three hours afterward, when Bur
Gett, The clerk, hurried to the room, only to
Iud Royce lying helpless. psralyzed in the
lower limbs ana bleeding from the wound
10 his head.
But the sufferer was not yet unconscious.
and, indeed, had strength enough left TO
instruct Burkeit TO send for his family
physician. DR.. Thayer OF 25l4 Washington
street. Dr. Thayer accordingly was sum
moued, and after examining his patient he
ordered him to be taken away in an ambu-
lance to his home. Since his arrival there
the wounded man has been lying in a criti-
cal condition, At enc time it was feared
that his brain would give way, but his
marvellous constitution has stood the strain
aud ne IS now past the crisis and fairly on
Tie road TO recovery, should no relapse take
place.
The wounded man conferred with no one
and seemed disposed t. say very little. The
puZing question then arose, how did
Colonel Royce come by his injuries? Ii
was understood that he had dispatched q
messenger somewhere shortly after taking
possession Of the rooms he had hired.
Accordingly, every effort was made to trace
that messenger, tie majority of interested
persons believing thar in that message
lay the secret OF the mystery. But that
messenger was never found, and it is now
doubted that one was sent.
The very room itself showed no traces of
any struggle having taken place therein.
Some beer bottles were found. showing that
Royce mad slaked his thirst during his Oecu-
patton Of the apartments, but everything
was neat and orderly in the room.
Besides. nothing was known of Colonel
RuYce's habits to show that any unusual
scene might have taken place. a quiet,
temperate, thoroughly domestcated man.
Royce was looked upon as model of all
that was good and true by his friends, who
were legion, So it was Thought that some
Infamous advantage had been taken Of him,
and all his friends were anxious for the
time when lis faculties should be restored
TO him, q fail EXPLANATION follow and the
eyil-duer or evil-dOers be brought to justice.
And after all this the wletched story
CONES uut. Royce was treasurer of the
Veterans Home Association, and having
made away with some $4,000 of the asSucI-
atoms funds saw no other way out of his
trouble than TO put an end 10 his life.
He must have lost heart at last, for lie only
succeeded in wuundlng himself, with the
result that lie was and Is within an ace of
becoming insane.
DR.. Thayer was in his confidence through
out. The doctor spoke quite freely of the
matter yes ,erday. He said: ION receiving
Tie summons to attend my poor friend
whose family physician. by the way, | have
been for years. found him in most de-
pioTable condition. His brain was seri-
nusy affected, he was in great danger OF
becoming insane, and l saw 1t was & case Of
life and death. l therefore deemed it hest
10 extract all the Information from him that
j DOSSlllf Eoulus anu III ntINUAS. us lDtllLEu
uterances Royce told me his miserable
story. l kept ii TO myself, though l knew
We'll that 1t must shortly be made public,
and l Rave allowed no one TO see him. HIS
own family were forbidden to see him until
Yesterday, and besides them l have only
permitted one man TO speak TO him, who
was specially sent by the Veterans ONE
Association to ask one question, namely, as
TO what had become of the money, and
whether Or not any of it could be traced.
Tin IA Inn faitbfully ri Oh ..r1tr ~
orders in this respect.
with regard TO mis- wound. I tell you
Candilly that | saw at once how that had
been Inflicted. There was only the one
wound, on the top of his head, but 1t was so
serious as TO severely inlure his brain.
VIII not tell you how he inflicted that wound
on himself; II Will come out by and by. He
IS still in great danger, but mean to pull
him through"
But il is presumed that the Veterans
Home Association had by this time becoma
fearful Of Royce's DEATH and had OF neces-
sity deemed it eXpedient TO call a meeting to
examine his accounts.
Accordingly on Friday evening last an ex-
ecUtiye meeting II the association was held
IN the Flood building and the books sub
mtted to an expert. The result showed
that where credit balance in the bank of
some SD 600 should show on the books only
$500 actually lay to the credit of the asso-
citation.
This enormous deficit was, of course. in
applicable, and the directors had no aIterna-
tive but TO formally dismiss Colonel Royce
and appoint a new treasurer. Captain j.
{. CurrieT, United States pension agent,
was appointed to the office.
At another executive meeting held on
Saturday evening the shortage was again
made known and the directors decided to
proceed to the home al Yountville on the
following day and there deliberate on their
future plans.
Accordingly yesterday morning the direc-
tors proceeded TO YOuntyille and held a
meeting. II was of a purely formal char
aCtcr. Major George II. Dimpfel, the newly
appointed cOmmandant OF the home, vice
Captain E. K. Merriman removed, was for
maly Installed In Office Major Dimpfel is
well known on the Pacific Coast, and al
though not having previously held similar
position was recommended as one thor
oughy fl and competent to hold his inpOr
Iant Office
The directors. however,, are now deter
mined 20 run no more risks. The newly
appointed treasurer was ordered TO give
bonds in the sum of $4,000, the medical
director, DR.. Z. J. Aiken. was put under
$1,000 bonds, and Secretary a. l.. Rockwell
was told to find surety to the extent of $1,000.
II was made a regular inspection day.
Inc new buildings, including laundry and
hathhOuse, were Inspected, and IL was de-
cided to build dormitories over the new
PREMISES. The men were all ranged in line,
ther quarters inspected and everything
found 10 be, as Colonel Rockwell puts il,
IN remarkably good order" That done
the directors expressed themselves satisfied
ana took the next train back to the CITY.
But the subject of the Royce disaster was
never brought up. Nothing mas yet been
decided and II is supposed that no decisive
3clon VIII be taken until the result Of
Royce Injuries is made known.
AT COLONEL Royce's house strict watch
IS Kept and no one is allowed inside the
doors The eldest son of the family is on
guard and he carries out the doctors orders
win strict impartiality
10 CALL representative, who was mad
young Royce said:
we can tell you nothing. You know
now as much as we do. 1 have strict orders
10 ADMIT no one, and you are the first re-
pul'eI VINO mas gained admission 10 the
house. No one has seen INV father ana ali
reported interviews are false. NY father is
slLIL I'm nrnat dannar md ., d - =. 70