Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-27

1 Evans himself ever demanded such settlement.
| IL Is known. however. that Mr.. Evans made q
demand on Mr.. Potter for his half Of the deficit
In the joint account. and tina: the obligation
| was repudiated- IL is easy to believe this, for
Mr.. Potter still says despite the subsequent
| settlement. that Mr.. Evans claim had no legal
standing. Further than this, Mr.. Potter in his
| turn made imperative demand on Mr.. Evans
| for the s641 ,326. 50 which Evans 4 Co. owed the
| Maverick Bank
Cut to the quick. both by Mr. Potter's re-
| pudiation of the joint account and his demand
for the debt due the bank. Mr.. Evans returned
TO his Office. He rallied his strength for final
effort. He used to operate in the Boston stock
exchange during the morning, take the early
| afternoon train for New York and spend the
evening with his New York representa- and
at midnight would take a sleeper back to Bos-
ton to begin another days speculation.
1t was the pace that kills" and In October,
1891. Mr.. Evans was forced to leave the whirl
and retire to the old Evans farm among the
New Hampshire hills. Even when there he
/ would spend q larger part of each day in the
little village Of Suncook, N. H., sending and
receiving kilograms
His brother, wilmot r Evans. president of
the Winthrop National Bank of Boston, took
hold Of the affairs of Evans 4 Co. with a vigor-
{ Gus hand By his sbrewd management Mr..
J Potter was forced to recognize his liability on
| the joint account. and the settlement indicated
above was arranged on the afternoon of October
| Is. 1891.
That day had been an unusually anxious one
| for the young broker in New Hampshire. who
was forced. like the wounded 1vanho OF in the
! tower, to see the battle which meant so much to
him fought out by the hands of others. About
8 O'Clock that evening a messenger arrived
I from Suncook with a telegram. 1t was from
/ Wilmot Evans and read: 1--WE have fixed every
! thing al right" referring. of course to the
| settlement Mr.. Evans seemed to have under
stood the message. for he retired soon after and
secured the best nights rest he had enjoyed for
| weeks.
The next morning Mr.. Evans rose at $50
\ O'Clock and prepared to take the o'clock train
at SurcooS for Boston. He engaged a neigh
/ Dor to come at 6:l5 o'clock to take himself and
/ wife to the depot. After breakfast he went out
/ In the road to look for the wagon. As he was
walking up and down in front of the house Mrs
/ Evans looked out the window and said: ''See
/ how nervous Irving isl suppose he is afraid
Brad won't get him to the train on time"
| How little those who know us best know OF
| us, At that very moment Irving Evans was
revolving in his mind the awful question
| whether he should return to Boston. the scene
I of his activities, triumphs, contests and re-
| verses seek surcease from the care and pitt
/ less pressure of modern business life in the
sleep that knows no waking. He looked out on
| the calm autumn landscape. the scenes where
! the happiest days Of his childhood were SPENT
and compared that tranquil picture with the
rush and clsmor OF the stock market. Did he
/ in the clearer light of morning. question the
| correctness OF his brothers view of the situa-
| tion? Did he doubt the terms of the settle
I ment? Did he, with his intimate knowledge of
| the financial condition of Mr.. Potter and the
Maverick Bank, realize that neither of them at
that juneture could with safety sacrifice the
| $500. 0O0 which the settlement demanded? He
may have foreseen the disasters which threat
ened all parties concerned and have resolved
upon suicide in the hope Of averting some Of
them, though, in fact, the deed precipitated
them all
EVANS SUICIDE.
The resolve once made, he proceeded to
execute it with the GOODNESS and determination
| that had won for him in the crowded exchanges
of Boston and New York the soubriquet Of
Merry" Evans. He passed through the or
chard at the west of the house. and advancing
two or three rods into an open lot fired the
fatal bullet. The driver of the carriage be was
expecting passed in the road in time to hear the
shots and smell the powder but not to see the
suicide
The shot was fred at $50 o'clock The car
rage came fifteen minutes late. II the driver
had been on time ne would have found Mr.. and
Mrs. Evans ~ the breakfast table. MIR. Evans
would have had no opportunity to change his
purpose and the tragedy might have been
averted. IL it is true that the hardness of
Allentown boy is really responsible for Irving
Evans suicide and the ruin that has followed
-. ~, IAN ID Nm NJ ie"s' hA'e aho'he'
SDn,eht toi PuIio
,.- 'Ne e~ 80 poeH. we,o iouio nNe
et 1880 ;, noie VI mem VI curren' ca'e anu none
lang uI'ectt 20 'ne supJect OF suicide;
"oio eueu Ie''ere as man VINO peneVeu
us ea'7 gu ea''E was SURF ,uisnt na'e "ri'teh,
ho'nihs Hnrs. one was addressed 70 MS WE,
IN 70 ms proineI, one 10 MS partner, announcer
10 10 .oL Aioert !; rope ana tne last 70 Asa r.
Potter. In his letter to Col. Pope. which WAS
dased two months before, he said he feared he
closed with the words "Don't he hard on A.. ;,
Great as was the sensation created in Boston
by the news OF Irving Evans suicide the sever
est blow was felt In the counting rooms OF the
Maverick Bank. President Potter, whose nerve
never wavered during the run on his bank and
throughout the legal complications that fol-
lowed, was unequal to the hrst shock OF the
news He sank into chair in his Office almost
In a state Of collapse. The messenger Won
dered at his emotion, but explained 1t as due to
MS fondness Tor his friend At the funeral Of
Mr.. Evans on Commonwealth avenue a magnif
cent cross from Mr.. Potter stood at the head OF
the easxet, but people regarded II as significant
that he was omitted from the list OF pail
bearers
If Mr. Potter had any expectation that the
settlement which he bad agreed to make before
lring Evans died would not be insisted upon
after his death he reckoued without his host.
, Whatever was in the letter which the broker
wrote To his brother, there is no doubt that
Nilmot X Evans held Mr.. Potter morally re-
sponsible for Irving Evans suicide. 1t would