St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-27
The Midnight Hour Chosen
to Execute the Fearful
Determination.
A Letter Left to Explain the
Motive for Destroying
Himself.
Domestic Differences of Long
Standing Had Driven
Him Insane.
Glimpses at Facts Of Recent
0ccurrence--A Razor in
His Boot.

A loud pistol shot at 80 last night,
fallen body, a few convulsive twitches
and Reuel r. Williams laid In the en-
brace of death.
Mr.. Williams was well-known liv-
eryman of Rice street. He had oper-
ateu the livery barn at 4SS and 400 Seiby
avenue with about twenty-five horses
until year ago. and has since had
number of horses at 456 Rice street.
He shot himself In front of 459 Rice
street, the second door above Aurora
avenue.
No motive was needed to explain the
deed further than that which examIna-
tion of his pockets by DR.. Wheaton. the
deputy coroner, showed. He found
this paper-unaddressed
Accuse no man under any circumstances
of my being murdered.
If any one wishes the facts and the causes
that led up to this affair let them inquire Of
our old neighbors.
Am Tired of Life.
My friends tell me that they believe me off
my base AT times. admit there have been
only too many reasons for such 10 be the
case. Neighbors can give you these rea-
sons, If they will.
Jnne 20, 1898 X. r. WILLIAMS.
A little boy ran from the scene of the
shooting. gave the cue TO crowd of
men, who called DIR. Fitzsimmons, and
the boy disappeared.
Patrolman brennan hurried to the
scene and Or. Fitzsimmons reached
there within five minutes after the shot
was fired, but life was extinct.
The suicide had aimed the gun
carefully, for the right temple received
the bullet and CORY red stream that
saturated the hair and neck told the
immediate cause of the mans death.
He was about iifty-6ve years of age,
and had been separated from his wife
for some time past. He thought
ration. He has lived alone at the
corner of Rice street and University
avenue. He was temperate man, al
though not a .teetotaler," and there was
no sign of inebriation about the body.
lie was of fine physique, with high fore
head and full dark beard and mustache.
Few would think from the calm. pleas
ant appearance OF the face of the dead
that he had trouble to drive To self
destruction.
A Razor I'm His Boot.
Mr.. Williams had. however. evidently
been sinking money in his business. He
had no money In his pockets. but In q
large. long pocketbovk he had number
of $50 to 500 notes from various parties.
But, there was also found, in the leg Of
his boot. razor. 1t was the general
impression among the people of the
locality in which he lived that the man
had become demented.
Dr.Wheaton and the officers, together
with dozen or more citizens. had the
body conveyed into the store in front OF
which the shooting occurred. aud the
preliminary examination gave all the
evidence that the deadly shot was self
in tilcted.
Recent History Recalled.
Williams has been despohdent for
year or more. and has sometimes acted
as though his mind was almost gone.
He has been married four times. Last
fall he was arrested at the instance of
his wife on charge of sending
obscene letters through the mail to
her. He admitted sending the letter
at his examination before United States
Commissioner w. A. Spencer. The let-
tiers were written on fooscap with a
lead pencil, and were inelosed in large
eUY6lOptSs lucy WClC oO Uulhy LhdL ~
required IL cents 10 pay the post
age. The composition was exceed
ingly vulgar, made up of many obscene
epithets and vulgar doggerel common
to the most degraded of people. Ho
abused his wife in those letters and
compared her in an un favorable light
with his former wives. The letters
show thatthe man was not only illit-
crate. but that he had Wlthal a cunning
but morbid deprayity.
At the hearing before Commissioner
Spencer he was discharged, after an
earnest discussion the law by Judge
McCaffertv and Ii. w. Wack. Commis-
sioner Spencer in discharging him took
the view that the man meant 10 viola
ton of the law, as he.belieyed that he
had right to send anything OF that
nature to his wife.
The postoffice inspector who prose-
cuted the case and the relatives of his
wife were much put out at his discharge.
and afterwards went before the federal
grand Jury and had him Indicted. VIII
liams gave bail for his appear
ance to stand trial before the
federal court that meets today.
His wife lives in small town not far
from Minneapolis. The dead man has
been in good circumstances and still
has some property i'll this city, VIII ere
he has lived for number of years.