Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-27
Found in a Coal Bin With a Bullet
in His Heart.
INDICATIONS POINT TO SUICIDE
Bade Goodbye to His Daughter
and Grandchildren.
AN INQUEST THIS AFTERNOON

This morning when John Phipps. a man
James J. Campbell. Phipps and Campbell
the Long bridge. left the machine and
walked through the premises Of the Mere
dith Winship Company. at 1Ith and E
streets, he noticed q man In a sitting posi-
tfon In one Of the coal bins beneath the
elevated railroad track. He was not quite
certain whether the man was asleep or
dead. but he concluded that he was not
dead. At any rate. he did not go close to
the man, but went and told the watchman,
employed on one of the mud machines near
then went over to where the man was sit
ting, and Campbell remarked, Hes dead"
and at the same time he put his hand on
the forehead of the man. There was no
sign Of life about the body. and Mr.. Camp
Dell, STOPPING and taking look at him,
remarked: He's Sam Reed; 1 knew him in
Alexandria forty years ago"
Bullet Holes md Blood Stains.
Mr.. Campbell only has one eve. and he
failed to notice bullet in the mans left
temple and powder and blood stains on mis-
shirt just over his heart These were first
noticed by John Fitzgerald, the railroad
wafchman at the 14th street crossing.
Ihis all happened about 7:3O o'clock this
morning, and few minutes later Police
man Henry, with the fourth precinct patrol
wagon reached the scene. Then, too, a
large crowd Of curious persons soon
gathered In the yard. Policeman Henry
made an examination of the body He
FOUND one bullet Just beneath the skin over
lne rlght temple. This bullet had not done
any INJURY as 1t stopped between the scalp
and the skull. But the other bullet had
entered just below the left nipple and had
undoubtedly penetrated the heart and caused
instant death. The dead man had evidently
suffered for fa.s
not distorted. There was no sign of a blood
stain on the left temple SO that a passer
by might easily have imagined that the
man was asleep or intoxicated. The absence
Of a weapon VAS at first calculated to make
the case mysterious one and suggest a
possible murder. although this theory was
dispelled after a short investigation.
Relieved to he Suicide.
Although all the circumstances Indicate
suicide no one saw the fatal shot fired no
pistol has been found and 1t is not likely
that 1t ever will be- Still the mans con-
duct and statements make 1t more than
probable that he came to his death by
violence and that the weapon was held in
his own hand.
But where is the pistol?" was the ques-
ton asked.
The police answered the question. Right
near the spot where the dead body was
covered the ground, and the water Is only
about 100 feet away. But he could not have
thrown the pistol In the river. for between
him and the water were fences, and then
he could not have thrown the weapon that
far. The police and citizens made q thor
ough search Of the yard. looking in the
weeds and grass, as well as under the board
flooring where the body was found, but
there was no pistol.
The gate leading to this lot is always
of
the lower order on their way to jackson
City go through there for a short cut.
Some Of these men or boys, the police
think, saw the pistol either in the mans
hand or on the ground and walked away
with It, This theory was accepted as the
most plausible one both by the crowd col
lected there and by friends Of the deceased.
When this search had been made Police
man Henry left the yard with the body In
the patrol wagon. and went to the late
home of the deceased, 1226 b street south
west. and notified his wife and children.
Then he took the body away, and later 1t
was turned over to an undertaken and pre-
pared for burial before being taken home.
What is known Of the Dead Man.
Samuel Reed, the dead man, was seventy
years old. and until about seven years ago
he was one of Alexandrias most promi-
nent citizens. There he was a contractor
and the keeper Of a grocery store. as well
as being in the fish business. Like many
other Alexandrians, his family left the
ancient Virginia city and came here to live.
He had a large family and his sons are all
doing well. Two of them are in the Center
market
His sons have cared for him and given
him ell the necessaries of life, but still he
did not seem satisfied. He was too old to
work, and this preyed upon his mind to the
extent that his friends are now satisfied
that his mind became unbalanced.
The suicide was an intimate friend of
Mr.. Campbell. the watchman, and Mr..
Fitzgerald, the railroad gateman and many
hours had been spent with them. Only yes
tertay morning he was there for about two
hours, and when he left them he went to
his married daughters house.
He kissed his little grandchildren an af-
fectionate farewell, and when leaving he
turned to his daughter and said goodbye
in a tone indicating that ne meant it for
his last farewell.
His Last Goodbye.
Where are you going?" his daughter
asked. Tell me where you are going."
she added. "and I'll tell you goodbye"
I'm going away" he said, but just
where 1 don't know"
That was the last seen of him by any of
his family until his dead body was found
this morning.
The Last Seen of Him Alive.
Z was about 4 o CLOCK Wnen ReeQ was
on the wharf and about the yard yesterday
afternoon, and soon after he was missed.
Campbell heard two pistol shots in the yard.
But he paid no attention to them, for he
thought Reed or some other person was
probably practicing with a revolver. Be
sides this, there is always more or less
shootir on the flats, and the report of
weapon about there does not cause any
alarm. That was evidently about the time
the fatal shot was fired and the absence of
blood on the face was the only reason why
the act was not discovered before this
morning.
Seven years ago brother of the deceased
committed suicide in Alexandria by taking
laudanLm.
During the Pythian encampment, where
there were so many gay scenes about the
city, Mr.. Reed seemed in unusually good
spirits. but during the past few days he has
been Respondent, although 1t has been a
number of months since he mentioned sui
eide.
Arrangements for the funeral have not
yet been made, but the body will be taken
to Baltimore county, Md, for interment
Coroner Hammett viewed the body about
noon, and at 3 o'clock this afternoon at ].
William Lees undertaking establishment a
Ia Nu-oC Nuvor 1opv