The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-14

Special Dispatch TO the Daily Eagle.
kINGFIsHER, .. T., Aux. 13.-J. y. Bea-
com, president of the Farmers and Mer-
chants bank Of WatOnga, committed sui
eide by shooting himself through the head,
Saturd ~ night. Mr. Beacon boarded at
Ward Piper's farm residence aijoinins
Watonga. After supper be took Piper 5
revolver and did some pistol practice, re-
III rking that he wa not the marksman he
use to be in his younger days. When near
town. he excused himself, saying he had
forgotten something in the house.
After returning few steps he placed
he revo yer to his temple and fired. fall
ing dead Instantly. Tue coroner OF Blaine
county was summoned aud "a messenger
was DISPATCHED To this city for j. {. Post
aud Undertaken Solomon. They repaired
to WaIouga at once returning today. line
body was embalmed, placed In a m -talIc
ctsket and brought to this city. Tue fam
lily at Smith Center Kansas. were tele-
graphed the sad news. and reply was re-
celveI IL have the remains shipped there
aud they were shipped tonight. Deceased
was 80 years of age.
He leaves wife and two daughters at
his home in Smith Center, Kan, aud a
son, Charles w. Beacon, until recently
court stenographer for Judge Burford,
now of Ell R-uo.
Mr.. Beacon was one of the prominent
men OF northwestern Kansas, having
served two terms as treasurer OF Smith
county, and for several years as post
master at Smith Center, from which posi-
ton he was but recently relieved
IN June of the present year, Young
Beacon, who had gained some noe AS a
speculaUor in OklahOm scrip. organized
the Farmers & Merchants bauk at Wa
tonga, with himself as cashier, his father
as president, and County Treasurer G. &
Shaw of Blaine county vice president.
II soon developed that the younger Bea-
com had not been discreet in his scrip and
other financial transactions; as conse-
quence the bank became troublesome al
most from the start. Saturday The father
aud son had hot words and the la ter re-
signed as caShe r, aud in company with a
young man named Hnff, started ostensI-
bly, for Arapahoe, Il county. When ten
miles ont he sent mes -enger back with a
note TO his father requesting that the COM
mercial standing OF the bank be not sent
out till his return Sunday. Before the
message reached Watonga, however, the
fatal bullet b al done its work. 4 mesSen-
ger was dispatched for Arapahoe.
Young Beacon returned at once. A let
ter, partially written, was left by de-
ceased. IL WAS OF a business nature. and
no word or sign was left a. to the cause of
his rash act Those familiar with affairs,
however, feel sure it was brooding over
financial troubles until life became a
burden.
At this writing the safe has not been
opened, but the presu mption is there will
be found little or 10 available assets,
while the liabilities will reach perhaps
So. 100.
The treasurer of Blaine county will
probably be tue heaviest looser, from s, 900
10 $4,000. II seems that he sold the fund
lug bonds OF the county TO the bank and 1t
is claimed that they have been disposed of,
but the treasurer did not collect the
amount. The treasurer of q county Is
said to have some $500 deposited. \
large number of protested checks ami
drafts are in the banks of this city, but it
is claimed none of them viii lose anything.