Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-02
STILL ANOTHER SUICIDE.
Maj. Frank Bell Blew HIS Brains Out
Yesterday.

Lying on q couch in his room, with q
bullet hole in his head and a large Dull
dog revolver in his hand, was found the
dead body of Mai. Frank Bell yesterday
afternoon. He was the fourth man within
a weeks time to end his life with a revolt
yer. Mai. Bell was fifty-six years old, and
had been In the service of the pension Of
fee for more than twenty years. Portville.
N. T., was his former home. For ten years
he lived at 1102 Park place northeast His
wife left here several weeks ago and went
to Seattle, Wash. for her health. one Of her
sons residing there.
Maj Bell had been sent as a pension ex-
aminer to Mexican county, Pa, and later
he was sent to Florida When he returned
from the latter place two years ago, he
went to live at the house of Mr.. Byrnes.
corner Of 9Th and @ streets northwest, only
q few minutes walk from his cffice There
Maj. Bell had served in the war and lost q
foot but an artificial one served the pur-
poses of the lost one so well that many Of
his intimate friends knew nothing OF his
MANNED condition.
Recently the pension examiner has shown
signs OF a disturbed condition of his mind
and seemed to imagine that the police were
prosecuting him and were going to arrest
him. He had been sick for years, suffering
from stomach trouble and dyspepsia, and
during fits Of dependency he had said he
felt like ending his life. On one occasion
he took his pistol from his room and gave
u away. because he feared he would End
his life during one of his Respondent spells
Friday night he drove about the city In a
cab and called at the houses of a number of
his friends. At the house of Detective
carter he seemed considerably agitated.
He showed signs of excitement to a degree
that made 1t apparent that there was some
thing the matter
Saturday the major packed his trunk, pre-
paratory 10 going home on a visit for a
few weeks. Yesterday morning at the
breakfast table he seemed as cheerful as
ever and suicide was not even suspected BY
tnose OF his friends who saw him.
Found Dead.
About 80 o'clock Mr. and Mrs. Byrnes
heard a noise upstairs, but did not recog-
nize the sound as the report Of a pistol. Mr..
Byrnes started upstairs to ascertain the
trouble. but before going far the door bell
rang and he went to the door. There he
met Mr.. A. L. Root, an intimate friend of
Maj. Bells from New York, and he was told
by the boarding house keeper to go I'D to
the room of his friend
Mr.. Root opened the door and rema rked
it took him only an instant to ascertain the
SAD condition OF affairs. There was smoke
from the pistol still in the room Mai. Bell
was dead.
Lae oeao man nao contemplated his rash
act Tor some time before the shooting, for
ne wrote letters to members Of his family
and also one to Mr.. Byrnes. In the letter
10 the latter he expressed a desire to have
his body sent to Portville and inferred in
the family cemetery. He also mentioned
mis- scare about being arrested for some
crime, which was undoubtedly the result of
an unbalanced mind.
Undertaken Speare took charge of the
body, and will send 1t to Portviile. as re-
Quested In the letter Of the deceased.
The death of Maj. Bell proved a serious
shock to his many friends here. He was a
generous man, and was never known to re-
fuse a person asking for assistance
AS a member Of Mansonic lodges and Kit
Carson Post G. A. R., he made many
friends. He was an astronomer and noef
and he was often selected to address his G.
A. r. Post and Masonic bodies.
Coroner Woodward viewed the body. and
deemed an inquest unnecessary.