The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-07

tionary engineer employed by the May
Shoe and Clothing company.
Punshion met Thomas soon after the
latter became a resident of Denver.
The May engineer was then runnin e
the boiler in the Windsor hotel, and
Thomas became his assistant, He had
been living on a, ranch run by his moth
er and step father in Nebra ska some
time before, but left them to become
night clerk of a hotel in Omaha.
In Omaha he got into some lover
trouble with the daughter of promi-
nent citizen, which caused him TO mi
CRATE rather hastily. According to
Punshon and others who knew him,
the ex-secretary of Millionaire Wander
bilt was an expert stenographer, a
skilled engineer and electrician, an ed
ucalted man and rather reticent about
his own affairs.
After leaving the Windsor hotel he
took charge of the electrical pl3n at
the Union Pacific shops, retaining the
position about seven months. On leav-
ing there he became engineer at the
Times office
1t is supposed that his ill-mated mar
rage to Miss Lowrey furnished him
with a motive for self-murder. He
made her acquaintance some months
ago in the restaurant run at 1909 Fiji
teenth street, by Alfred Fahnestock,
her stepfather She is a pretty girl,
we'll developed, womanly in manners
and looks. Neither she nor her blood
relatives care to talk much about the
way in which she was wooed by her
middle-aged admirer, but it is certain
that something more than pure love or
moral suasion Influenced him to lead
her to the figuratiye altar set up at 1928
Thirteenth street.
On the afternoon of October 10 Tho
mas told friend of his that he got in
to a "girl-scrape' and would have to
get married. About 10 o'clock that
night Justice Harper made the girl Of
IA and the man OF SO husband and wife.
There was no apparent honeymoon
season. Thomas took his child bride
to his room in the Sussex block, 1434
Larimer street, and there they lived to-
gether until Saturday evening, when
Thomas parted from her with prom
Use to return in a short while. She did
not see him again alive, and it is plain
that he left home with the intention Of
killing himself On the preceding
Wednesday he had resigned his posi-
tion, giving as a reason for it a claim
that he was going back to his old place
in the Union Pacific shops. In order
to deceive his friends he even went so
far as to have a boy to take to his
room note written by himself pur-
porting to be sent to him by the Union
Pacific shops superintendent, making
him an offer of employment.
About this time his conduct was
strange in other particulars. He OBJ
tanned a fair salary, nevertheless he
pretended to be out of funds. On
Tuesday he borrowed S. from Engineer
Punshon, and on October 20 he tele-
graphed Editor Howell Of the Cripple
Creek Times requesting a. loan, a re
quest which was declined. The gener-
al belief is that Thomas had worried
himself into condition of mental alb
erration over his marriage.
After leaving his bride on Saturday
he visited the fremont house and en-
gagged room Is. This was between $50
and 4 O'Clock. He locked himself in at
once, and no more attention was paid
TO him until O'Clock yesterday morn
ing. Then the landlord grew alarmed
He tried the door. and finding K locked
called in police officer, who forced an
entrance.
They discovered John A Thomas
lying in blood on the bare floor at the
foot of his bed No one in the hotel
had heard a pistol report. but through
the suicides right temple near the ear
there was bullet hole. and near his
right hand lay a 3S-calibre revolver.
with one chamber empty. The pres
ence Of chloroform bottle in the room
suggested the idea that Thomas had
used poison as we'll as lead in putting
an END TO himself Coroner Martin
took charge of the remains. which were
viewed soon after by the young widow
of the dead man. She shed few tears
but did not appear to realize what il
was to lose her husband No inquest
viii he held. and burial will probably
be made in Omaha.