The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-13
FATALITY OF A NAME
A STRANGE INCIDENT WHICH SUG-
GESTS MENTAL TELsPATHY.


go's Heaitl, Departmental "Pipe story"
Which Has Broken Down the Hutcs and
Made Its Way Into Print.
Writers of fiction have no monopoly
of the strange or supernatural. There
are things taking place every day III
Chicago which are us devoid of rational
explanation us the mysterious coinings
Of the novelist's brain Newspaper
mon hear Of them, but i'll tho rush for
cold, hard facts, demanded both by city
editors and newspaper readers, the pipe
stories, as queer and unexplainable
happenings are called i'll journalistic cir
clcs, are at Il discount. We're it not for
this tho following incident, which can
be verified by the word of several rcpu-
table men, would long ago have re-
ceivcd the space and attention it merits
instead of being consigned to tho waste
basket rs the pipe dream of an opium
dev0tee:
One cold wintry night not so long
ago DR.. L. T. Potter. now connected
with the Chicago health department,
and IA number of his companions We're
sitting i'll the Office of the Oakland hotel.
at Drexel and lakewood boulevurtis,
when stranger Of difident manner en-
tered. His clothes and lewclry marked
him person of means, but lie seemed
downhearted and worried. and when
he asked permission of the clerk to sit
in the Office awhile, DR.. Potter and his
companions ut once sized him up as
man who had been out on a spree, was
and took this means of getting refuge
from the winters blasts. The stranger,
who was young and Intelligent, grew
uncomfortable under the i'll disguised
scrutiny of the crowd and finally said:
Gentlemen, l would like TO explain
my presence here and why l sit up in
the Office i'll preference to taking bed.
In the first place, let me assure you it
is not a matter of money" drawing ont
goodly sized roll of bills. For some
years my father, who is IL resident Of
New York, has had trouble with his
family and has been Il wanderer. He
was at one time worth considerable
money, but this has been lost, and :.
number of letters which 1 have Of late
received from him show me lie is de
StBthucut. liliS tiitl4lDOll L -oi At Itltti
from him, dated III Detroit. saving he
would arrive III Chicago tonight, take a
room at this hotel and end his life by
turning on the gas. He added that III
the event of the gas failing lie had II
pistol with him, with which he would
send bullet through his brain. Father
had no idea 1 would get this letter to-
day, as I have been ont OF town, and it
was only an unexpected case OF sickness
i'll my family which brought me back.
l am sitting up here TO intercept hin.
when he comes in and prevent the sui
eide which he contemplatcS. Fortunate
ly have means enough for both and
can rclieve his anxiety III this respect. =
DR.. Potter and his friends were at
once interested. They congratulated the
stranger on his good luck i'll having re-
ceived his fathers letter III timo and
rendered their services in any way il
which they might be desired. Two or
three times an effort was made To find
out the mans name, but he parricd the
questions on the ground that, as his IA
theirs plans would be frustrated, he did
not care to have his identity disclosed
"You may, however, call me NIclchior.
as it is awkward to address :; man with
out Il name, and Mclchior Is Us good ~
anything, barring the right Cne. The
evening sped along, and about midnight
the stranger, being assured no more
trains would arrive before morning,
took his departure, saying he th0ught
his father must haze been detained g.
perhaps have happily changed his mind.
The occurrence WAS somuch out OF the
ordinary that Dr.. Potter and his friends
sat up for all hour Or moro talking it
over. AT | O'Clock they went 60 bed,
and few minutes later the night clerk
retired leaving IN assistant who had
not heard tho story III charge of the
Office About 100 III came an old gen
tlc2an with II travelling bag in hand.
who registered Us "GcorSe G. Mel
chior, " and was assigned TO room.
In tho morning the chambcrmaid re-
ported a strong smell of gas on that
floor The door OF the newcomer room
was broken III, and he WAS found dead.
with II pistol i'll his right hand ana Il
bullet wound i'll his head. He had
turned on the gas and then shot him
self. By this time everybody III the
house had heard the story and Of the
young mans visit the night before, and
all were positive that the old gentleman
who had killed himself was his father
The afternoon papers had "a report OF
the suicide and before night the young
man was back at the house asking to
sec tho body.
II don't understand how father could
have registered rs 'Mclchior, for it is
not his name, and l only used it last
night to conceal our own" the stranger
said. at must have been "a case of
mental telcpathy.