The herald., 1895-06-01
The Jury Pronounced II a Case
of Suicide
CLEARED OF ALL SUSPICION
William Henry Button Established an
Alibi
The Deceased Loved His Landlords Wife and
Not Encouraged Became Despondent.
A Paimist's Wild Talk

y
cay morning at his residence at 110i East
Pico street, and the jury returned a ver-
dict stating suicide to be the cause OF
death. and incidentally clearing William
Henry Button of the suspicion that he
is murderer, on which suspicion he was
detained all day yesterday in the county
Jail by Sheriff Burr.
The alleged sensations and mysteries
that have been f1oated by superficial OBJ
servers aroused great interest in the
case, as evidenced by the fact that a large
crowd Assem- bled at the morgue to attend
the inquisition. Besides the coroner,
jurors, witnesses and reporters there were
present. Sheriff Burr and Deputy
Aguirre. Deputy District Attorney Willis,
Chief OF Police Glass and Detectives
Auble and Hawley, Superintendent Akin
and swarm OF electric railway men.
The ev ldence was clear and correspond
Ing throughout and conclusively proved
TO the satisfaction of all who heard it,
that Belden took his own life.
Detective Walter Auble was examined
and told of the appearance of the body
and room and of his knowledge of the
jealousy existing between Belden ard
Button over the latter's wife; how Belden
had told him of the trouble. but later had
said it was all fixed up and that they
were friendly as brothers. Button tol
Auble personally that Belden ought to
have left note Of some kind clearing
him.
DR.. +. A. Bryant. who conducted the
post mortem, testified that the two bullets
had caused two equally fatal wounds.
One had passed between the fourth and
fifth ribs through the heart and had
lodged at the base of the seventh rib.
Thesother had entered at the right temple
and had passed through the BRAIN and
out just fraction of an inch higher on
the left side. He had never known or a
suicide using two pistols, and thought it
hardly possible both wounds could nave
been seli-inhlcted
}. c. Chapman, motorman on Belden's
car, spoke OF stories told him by Belden
OF his alleged amours. One story was to
the effect that after a little exchange of
pleasantires between him and Mrs. But
ton at dinner one day recently, Button
sprang up and berated his wife, where
upon. Belden threw him down and choked
him into promising to treat her better.
A About the story of his having taken Is
pistol from an enraged ''cut-out" lover
who had sprung upon his car to kill him.
Chapman sald he knew nothing. He had
paid little attention to Belden, consider.
ing him somewhat OF a vainglOrious pre-
varicator on such subjects.
. W. H. Button himself was next ex-
with black hair. brown face and blond
mustache. He is fairly good-looklng,
but there is nothing remarkable in his
appearance, and he is not at all different
from other men except for tendency to
occasionally use such tragic expressions
as are found in the Fireside Visitor and
such printed matter.
He said he had first met Belden two
years ago. Last October Belden went to
board at his house. He saw him last
alive al about IL 30 a. m. Thursday.
After driving to the Westlake stables he
started home at u O. clock he retured at
about u :45 m. and found Belden dead.
When he got to his yard he was unhitch-
ing when his 9-yearold daughter Flossie
told him that her 4-vear-old sister Nina
had gone upstairs and then cried out in
childish glee: I've got your gun!"
She went up and saw Belden lying there.
but thought him drunk. (He was no
dri ing man, Then Button started
up. but Flossie called his horrlfied atten-
tion to blood trickling down from the
ceiling and dropping on the, organ. and
he did not go up until he had called in
Judge Holiday and his son from next
door to accom- pany him.
They found the two revolvers on
dresser and Beldcn on the bed wedged up
against the wall at the edge of the
mattress. His hands were cold. He
identified the black-haniled reovlver as
his. and the other he thought was Bel
den's. Little Nina, he said, had told him
she had found one pistol on his stomach
and the other IN his hand. Thinking him
asleep she mad taken them and placed
them OH the dresser, supposing that she
had made great joke.
In reply to question Button stated
that there had been jealousy between
them, but it had been obiterated,
"and," said he, my relations with
Horace Belden have always been friend
ly.' His jealousy was reused by seeing
his wife and Belden in close and secret
conversation. He was gloomy for a time.
and when his wife asked why, he told
her, and she had denied any unfaithful-
0ess. So that was swept away.
ON another OCCASION he had told both
children and go. but that trouble had
also been smoothed over. Belder, he
said, never took his revolver from him
forcibly in a quarrel, but had taken 1t
from a bookcase where it was kept. Bel
den had admitted loving his wife. and
their very melodramatic interview on that
occasion that this admission was made
wound up by their attracting and re-
manning "brothers.
Button said, however. that but for Bel
den having his revolver he would have
killed himself.
Deputy District Attorney Willis cross
examined Button, but his evidence was
mistaken. Coroner Campbell pointedly
asked Button to show how man could
have fred both those shots. and the wit
ness illustrated its simplicity by placing
one pistol over his heart and one at his
temple and swapping both simultane-
ously. He admitted that Belden, whose
room was down stairs, was found up
stairs in the family sleeping room.
Mrs Emma Button was called and test-
fed to having known Belden about three
years. She stated that he was young
man of good habits. He had gone to
board with them last Novemb ber year
ago ana had been with them ever since.
She corroborated her husband in her
account of their family troubles. She
was dressed very quietly; she is blonde
with rather a thin, sharp face, and
rather older than Belden. She admitted
that the deceased had shown affection for
her in her husbands absence, but she
said It was wrong ard he should not en-
courage the feeling. She was quite self
pusse ssed, though nervous. lie had never
proposed an elopement but she had ad-
vised him frequently to leave. to which he
SAID he were better dead and finally wrote
notes disposing of his effects and an
nounced that lie was going 10 end his
life. But they Gained him and told him
theirs shoui1 always be his home. She
said his .iunk vas ustDairs and that pro-
baby explained his presence there. She
recognized an accident policy taken out
ey him for $1,000 in favor OF little Nina.
February 10, 1895. He told her he had a
rother and father in Sydney, Neb
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