Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-02
John T. Price Put a Bullet Through
His Head.
DESFONDENT over MONEY TROUBLES
In Business Here for About Thirty
Years.
FINDING THE BODY

L..
stable business here since 1866. ended his
| life last night by sending a 32-caliber bull
| let into his brain. He committed the act
| in his room at his home, No. 210 Indiana
avenue, but his body was not found until
breakfast time this morning. Dependency
| because of financial troubles and sick
ness and the use of intoxicantS are
the causes. The deceased was well known
| in Alexandria and Baltimore. well as in
| this city, having bee born in the Virginia
city.
| Long before the war Price kept a saloon
| and hotel in Alexandria, facing the river.
| This place famous Sunday resort for
Washingtonians, and was regarded as the
| best hotel and saloon in the ancient city
| at that time. When the war was over he
concluded to give up the saloon business
! and come here to open a livery stable. In
| 1866 he came here and was. one Of the most
successful liverymen here for many years.
| But he was an extravagant man. and did
not seem to realize the value of money.
| He lived high and was a steady drinker,
and. according to statements OF his near
| friends, he spent considerable money in
Saic MS.
His first wife was an Alexandria lady,
and they had three children daughter
and two sons. Some time after the death
| of his first wife he married a Miss Kirk
patrick, whose father was with the firm of
Francis Denmead & Sons, malt dealers, in
| Baltimore, and who lived on High street
| in the monumental city at the time. Two
| children, girls. were born to them, and one
| Of them Blanche. who is fifteen years old,
| was at home last night when her father
| killed himself
Prices act was not much of surprise to
| the members of his family. He had been
sick in bed two weeks, and had been able
| to be out only about two days. His tinan-
| troubles bothered him
and he had not been employed since he
| sold his livery stable on 9th street two or
three years ago.
The Fatal Act.
The suicide was no doubt premeditated.
| Price had frequently intimated that life
| was burden to him. and that he had con-
cluded to leave this world. His conversa-
| ton during his periods of dependency al
| ways indicated that his mind dwelt upon
| ending his life, and although his conversa-
| tions were of this nature, the members of
| the family did not really believe he meant
what he said. Sunday he called on Mr..
| Devlin, the gunsmith, and asked him to ex-
| anime his little Young American" pistol
| Several years ago he had purchased the
| weapon from the dealer, but he feared it
was not III working order, and so he called
| TO make sure that when he pulled the trig-
| ger the weapon would do its deadly work
| He probably intended to end his life that
| night, but his nerve failed him, and he
| postponed what was to he the last act Of
| his life.
| Yesterday he did not seem particularly
! Respondent. During the day he took sew
| eral strolls about the vicinity of his father
| in-laWs home, where he lived and in the
| evening he went with his son John and
| called on his married daughter who lives
| on B street southwest and returned home
| about 10 o'clock.
| Father and son separated when they got
| inside the door, and the former went to
| sleep in his daughters room on the third
| floor. The older daughter had gone to Bal
| timore on a visit, and little Blanche, being
| afraid to sleep alone in her room, had
| taken her fathers place in bed with her
| mother.
| When the father and son had said good
| night each went to his room, and that was
| the last time the father was seen alive.
Just what time the unfortunate man ended
| his life is not known, but his father-in-laW
| heard the noise of the pistol shot. While
| he heard the noise, he did not know 1t was
| made by pistol, and SO he paid no atten-
| ton TO it.
| The Body Found.
| This morning about 7:3O o'clock when the
| breakfast bell rang and Price did not ap-
| pear, his wife went to the upper landing
| and called to him. She heard no response,
| and, thinking he was still asleep, she went
| to the landing above and repeated the call.
| Still there was no response, and then she
| went to his room. The door was unlocked
| and she opened it, only to see the form of
her husband. He was undressed and un-
| der cover in bed In his hand, which rest
| ed across his breast, was the little pistol,
| while a blood stain on the pillow indica ted
| that tragedy had been enacted. The wife,
! very much alarmed, made an outcry and
| her father and StepSon were soon in the
| room. They found bullet hole in the skull
| behind the left ear, and dea tn had claimed
| the victim several hours before.
| The police were notified and the room
| was thoroughly searched. the officers and
| members of the mans family thinking the
| suicide had probably left letter giving the
| cause of his rash act; but no letter was
| found
Undertaken ]. William Lee prepared the
| body for burial, and Coroner Hammett,
who was notified, will probably give a GER
| tificate of death from suicide The body
will probably be taken to Alexandria for
| interment.
Precinct Detective Hartigan, who made
the search of the room for note from the
suicide. learned today that the deceased
had told the clerk at the fremont House
that he was going to commit suicide be-
cause he had no money and was tired of
living.