The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1896-03-20
BY HIS OWN HAND
Wm' h. Knowles, Fearing That He Would
Become Insane, Makes an Attempt
to Take His Lite.
Committed the Act During Friday Night
and Found Next Morning With a
Bullet Hole in His Head.
HE CAN HARDLY LIVE
Mr. Knowles is Conscious Most of the
Time but it is Hardly Possible for
Him to Recover.
HE CAN HARDLY LIVE
AN ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE.
W. IL. knowles, Fearing Insanity, At.
temptS to End His Life.

w. IL. Knowles, Fearing insanity. At
tempts to End His Life.
People who came down town early
Saturday morning were greeted with
the terrible and startling intelligence
that VIM. Fl. Knowles, one of the lead
ing merchants OF Mitchell, had shot
himself during the night. The report
was at first doubted by all, as it seemed
wholly impossible: but the report was
verified by Mr.. Munger, who found the
unfortunate victim. MIR. Knowles has
two front rooms over Elders shoe store
where he has been confined for the past
week with an attack OF the grippe and
was recovering rapidly. Friday even
ing a. E. Hitchcock, j. X. Smith and
Chas. Donahue, a travelling man, call
ed on him and talked with Mr..
Knowles. who seemed to be in cheerful
spirits and talked as if he would be able
to return to business the following day.
The last two gentlemen remained until
10 o'clock, Mr.. Smith offering to re-
main the rest Of the night. but Mr..
Knowles said he was all right and did
not require any assistance. Between
$3.50 and o'clock, Mr.. Munger, who
has been administering to Mr.. Knowles,
went to the room as usual to attend to
his patient The rear room was occu-
pied as a sleeping apartment and the
front room as reception room. Nun
ger entered the bedroom from the hall
way and not seeing Mr.. Knowles in bed
and seeing the pillow saturated with
blood became greatly alarmed ane
started to leave the room. 1t is evident
Mr.. Knowles heard him and called out.
Here [ am On going into the front
room Munger discovered Mr.. Knowles
lying on the floor, with blood stream
ing down his face, with two bullet
wounds in his temples. He was lean
ing against another door, which lead
into the hallway. and Munger asked
him what he was doing and Mr..
Knowles replied that he was trying to
cover himself up. since which time he
has not spoken {. word. just what led
up to the suicide was at first a mystic
ry, but an hour afterward the following
note was found on table penned by
the unfortunate man, as il in anticipa-
tion of what followed:
Since Mr.. Smith and Mr. Hitchcock
left me this evening my head has
whirled and fear [ am loosing my
reason. Would much prefer death to
insanity. | don't know what may hap
pen. [ hope nothing serious.
w. H. KNOWLES
The above note was written an hour
after the departure Of Mr.. Knowles
friends, and when they were there no
evidence was visible to them that he
contemplated his own destruction.
1t is pretty evident that Mr.. Knowles
shot himself while lying in bed and the
pillow on which he crested was complete.
ly saturated with his blood. The room
we're in disordered condition when
Munger arrived. as if MIR. Knowles
had wandered around and turned over
several things in his pain and suffering
A small screen standing in the folding
doors was completely demolished and a
lamp was lying in wreck beside the
dresser, while the room had disorder
ed appearance generally.
That Mr.. Knowles was able to move
around was plaiuly evident from the
marks OF blood in various places in the
room. He stood in front of the dresser
and while there the blood dripped
from the wound and coagulated on the
marble top and from there he went to
the front room. A table stood near
the window facing Main street on which
the traces of bloody finger marks were
plainly seen.
Heury Lewis and Art Brookings oc-
cupy rooms on the same floor and
shortly after midnight Mr.. Lewis
thought he heard shot and went tc
Brookings' room and awakened him
and after discussing it finally concluded
thew were mistaken. Mr.. Brookings
said he was awakened an hour later b,
what he thought was a pistol shot, bu
the noise was so indistinct that he
thought he was mistaken.
Drs. Crane and Bobb made an exam