The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-27
A suicide At The ST. JAMES
3. II. Owens Ends His Life by
Shooting Himself.
Tho Ball Pieroes the Heart, and Death
Must Have Resulted Instantly-Found
In Bis Room by the Chambermaid Yes
terday at o'clook-The Dead Man
Was Deputy Grand Chief Organizer of
the Order of Railroad photographers.

Inc clsy was thrown into q state of
Excitement yesterday afternoon by the
report that man had killed himself at
tne ST. James Hotel. It proved to be b.
d. Owens, deputy grand chief organizer
OF the order of Railway Teleernphers.
DR.. ]. N. Lewis, the city coroner, WAS
notified, and he summoned jury cor
posed OF the following citizens: j. P.
Sanderson, A. S. Asberry, E. R. Wool
wsrd, Ed. L. Stone, w. P. Gilkeson and
II. 3. koehler. who, after viewing the
oody,returned verdict as follows: 1.-The
deceased came to his death as the re-
suit OF wound inflicted by pistol in
his own hand"
It seems from the evidence adduced
/! That owens came in on Tuesday night
between and O'Clock and went direct
to his room, No. 81, on the top floor Of
the hotel, and no one seems 20 have seen
him any more alive.
Several attempts were made by the
chAmbermaid, Peggy Saunders, yesser-
day to get Into HIS room, but she always
found 1t locked and could meet with no
response to her repeated knocks. All
was silent from within, when she CON.
oluded to look over the transom, which
she did. finding him stretched out on
she hoor welteriDg in o pool of his own
| blood.
He was undressed, wearing only
suit OF underwear. The bullet pieyeed
the heart, the fire from the revolver
burning the shire he wore and blacken-
Ing the flesh. The revolver, a ss-oali-
bse double action, was found beneath
the pillow on the bed with four loaded
carriages and one empty chamber. and
the linen sheet was soiled with blood,
which was evidence of the fact that he
had nred the fatal shot while lying in
bed and had rolled to the floor, where
| he breathed hia last with the blood
gushing from his mouth.
be was apparently about 81 years OF
age, and had been In the hnbit of COM
Ing to this city for the past three years.
HIS home was at Green Bay Va. No one
VINO testified before the coroner's jury
| ever knew OF the deceased drinking or
ever being In trouble. He has always
stopped at the st. James Hotel, making
1t his headquarters while in Roanoke.
he had two brothers In the EMPLOY of
the Norfolk and Western railroad, one
81 Lynohbnrg, who was notified OF the
facts in the case.
NO note or any information of any
kind was left by him thas would give
any clue to the rash act. a large mum.
Der OF Letters and railroad passes were
order which he represented.
He Was patient of DR.. Strickland,
who has been treating him for three
months. He was in delicate health
but was improving. For few days he
had been unusually bright and had ex.
pressed himself as feeling all right un-
TIL Tuesday morning about 10 o'clock,
when he visited the DOCTORS office. 1t
was noted at the time that he was talk
Ing at random and his mind was rather
unbalanced. The doctor expressed the
opinion that the deed was attributable
to temporary mental alteration result
Ing from insomnia and nervousness.
The brother of the dead man arrived
In the city yesterday afternoon, and last
night the remains were shipped to
Green Bay. Va, for interment. It is
stated that Owens WAS at one time ON
inmate OF the insane asylum at Staun-
ton.
The time at which the act was com.
mttted Is not known, es no one heard the
pistol shot, 1t is supposed, however,
to have been at an early hour yesterday
morning.