Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-24
TAKES HIS OWN LIFE
A. G. Lewis, Prominent Local Busi-
ness Man, Commits Suicide.
BUSINESS EMBARRASSMENrFHECLUSE
In Letter He Asks forgiveness of
Friends.
DETAILS OF THE AFFAIR

| Abe C Lewis. president of the American
Cotton Investment Company. at No ca r
| street northwest. committed suicide In his
Office about noon today by sending bullet
crashing through his brain. Fearing the
| bulleI would not accomplish the purpose
| he turned on the gas before he used the
weapon Before doing this. however. lie
closed the doors and windows TO prevent
the escape of the gas. Mr.. Samuel c. Plat.
a well-known young attorney. who was
associated in busir ess with MIR. Lewis and
whose office is in the same room Is the
one who made the CHASTITY discovery.
Mr.. Lewis wrote TWO letters before he
ended his life. One ne addressed TO my
wife and child" The other bore ihe name
of Mr.. Platt, his associate ard legal ad-
wiser. The discovery of the suicide proved
severe shock to Mr.. Plat. Satisfying
himself that his friend was dead aI.d that
a doctor could render service. he
FASTENED to police headquarters ana made
report of the occurrence TO Inspector
Mattingly.
Police. Officer Detailed.
Policeman Goss, VINO is detailed at head
quarters, was sent to the bIilding with
Mr.. Platt. and there he saw the dead
mans body living beneath the counter.
with his head resting on ali elevated board
and the pistol clinched tightly in his right
hand on the board upon which the mans
head rested, well upSn the Eoor,
were pools of blood, and the red fuii had
SO completely covered his face that he
could %bd scarcely ear reeognIIseds; ., -.
evidently been iTtcn only a few minutes
before he fired Ae fatal shot. They were
found by a StaH reoorter on the counter.
where they mad been left, and handed
over to Mr.. Platt. The one aidressel to
the attorney was opened. and in il the dead
man disclosed i'm a few words that mis- act
had been prompted by financial embarrass-
meat and business failure
Letter 10 MIR. Piaa.
l. reads:
Samuel Platt esq.
Dear Friend: Sorry our enterprise was
such a failure. 1 have lost all. 4 felt ter
ribly bitter that all turned out SO bad. L
ask for forgiveness from you and all
friends who helped US. I have tried my
best hut have met with hard luck The
failures Of these brokers lost by them all.
i kindly ask from you and all our friends
TO pay their last respect to me. to my rest
and peace. Goodbye all. A. &. LEWIS
MIR. Lewis came here from Boston some
time IN June or July. and started the
American Cotton Investment Company. be-
lieving il would prove to be a financial
success, and that he would reap wealth
for himself and associates. 1t was intend
ed that this cmpany should make inv est
nents of small amounts for its patrons.
but just how many patrons were found
is not known. 1t is evident. however,
from the letter to Mr.. Pl9tt, ihat the COM
psny did net succeed, and that Mr.. Lewis,
rather than face ms friends and patrons
and make explanations, preferred to end
his life. His wife and cHi!u came here
from Boston some time ago, and have
been stopping with the husband and ia
Their at No. 1li 9th street northwest.
Mrs. Lewis Frustrated.
Mrs Lewis was unable to explain her
husbands absence from lunch today until
Mr.. Piatt called upon her and delivered
tl.e letter her husband had written. Ii fell
to his lot TO convey to her the sad news.
Mrs Lewis was completely prostrated
when she heard of what had happened.
The American Cotton Investment Com
pany had the double rooms on the ground
floor OF No. 611 T street, but the folding
doors between the rooms were seldom
closed. 1t had been Mr.. Platts custom to
close the cfiice each day at j. oclock and
go home TO his dinner returning an hour
later. Mir. Lewis usually returned to the
Office later in the afternoon, in time TO at
tend TO the Office business. Today Mir.
Piatt closed the Office, usual, and went
home, returning at The regular hour. 1
ocock. There was nothing about the front
of the office TO indicate TO him that any
thing unusual had happened, but when he
attempted to put his key in the lock to
open the door its progress was stopped
by key on the inside
Thinking Alr. Lewis was probably in the
office, he knocked on the door There was
20 response. and this performance was re-
peated several times without The desired
result. The window tried, but this
was found securely fastened, and then Mr..
Plat went up through the building and
gained ar entrance through a door leading
20 the rear room from the second floor.
Reaching the rear room on the lower
floor he saw that the doors between the
rooms were closed. and this made him
suspect that something out Of the usual
order had happened. Opening the door he
was almost knocked down by the escaping
gas. He looked about the Office, but saw
20 one until he finally opened the front door
and made a more careful search. Then IL
was that he found the body of his friend
and associate behind the counter next to
the front window.
He closed the door and went to police
headquarters, as stated.
The astonishing part of the affair is that
the report of the pistol shot was not heard
by pedestrians on the public thcroughfare.
ard there must have been number OF
them passing at the time A man in the
building heard the report. but paid no at
tention to II.
Explain. to His Wife.
The letter addressed to his wife and child
was about the same as that addressed to
Mr.. Piatt. He merely explained why he
had taken his life.
The deceased was about thirty-six years
old and was formerly in business at No.
IL Elm street, Boston. Coroner Carr called
at the Office soon after the body found
and gave a certificate citing suicide as the
cause of death
ALL AWAKE IN BALTIMORE.