The San Francisco call., 1897-12-07
MYSTERY
WELLS A
Suicide
John W. Sims Ends His Life
in a Third-Street
Saloon.
HE HAD BEEN DRINKING.
A Letter Pound in Which He
Confessed to the Murder of
His Wife.
SAID lie HAD BEEN III AY ASYLUM.
It Is Thought he Was Temporarily
Insane-His Connections Un-
known.
SAID lie HAD BEEN III An ASYLUM
1t Is Thought he Was Temporarily
Insane-His Connections Un-
known.

Jonn ". SIMS, a neatly dressed young
man, stranger in the city, shot himself
to death in KaiSers saloon, a Third
street, shortly after O. clock last evening.
No one knows why be killed himself but
through a letter he left addressed to the
editor of THE CALL some clew may be
'ound that vii establish his identity and
position in life.
The letter is as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO. December 6.
10 the Editor Of the eau: l wish TO stale a
lew lacts TO you and your readers. 1t is the
gen neral opinion of the people that when a
an commits suicide he is insane, therefore I
state the following and let the people believe
what they want. My name is John
W. SIMS. 1 was horn and raised in
Meeklenburg County, \. c. My nOstofice i
Caldwell 5, y. c. was born in 1870. am 81
yeaIs old. My people live near Celdwells y.
{. I have no remorse OF c)nscienre for the
past. l killed my wife on June %, 1895. !
became involved in difficulty with some
boys whereupon shot one of them. ! has
tened home and l knew it q SO OF PEN
or something oflhe sort.
This was on June %. 1895 had been mar
Tied on February 2, S95 and the shooting OF
this boy was TO BRING about a separation be-
tween ne ana my newly welded wife When
I came home and her l became maniac.
knowing that must soon be separated from
one VIII m I had loved from her childhood.
S e WIS 1S years old when [ married her. H.
q,
wauled to be, for the time being I sent
10 the insane asylum at Morgauton, from
where l escaped he la tier part of June, 1897,
and made my way TO Wago Texas, where /
attempted suicide by taking cyanide of potas-
SUM, bur resuscitated by physicians
then came 10 Newman, Cal, ,wnere l worked
on a ranch for thirty days, aud came to San
Franc SEQ when my time was out. am simply
tired of life and propose 10 take it with q new
pistol I bought to-day. l subscribed for the
Examiner y hi c confined at Morganton, \. c.
Ii 1 hav
lock. Please send my letter 10 the Charlotte
Observer, Charlotte, n. c., and the Globe Dem
ocrat, OF ST. Louis. Good-by TO ali.
JoHN W. SIMS.
The letter was written in a scrawling.
almost iiIegibe hand, and owing 10 this
fact those who investigated the case are
inclined % the belief hat the suicide was
either deranged or under the influence of
quor.
At the saloon where the shooting oc-
cure the latter theory Is corroborated
The saloon keeper says the dead man was
in the saloon most of the day drn king
They endeavored to find where he lived,
but he refused to divulge his add ress
Finally be left the saloon and was gone
ABOUT an hour, and it is thought that dur
ing his absence he purchased the revolver
with which he ended his life
He returned shortly after o'clock, and
walked into an alcoYe in the saloon. No
further attention was paid him until the
SOUND of the shot that ended his life rang
out. The occupants of the saloon hur-
red in TO the alcove and found him dying.
The bullet had entered below the right ear
and penetrated the brain. He was re-
moved TO the hospital, but he died shortly
after his arrival there.
When the body was searched many
guide books and railroad tables were found
on his person. Nothing besides his letter
would assist in clearing up the mystery
that was discovered