New-York tribune., 1897-08-10
A BROKER KILLS HIMSELF.
WILLIAM G. READ. JR.. COMMITS SUICIDE
IN THE EDISON BUILDING.
irrs PARTNERS DENY THAT FINANCIAL TROUBLE
WAS THE MoTIvE-HE HAD BEEN in POOR
,yrHr,1 THEY SAY AND THIS MAY

MS PARTNERS DENY THAT FINANCIAL TROUBLE
WAS THE MorIvE-HE HAD BEEN IN POOR
HEALTH. THEY SAY. AND THIS MAY
HAVE UNSETTLED HIS MIND.
William c. Read. jr. member OF the New
York Stock Exchange and senior member OF the
drm OF Read. Parsons & Co. stock brokers'
committed suicide shortly after noon yesterday
The Offices OF the firm are In the Edison Building
IN Broad-st II was In one OF the lavator'es IN
this building that Mr.. Read took his life by
shooting himself In the left temple.
He arrived at his office yesterday morning
cro,n Mamaroneck where he had his summer
home. apparently In his usual health and In the
host Of spirits Although ne complained or being
bothered by maarial fever, he chatted ana
laughed with his business associates with
brightness OF disposition that was hab'tuai WIN
him In the morning ne was on the fioor OF 'he
stock Exchange Later. upon his return 10 'he
offices Of the firm. nc was visited by woman"
who is Said to have been his sister, put whose
name could not be ascsrtained. shorty peiore
noon he went to the lavatory. Nearly nan ah
hour later Ebert T. Clarke or the STOCK En-
change Clearing House. was passing along the
o,rridor when he noticed flowing from beneath
the toilet-room door a stream or Diooo ne al
r,oo called the ianitor. and the door which was
,,und IN no locked was burst open. Mr.. Read was
discovered in a crouching position upon the
floor Blood was running from a bullet wound
in the temple and life was extinct. In Mr
Reads left hand a revolver. with one cartridge
exploded. was found firmly grasped. Nobody IN
the building appears TO have heard the report
Of the pistol shot
Acting Captain Brennan, Of the Old slip Police
Station when informed of the suicide. called up
the Coroner's Office. and was told to remove the
body to the station. George b. Parsons the
dead mans partner objected to the removal OF
tho bodv He called up the Coroner's office and
protested He declared that the snoring was
accidental. Coroner Hoeber thereupon forwarded
instructions that the body shouid not pe re''o'eu
until he had viewed II.
Tho Coroner made a personal investigation at
$40 o'clock and gave a permit for the removal
of the body to the undertaking estaplishmehs y.
I Aldred & Son. at No. 800 Fourth-aVe. Al hIs'
he refused TO give any news at all 10 repor.els' o
Int later said that no letters or papers explain
ing the suicide had been found on tne pou!.
Forty dollars In bills and some small articles
were found in the pockets Assr art an around to
the offices of the firm and had Mr.. Reaos oesk
exarn{ned No letters affording any explanation
for the act were found. ~,
Read had shot himself accidentally. but ne ad.
mitted subsequently to Coroner Hoeoer tlat ~ u
that Read had no business nor family troubles
,I@i t"ai,X IN invalid of late and must have been
anected mentally, though nothing OF the sort
had been noticed by his friends
Mr. Read had been member or tne Wv NV
York stock Exchange since November 80 lo, :
His firm had been in existence since April io
1891 There was a report on the STOCK TX. TX.
change that Mr.. Read had been caughs heanmS VIZ
short of Manhattan stock and wheat This was
denied at the office of his firm. His death was
announced on the Stock Exchange by fresioeh'
EameS.