The herald., 1897-01-14
Well Known Turfman Found
Dead in His Room
A RAZOR THE WEAPON USED
SIashed the Arteries OF His Wrist and
Bled to Death
Had Been Dead Many Hours When Dis
covered-He Leaves Note to His
Old Mother and Two Sisters

In room 23 of the Jennette block at
the corner of Arcadia and Los Angeles
streets, shortly before o'clock last even
ing, the body of Chauncey Durkee, well
known turfman, was found dead in bed,
the floor covered with blood which had
flowed from terrible cash across the
left wrist. He had committed suicide
by severing the arteries with razor,
and from the condition Of the corpse had
been dead for fully twenty-four hours.
Durkee rented q room from the La
cour brothers, who conduct a restau
rant, saloon and lodging house at the
corner named. 1t was owing to the
fact that he was in the custom of caring
for his own apartment that the body was
not sooner discovered. George Lacour
had occasion to go to the room to col
lect rent, and finding it locked, knowing
that Durkee had not been seen for sew
eral days, suspected something wrong
and forced an entrance.
Lying on the bed was the body of his
lodger clad only in underclothing, the
left hand resting across the breast. By
the side Of the bed was a vessel full of
blood, which had run over into the car
pet in great pools. On a stand near by
lay a razor, the bloodstained blade tell
ing Of the terrible use to which it had
been put. 1t was evident that Durkee
had made careful preparations for the
deed. and after undressing himself had
moved the vessel up alongside the bed,
deliberately cut his wrist to the bone
and lain down to die, holding his arm
out from the bed so that the blood should
be carefully caught.
While in a dying condition he must
have arisen and walked about the room,
as the carpet was spattered with pools
of blood here and there, and Durkoc's s
feet were covered with the crimson fluid
where he had stepped into it. In the
death agony he had drawn the mutila-
ted arm up onto his breast in which po-
sition it was found.
Assuring himself that life was extinct,
Lacour sent telephone message to the
police station and the coroner was noti-
fed
officer Robbins and Stewart were sent
to the scene and made an examination of
the room. Their search was rewarded
by finding note, hastily written in
pencil on a fiyleaf torn from a book. The
note was seen projecting from the pages
of novel and was addressed to the
mother and two sisters of the deceased,
Mrs. M. A. Durkee, Canton, Lewis coun-
ty, Missouri; Mrs. Kittie Crowell, a ma
tron at the Whittier state school, and
Mrs. Mollie L. Coons, who resides in this
city, On the edge alongside the ad-
dresses was written the two words,
"Chauncey and Clara" The contents
were as follows:
MONDAY MORNING, II o'clock.
To My Mother and Two Sisters:
Life without NV sweetheart and
brother to me is not worth living, and
you are all better off with me out of the
way. I love every one of you and could
never be able to do anything for you, as
my mind is with Clara and Charles.
Your son and brother
CHAUNCEY DURKEE.
AT peace with ALL
Nothing else was found which would
throw any light on the reason for the
suicide. His clothes were neatly ar
ranged on a chair. From the appear
ance of the coagulated blood and the
corpse it seems probable that Durkee
ssashed himself shortly after noon on
Monday, the time mentioned in his note
No one ceuld be found who had seen him
since that time, and it was learned that
on Tuesday forenoon a friend called to
see him who pounded vainly on the door
and finally departed, thinking Durkee
was not in.
The deceased was a brother of Char
HE Durkee, formerly a member of the
we'll known bookmaking firm of Dur
l1ee & Fitzgerald, for whom Chauncey
worked as cashier for several years
Charlie died of Bright's disease about a.
year ago, since which time his brother
has been moody and disconsolate. An
other cause for his despondency was the
death of his wife, Clara. to whom he was
devotedly attached and whom he buried
in Pendleton, Oregon, some three years
ago. Chauncey was tall, fine-looking
young man, about 35 years of age, and
was formerly known as one of the best
dressed men about town. Since his
brothers death he has been engaged in
no regular business. and to friends on
different occasions has expressed him
self as weary of life since the ones he
loved best were gone. He was not a
drinking man. and undoubtedly commit
ted the deed deliberately, after having
decided that he was ready to quit the
earth.
The body was removed to the under
taking rooms of Orr & Hines, where an
inquest will be held this morning.