Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-03
BULLET THROUGH HIS BRAIN James M. Polk a We'll Known
 Young Man i ENDS HIS OWN EXISTENCE By Means of Revoyar-Had Threatened Vio- knce To Himself and Kept His
 Word Too Truly.

Last night at 9:15 o'clock James M. Polk, a we'll known young man about 30 years old, suicided by shooting himself through the head with a 3S-callbre Hop- kins & Allen revolver in a room in the Waddell house, 1S16k First avenue.
 About clock he went to Mir. Wadde1 and asked fer the same room he had occupied the night before. No 5, but WE s given No. IS instead, as the one he want ed was occupied. The proprietor took a light and went up on the third floor of the building, which is the secord floor of the boarding house. with Polk, and left him there to go to the rear of the hall and returned shortly. As he reached the door shot was heard on the inside, and he hastily entered. On the bed clad only in his shirt, collar and necktie, with smoking revolver tightly grasped in his right hand. lay young Polk, with his brains oozing out of a hole in his head. He was moaning piteously, while his features were contracted in agony
 Officer Hagood was called in and Dr. D. F. Tally summoned. The physician did all in his power for the suffering man but he stated that death was only a matter of a short time. He bandaged the two gaping wounds and did every- thing known to the medical profession. 2
 As the young man lay upon the bed his brifns oozed out and the blood flowed freely. The bed was soon red with clot- ted blood. and even through the satura- ted bandages it came in drops.
 There were several people in the room when the young mans brother, David Polk. came in His terrible grief was breath came in short gasps His eyes rested for a moment in sorrowful an- guish upon his dying brother and he asked if his mother had been notified. She had not, and he hastened away to bring her to the bedside of her son.
 Yesterday morning Polk was in sa- loon on Second avenue, talking to the bartender. Suddenly he looked up and stated that he was going to leave the city or commit suicide. No attention was forgotten until recalled by the terrible tragedy.
 Polk has been employed at the Phillips & Wiggs machine shop, but for some time seemed Respondent There is no other cause assigned for the rash act. He was of a rowing disposition, and had been all over this country.
 Tn the pockets of his clothes was found letter to his mother written on a let ter head in which he said he was go- ing to heaven or somewhere else to- night" and that she was the only one he cared for and would meet her in heaven. The letter was evidently writ ten during the day, as he did not have time to write 1t in the room where the deed was done.
 It was found that the bullet entered the head just above the right ear, and rang ing slightly upward, coming out above the left ear toward the rear of the head. A hole in the pillow slip showed where it tore it's way along, and 1t was found on the floor near the door. Officer Hagood took charge of the pistol and the bullet and sent the letter to the young mans mother.
 James Polk, better known to his friends as Buster" a pet name given him in his childhood, had lived in this city nearly all of his life. He came here with his parents when Birmingham was only a railroad crossing. For long time he was connected with the opera house. It is said that recently he has suffered from melsncholia and often threatened to do himself serious injury.
 At 12:1S o'clock the young man breathed his last, with his grief-stricken father and brother by his bedside. He never regained' consciousness
 His body was removed to fhe Warner Smiley company's undertaking esta ablish- mept and prepared for burial