The herald., 1897-03-03
Prompt a Man to aLast Desper'
ate Deed
SUICIDE BY THE GAS ROUTE
Because OF Financial Difficulties Charles
ness Ends His Life
A German Painter In Hard Luck Piac.d a
Tube From Gas Je, In His Mouth
and Lay Down to De

A little after 10 o'clock yesterda,
morning Charles Hess. painter was
found dead in bed at his room in ths
! lodging house, No. 1882 s. Main street, hi.
! head buried in the bedciothes and in his
mouth rubber tube which led from q
wide open gas jet. Hess had deliberate
ly committed suicide because of finan'
cial difficulties and had done a cuici
and sure job of it. AT 730 he was spoken
10 and responded; two hours and hall
later his corpse was discovered.
Hess was a German AZ years of age
and widower with no known relatives
in this section. He had been engaged
in the house painting business with
Chas. Murray, making their headquar-
ters at Fourteenth and Main streets
They had no shop and contracted foI
jobs as they could get hold of them. OF
late Hess had been very hard up and
was in debt to both his partner and
several men who had worked for him and
to whom he could not pay their wages
On Sunday he tried to borrow $50 from
DR.. Parr, with whom he lodged but fail
ing, probably became respondent and
decided that he would end his life
During the past couple of months Hess
has been keeping very irregular hours,
sometimes staying away from his room
for several days at time, and has also
been drinking heavily. On Monday
night he retired about IL o'clock sober and
in apparently his usual spirits. About
7:30 in the morning Thomas Crane. one
of the men who had worked for Hess,
knocked a. the door of his room and told
Hess that he wanted to see him; that
he must have some money. Hess was
heard to get out of bed. and without
opening the door told Crane to go down
and wait on the corner for him; that he
would dress and be out in a few min
utes. This was the last heard of him
alive. Crane waited on the corner for
some time and finally went away.
About 10 o'clock DR.. Parr in passing
through the hallway detected the odor
of gas coming from Hess's room, and
started to investigate. Looking through
the transom over the door he could see
Hess's form in bed, covered with the
blankets, and tube leading under the
coverings from a gas jet. Repeated
knocks failing to bring a response, the
door was opened, the coverings thrown
back and the corpse discovered. The
body was still warm and life had evil
IDENTIFY been extinct but a short time.
Hess had cut the rubber tube which
conveyed gas from the chandelier to a
drop lamp in the table, turned on the
mouth covered his head and sunk into
unconsciousness and death.
On a table near the head of the bed
lay note roughly scrawled in lead
pencil, which although almost unread
able, was deciphered as follows:
Friend Murray: l can't stand the
struggle any longer; good bye.
CHARLES HESS.
DIR. Parr could help me if he wanted
to, but l hope 1t will do him good"
A telephone message was Immediately
sent to the coroner, who took charge
of the body, having it removed to the
undertaking rooms of Kregelo & Bresee,
where an inquest was held in the after
noon. Several witnesses were called
but could advance no reason for Hess's
suicide save his monetary difficulties.
A verdict was rendered by the jury that
the deceased committed suicide by in
halation of gas on account of financial
troubles. Hess was a Forester and the
remains will be taken in charge by that
organization and inferred.