The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-05
ANACONDA NE WIS.
WAS TIRED OF POVERTY
James FL. Lotus Dies by His
Own Hand.
HE WAS ONCE WELL-TO-DO
Leaves Letter Explaining the Reason
for His Act-His Excellent Letters
of Recommendation-W
an Old Man.

IS II pray my Heavenly Father to for
give me and have mercy on me-
n These are probably the last words
ever written or spoken by James Hart
LOTUS, whose body now lies a Enrets
undertaking rooms, awaiting interment
i'm a suicides grave.
Last evening, at about 7:39 o'clock,
the police We're notified by the proprie-
tor of the st. Elmo lodging house, on
East Park avenue, that a man had
been found dead in his bed. Judge
Donoghoe, who is acting during coro-
ner Hardenbrook' absence, Immediate
ly responded to the summons, and went
to the ST. Elmo, where, III room No. -,
the dead body of Lotus was found ly-
ing upon the bed.
Upon a stand near the bed was found
bundle of papers, among which Was
found the following letter, which
is self-explanatory:
Money makes the man; want of it
the felon Have tried diligently to get
something to do to make il living and
have failed. Am in debt Tor board and
lodging. Rather than sink further i'll
debt, will cross the divide and stop the
expense. Came to Montana in 1864. AS
an old timer, / presume | am entitled
to last resting place. | was a mem
Der of Phil Sheridan Post, No 10, o. y.
r., Oskaloosa, Iowa. Got discharge
from them, which is lost or mislaid. No
work, no money, no home--a sad end
ing of an eventful life. With malice
toward none and charity To all, good
bye.
j. c. Barker of Great Falls, Il good
friend, knows parties who are indebted
to me, and if collections can be made,
bills that / owe will DC paid. Mr.. b.
does not owe me-. Have written him
explaining.
Il pray my Heavenly Father to for
give me and have mercy Oh me
Lotus is a very old man, probably 60
or IS years of age, and has been in this
city only a short time. He worked at
the refinery for a few weeks, but of late
he has been out of employment, and
this fact, as indicated by his letter, was
the cause of his deed. No marks of
violence We're found upon the body and
he probably committed suicide by
means of poison, although Of what kind
is not known at this time. He evidently
tried to hide traces of the nature of the
poison he had taken, for his left hand
was pressed tightly against his lower
jaw, closing the mouth. Some blood
had flowed from Lotus nostrils on his
mouth, and the pillow upon which the
head rested was stained with it, SeN-
eral phials labeled spirits Of ammonia
were found upon dresser. There We're
also other bottles but in none of them
could be found any poison
Elmo for something like Two months.
He was of a quiet and retiring DISPOSE
ton and nothing concerning his affall5
was known to the lodging house people
The last time that Lotus was seen
alive was on Friday night at about
o'clock, when he was seen going TO MS
room. The man who occupies the room
next to No. - says that he heafd
LOTUS moving about in the room about
o'clock on Friday evening.
Yesterday afternoon the landlady of
the place, finding his door still locked,
became alarmed, and upon the return
of her husband from work, she told
him that Lotus had been in his room
all day and was deaf To faps upon the
door The proprietor called to Lotus
through the transom, but failed to re-
ceive any response. He therefore
opened the door by means of a pass
key and found the man dead.
Besides the letter. the bundle of pa
pers contained a clipping from news
paper, upon which was printed a Ter
vent prayer This is evidently an eX-
tract from some published sermon. a
bunch of letters of recommendation
was also among the lot. They Indicate
that Lotus has been Well-to-do in for
mer days. Some of them are dated at
Costa Rica and are eommendatory or
the work which Lotus had done IN
some railroad contract. One states that
amount of which was $4,000. Another
offers him a position as construction su-
ntendent of a railroad in Mexico
and fixes the salary at $500 per month
and $40 per month additional as ex
penses Most of the letters from the
railroad officials of Central America and
Mexico are dated in the earlier '10's.
Papers indicating that he had per
formed some contract work IN Mis-
souri, and Texas were also found. There
was also a letter signed by the board of
trade of Oskaloosa, Iowa. compliment
ing him upon the excellent manner in
which he had performed his duties as
station agent at that point. Several
ether letters. all of them testifying to
the worth of his services, We're in the
bundle.
A Masonic diploma, issued at San
Francisco in 1890: a set of resolutions.
thanking him for services rendered
Warrenton lodge of Missouri, and
withdrawal certificate from the Masonic
lodge at Oskaloosa, Iowa, dated 1892.
We're also found. There is no reference
in any of his papers to any one TO whom
he may have borne relationship.
Judge Donoghue gave instructions for
the removal of the body To Ehret's I'M
dertaking rooms. where it now is. 1t
had not been decided last night whether
or not an inquest would be necessary
as the letter left by Lotus is considered
sufficient evidence that death was the
result of suicide.
When in Butte lunch at sherman's.