The record-union., 1897-01-03
Obtains Relief From His Troubles by
Committing Suicide.
Driven to His Death by an Article
Published i'm a Chicago Journal
Charging Him With WilIfuIIy and
Deliberately Violating the Law Re.
Iating to National Banks.

| CHICAGO, Jam. 2.-William A. Ham
mond, who was Second Vice President
of the failed National Bank of Illinois
went from his Evanston home partly
dressed and apparently demented about
, o'clock this morning, and leaving a
trail of torn and twisted private papers
in his path sought the DempSter-stree
pier, from which he threw himself into
the icy waters of Lake Michigan to OBJ
tain relief from the troubles which have
piled upon him in the last two weeks
The body was found shortly after noon
at the foot of Church street, whittier it
had been carried by the undertow 1t
was taken to the Morgue, where an in
| quest was held.
The intelligence Of the bankers self
| destruction, so closely following that
of Banker Otto Wasmansdorff, was a
| distressing shock to Chicago bankers
and the friends of the dead man. al
though not altogether surprise to
! those who knew under what a terrible
| mental strain Mr.. Hammond had been
| living since hes had been held up to
/ public Scorn by a Chicago newspaper
as the wrecker of the National Bank of
! TlinoiS-a charge which is Indignantly
| characterized as a malicious lie by the
suicides intimate friends and lawyer
Although respondent to an unusual
degree last night, Mr. Hammond gave
no warning to friend or family, and
there is nothing in the circumstances
surrounding his tragic end which would
warrant the assumption that he had
contemplated killing himself. Shortly
! ~ 10 l, +olo
phoned from his home to that of his
closest friend in the suburban town,
Percy Palmer, to learn if he was at
home, as he wished to pay him visit.
Rain was falling heavily, but Mr. Ham
mond insisted on making the CALL Mr..
Palmer saw that his friend was in bad
shape. physically and mentally. He
appeared to be broken man in every
way.
| In conversation With Mr.. Palmer his
mind wandered. He said he must re-
alize by selling his homestead, which is
in his wife's name. He refused to be
encouraged by prospects held out for
future usefulness. His visit was brief,
and declining the offers of Palmer to
accompany him home or take a water
| proof coat or umbrella to protect him
from the heavy rainfall Mr.. Hammond
! returned to his home on foot He must
have walked necessarily in the rain. be-
cause it was after | o'clock when Mrs.
| Hammond saw him enter the house. He
talked little with her, and seemed to
be a little more cheerful. Their two-
year-old child had been restless for sew
| eral nights, and Mrs. Hammond was
SO fafigued that She slept soundly in a
room adjoining that in which Mr..
Hammond went to retire, apparently.
The baby was sleeping with it's mother.
About O'Clock Mrs. Hammond was
| conscious OF some one entering her
room, and she supposed Mr.. Hammond
| ilsad come H. their rooms being sep
| afaued by an unlocked door 1t Is be-
| heved the uouble-racked father entered
to imprint a good-by kiss on the face
of his little child
| 1t was nearly o'clock when Mrs.
| Hammond awoke, and at once noticed
! that the door leading to her husbands
! room was ajar farther than was GUS
/ tomary and his absence aroused all her
latent fears for his fate. Family friends
| near by We're hurriedly summoned to
| search for the missing man and notify
the police. Byrney ]. Moore and George
). Lord old friends, walked to an old
| pier at the front Of Dempster street. NOT
far from the Hammond homestead. and
| their suspicious and fears were verified
by i1nding trail of torn papers with
Mr.. Hammond's signature on some.
| The bankers crazed condition was in
| dlcated by the manner in which he had
scattered and torn and twisted his pri-
vate papers during his melancholy
| journey to his death. Standing on the
pier he dropped more of his papers.
which quickly clung to the wood be-
| cause of the beating rain. The discov-
| cry OF this clew confirmed all fears that
Mr.. Hammond was no longer alive. and
| arrangements We're made to drag the
| lake.
| The sad news was borne to Chfca go
| and to the family. but was received
with much incredulity at first.
| When the body was removed from the
shallow water it was found to be
dressed in underclothes. trousers, coat
and felt shoes, showing that the dead
man had dressed in haste In a pocket
was found memorandum written by
| Mr.. Hammond on a letter-head of Far
| son, Leach & Co, the promoters and
| chief owners of the Calumet Electric
| Street Railroad. 1t contained the fol-
| lowing items:
| December 16 1896: National Bank OF
| Illinois. 81 491 900: foreign exchange,
| S522,0O0: Bank of Illinois, S97, 500. Out
side loans: Joliet National. $40, 900: E.
| G. Crawford. $1,000: Shawmut. $780,
| 900; Independence National, 500, 600:
| Mercantile National. 100000; Wolf,
! $1,000 Total, S2.475, 800: interest,
| SCI, 900. (Nationa1 Bank of Illinois note
on Calumet, S90.000)
| These figures are significant on the
| foreign exchange item corresponding
| to the amount which Mr. Hammond is
accused of carrying on the bank books
| to that account, when the money really
represented an extra loan on Calumet
| Electric bonds, and in the total amount
| corresponding to the total loaned on
| Calumet Electric security by the bank.
| Ten days ago a local morning paper
published a sensational and lengthy at
| tack upon the dead mans honesty as
| an officer of the Bank of Illinois. It di-