The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-05
TOOK HIS OWN LIFE
JAMES GORDON MASSEY PLUNGES
TO DEATH IN THE MISSIS-
SIPPI.
lis BODY is RECOVERED.
He LEFT A NOTE sREQUESTING
BURIAL IN POT~TERS'
FIELD.
SHERIFF PHILLIPS IS FREI'rING.
Because Bank Examiner Kenyon
Has Ordered the Pay of His
Deputies Held Up.

Bury me in the Potter's field. No home.
4. rs. 1897
This brief note, written on the back
of an envelope, was the only word left
by James Gordon Massey, Of st. Paul.
whose body was found floating in the
river at the foot of Nicollet island early
last evening. Yesterday afternoon some
of the employees of Lintges, Conne1s q
Co., boiler makers ON the lower end Of
NicolIet island, observed what appeared
either to be a mans head or log in
the river, about 100 yards out from the
shore of the island and some distance
above the lower point of the island
Shortly after o'clock last evening Of
ficer Hurley, of the Second precinct po-
lice, was notified of the suspicion that
a body was in the water. He decided
to investigate, and, after considerable
trouble, secured a boat and rowed out.
The suspicion proved to be correct
"A mans body was in the water which
is quite deep at this point, although
the current is not very swift. The
corpse was seemingly anchored to some
unseen object, for it remained station
cry, and when the officer, with the as
sistance of citizen, attempted to tow
the body to shore, it was found diff
cult task to dislodge it. Deputy Coroner
Henry S. Nelson viewed the remains
and had them removed to the morgue,
where the letters on his person reveal
ed the suicides identity.
From the letters it was also learned
that the man had lived at 1877 Martin
street, st. Paul, and it was also evident
that he was a bookkeeper by occupa-
ton, for he had been in the employ Of
Mannheimer Bros. in 1888. He had also
been employed in the capacity of a
clerk by the Northern Pacific railroad,
but that he was out of work at the
time of his death was shown by a let
ter addressed to the manager of the
Mammoth Hotel Yellowstone park.
This was written at his st. Paul home
and was dated April %. In 1t the writ
er asked for employment as clerk
or bookkeeper.
Besides these letters numerous other
articles We're found on the body show
ing that he was a man evidently fairly
we'll to do at some time. These includ-
ed a good pipe, cuff buttons, etc. Mas
sey was between fifty and sixty years
of age. That he plunged into the river
after writing the farewell note on the
back of the envelope seems certainty.
No one seems to have seen him take
the fatal leap, and where it occurred is
not known
Massey left his home in this city, No.
1877 Martin street last Wednesday, as
was told in the story of his disappear
ance and probable suicide, in the
Clio be Of Friday. He was formerly
l,0 ~, fIn
ing department of the Northern Pa
cific railroad and more recently, before
his disappearance was employed in the
capacity of night Waterman and ac-
countant by the Omaha road at the
local freight house Massey had been
out of work for nearly a year when
he obtained the position with the
Omaha road, and the loss of this means
of supporting his family, April 10, threw
him into a morosely respondent mood.
which aroused the apprehension Of his
family Wednesday, Massey bade his
wife good bye shortly after IL O'Clock
in the morning and, though apparently
laboring under suppressed excitement,
said nothing at the time of taking his
life. That afternoon, however, Mrs.
Massey received a letter from her hus-
band, written from the st. James hotel,
in Minneapolis, in which he stated that
he had become utterly discouraged by
his reverses and inability to provide
for his family, and had decided to kill
himself. By the time the epis lie was re-
ceived the letter said, the sender would
be no more. Mrs Massey was fully con-
WINGED that her husband had kept his
threat, Notwithstanding a subsequent
, effort of a morning paper to show that
Massey had deserted his family and
simply invented the suicide story to
cover his tracks
MaaceU WAS fiftV wears old and leaves
a wife and four children, the eldest
girl of seventeen years, and the young
est a girl six years old. The family is
almost wholly without means of i'm
mediate support, while the mother is
an invalid.