The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-12
SUICIDE ON POST.
Policeman Ellis Dodson
Shoots Himself While
On Duty.
FRANTIC GRIEF OF THE WIDOW
1t Is Thought That the Dead Man
Feared Trial fof
Breaking Rules.
FRANTIC GRIEF OF THE WIDOW

Ellis A. Dodson, a patro1man attached
to the Second precinct station, Jersey
City, committed suicide at 12:05 o'clock
this morning by shooting himself. He
was on duty at the time, at Fifth and
Coles streets. Dodson, who had been
ON the police force for eleven years, had
fairly good record, having never been
disciplined by the Police Commissioners
except for minor breaches of the rules
of the department. He was capable
officer and many important arrests are
on the records to his credit.
He leaves a wife and son, with whom
he lived at No. 143 Erie street His
night tour of duty took him through
Erie and Coles streets and Jersey ave-
nue., also through the streets crossing
those thoroughfares. Dodson was to
have been relieved by another patrolman
at 1905 this morning. Ten minutes be-
| fore this time he rang up the Second
precinct station from the signal box at
Second and Erie streets. and reported
| to Sergeant OBrien, who spoke to him
! over the telephone.
I'm on deck all right Dodson told
| the Sergeant.
| O'Brien is probably the last person
Dodson spoke to. He made record Of
| the fact that Dodson was ON duty and
| then sent out the midnight platoon,
among whom was Chanceman Gray.
| who was to relieve Dodson. Gray, on
reaching his post. looked in vain for
| Dodson He whistled several times and
raped loudly with his club, but could
| hear no signal in response.
| Gray then instituted a search for the
| fr11ff
| through several of the side streets he
finally came upon his PROSTATE form. ly-
ing on coal box in front of Louis
| Heisterhorgen's grocery store. at Fifth
! and Coles streets. 1t was dark on the
| corner and Gray did not at first recog-
| nize the form as that of Dodson. He
| thought he had a drunken man to deal
! with. In turning the body over, how
ever, he was Mortified to recognize the
! features of Dodson. He was dead. His
| muscles had not yet relaxed, and his
revolver was still grasped in his hand.
/ Dodson had placed the muzzle of the
| weapon in his mouth. The bullet entered
| his brain and must have caused instant
| death. The body of the suicide was re-
| moved to the Seventh street station.
| where he should have been, handing in
| his reports preparatory to being dismiss
4 ed for the night.
Patrolman Bonnen was detailed to
| break the news of the suicide to Mrs.
| Dodson. who is an excftable woman.
| Mrs. Dodson was sleeping when BonneH
| arrived at her home, No. 145 Erie street.
| 1t took repeated knocking to awaken her
When Mrs. Dodson finally opened the
door BonneIl who was anxious to break
| the news as gently as possible, said;-
Mrs. Dodson, your husband has just
had a terrible fight with a thug and has
| been badly wounded l guess he'll come
around all right, though They got him
! at the station house..
Mrs Dodson suspected from Bonneils
excited manner that something worse
had happened Wringing her hands, she
| said
s.Tell me everything. I want to know
| the worst What has happened to Ellis?''
/ Then Bonnell told her the truth. A
terrible scene followed Mrs. Dodson be-
came as raving maniac. She paced up
and down the floor, clad only in her
| night robe, and would not listen to the
| words of comfort Bonnell offered. Her
son, fourteen years Old heard her screams
and came rushing down stairs. His grief
| was almost as violent as that of his
mother. Mrs, Dodson threatened to
Jump out of the window. The neighoors
were aroused by her screams and came
rushing in. Patrolman Bonnell had ali
he could do to keep the frantic woman
from doing herself bodily harm. For If
teen minutes Mrs. Dodson was hyster-
! ical and then a reaction set in and she
| became deadly calm and acted as one
dazed The police decided not to per-
init her to see the body of her husband
in the police station.
City Physician Hoffman viewed the
body of Dodson and declared him dead.
The body was then taken to the suicides
late home. Mrs. Dodson has not yet
| recovered from the shock. Her friends
fear she will lose her reason. The police
can assign no cause for the suicide un-
less it was worriment over some minor
charges which were made against Dod-
son a few days ago and on which he
was to have been tried by the Police
Commissioners on Friday next: 1t IS
made by the Police Commissioners, at
! their December meeting, that officers
who appeared for trial after January l
would receive no mercy.
! The charge against Dodson was failing
to report from signal box on time. He
was before the Board on three similar
charges last year. At 10 o'clock last
| night Captain Kelly was on patrol duty
'sDo you think" said Dodson. that I
could get Chief Murphy to withdraw the
charge against me? | don't want to SO
before the Board again..
do so now,' replied the Captain, "as the
matter is in the hands of the Comnnis-
sionerS-
Dodson was appointed to the police
force on February 80 1888. when he was
twenty-five years old. He served in the
Second and Fifth precincts. Chief Muir
ply said of him this morning that he
was an efficient officer. 1t is believed
when he was up on three charges of not
sending in his report from the signal
box on time, he gave as his excuse IN
each instance that he forgot. In one
hand, and forgot to sen6 in the report