The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-11
DEATH OF BARON HICKEY
"PRINCE OF TRINIDAD" COMMITS
SUICIDE IN A TEXAS HOTEL.
An Ambitious Man who Married John
III. FIagIer's DRughter-A Crown
in His Trunk.

Ell PASO Tex, Feb. 10.-Baron Harden
Hickey, better known as the Prince of Trim
idad, committed suicide at the Pierson Ho-
tel, in this city. Servants in the hotel dis
covered that the baron was dead at noon
to-day, and the indications We're that he
died during the night from drugs taken with
suicidal intent. He left letter addressed
to his wife at Corona, Cal, in which he
stated that he going to die. Deceased
was married to daughter of John H. Flag
ler of New York, the Standard Oil mag
nate in 1891.
Papers found among the dead baron's ef-
fects indicate that he and his wife could
not agree. He left some very rich Jewels
in his trunk here, one of them a crown.
The baron arrived in Ell Paso on the Sd
inst, and remained quietly at the Pierson
Hotel, not making known his identity. The
baroness has been wired for instructions
to disposition of the remains. Baron Hick-
ey's letter to his wife reads as follows:
MY Dearest-No news from you al
though you have had plenty of time TO am
swer. L expect to leave this hotel to-mor-
row or the day after. Harder has written
me that he has no one in view for buying
my land at present. Well, l shall have
drained the cup of bitterness to the very
dregs, but do not complain. prefer to be
a dead gentleman to living blackguard
Goodbye. 1 forgive you your conduct to-
wards me and trust you will be able to for
| give yourself"
| An examination of the body by the physi-
| clans showed that the baron died of NOR
phine poisoning, and that life had been ex-
| tinct for many hours. Very little money
was found among his effects, and it is pre-
sumed that poverty, together with the fam
! lily trouble limited at in the letter, was the
moving factor in causing the suicide. On
the hotel register he had written simply
| Harden Hickey, Paris" He had talked
| little with the other patrons and kept close
/ ly at the hotel during his stay. 1t was
| learned from a casual remark that he was
| expecting money from friends. Among his
| effects were found dozens of medals and
insignia and papers of much interest. Many
| of them bore upon his scheme for estab-
fishing a military colony on the Island of
| Trinidad, of which he was to be dictator.
His papers also disclosed that he had been
interested in other and more ambitious prof.
ects, notably plot to place him at the
head of a royalist government in Hawaii.
| There were also papers showing that he
had once been possessed of large estates in
the Republic of Mexico. Among the news
paper clippings was an account Of his mar
riage, in New York city three years ago, by
Rev. John Hall, to Anna Flagler.
That the baron had only followed his own
teachings in ending his life by poison was
| evidenced by q book of which he was the
author, entitled "Euthania, or the Ethics of
| Suicide" This little work was illustrated
| by cuts showing q man cutting his throat
| in front of mirror, a girl suiciding in her
| chair beside a brazier of burning charcoal,
| a man drowning himself from wharf, a
man blowing his brains out while sitting
| on his bed, and a man lying on the floor
| with a bottle of poison beside him. The
subject matter was brief, pithy paragraphs.
/ showing a devilisn system of philosophy
which the author had evolved.
On the wicker chair beside the bed lay a
five-shooter all loaded, also $3.50 in silver
coin, box of wax matches and some ar
ticles of clothing, with letter addressed
TO him at the City of Mexico. care of the
American Club; $3.50 in San Francisco
drafts; ALSO $50 III currency. One of the
| letters was from c. S. Harvey, of Los An
geles, relative to delays in the selling of
certain properties, and asking when the
/ baron was coming to California.
Baron Harden Hickey attained notoriety
some time ago, when he took possession Ct
Trinidad island and procla almed himself mil
itary dictator, thus being the first of the
| royal dynasty of Trinidad He was born in
San Francisco on Dec. s. 1854, of a Catholic
and old royalst family. His ancestors, the
| Hickeys, originally came from Ireland. hav-
| ing accompanied The banished royal Stuarts
of England in their flight to France. The
young baron was educated at the college OF
Jesuits at Namur and afterwards at Letpsic
Here he established a reputation as first
class and fearless duelist. When nineteen
years old he entered the French military
college at ST. Cyr, but he aban-
doned a martial life on the death
of his father, in 1873, and devoted
his life to sculpture and literary pursuits.
His talents first found recognition in the
| shane OF translations for English maga-
zines. He also wrote quite a number OF
/ works in his native language In 1878 the
irrepressible writer started a weekly satiri-
cal paper in Paris called La Tribolet, which
4 landed him in constant trouble. 1t was de-
voted to the interest of the Royalists and
its editor the baron, made ia appearances
in the police courts, paid fines amounting
10 100000 francs and fought no less than a
dozen duels. Among his antagonists were
Aurelian Scholte, A. Lavertugjon, Taine
and De Cyon. He was eventually compelled
to leave France, going to England. He was
thoroughly conversant with the Sanskrit
language. and after studying its literature
determined to propagate the religion OF
Buddha throughout the United States.
In the meantime. he met and married
Miss Anna FIagler. the daughter of the
Standard Oil magnate and gave up his in-
1entions in that direction. He then set
about starting a new kingdom on the ISL
and OF Trinidad, but the revolution in Bra
! I'll interfered with HIS plans.
Killed Each Other.
NOWATA Kan, Feb. 10.-John Wilson.
city marshal. in attempting to arrest man