The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-19
{. N. TOWER LEFT HOME
It Was Feared That He Had Com
mitted Suicide.
Is AN OLD-TIME RESIDENT
he Acted Strangely and Made Threats
OF self-Destruction Friday-He Is
Located in Ana
conda.

f. NJ. Tower. a well known old time
circumstances attending his disappear
ance are such that his friends and fam
fly fear that he may v taken his
own life. Mr.. Tower is 55 years OF age,
an ex-Methodist preacher and a lawyer.
but for several years he has been en-
gagged in the grocery business with
Charles W. SammIs at 1107 Utah ave-
nue.. South Butte. under the firm name
of f. NJ. Tower q Co. He is an old SOL
der, a well educated man and a good
speaker. and became particularly well
known during the capital campaign as
one Of the speakers for Anaconda. II
had been Mr.. Towers part OF the gro
Gerry business to solicit orders. and he
left the store last Friday morning TO
come up town for that purpose. That
was the last his business partner or
his wife seen of him. Others saw him,
however. as late as $3.50 o'clock Satur-
day morning. About 4:30 o'clock sat
urday morning he called on his friend
Charlie Curtis at the Montana Liquor
company's place on Broadway. As soon
as Mr.. Curtis saw him he observed that
the old man looked strange. Mr.. Tow
er's first words to Mr.. Curtis were:
This has been coming on for a long
time. and ! ave got to stop It,"
Curtis then thought the old man had
been drinking. and tried to persuade
him TO lie down in one of the back
rooms. but he declined TO do so and
said he wanted to go to a hotel. but did
not have the price OF a room. Mr.. Cur
tbs offered to take him home. but he
declined.
Mr.. Curtis became somewhat alarmed
and started To go out and call an OFF,
Ger TO take charge Of the old man. u
changed his mind and went back to
Mr.. Tower and tried TO persuade him to
go home. The old man then pulled n
of his pockets a lot Of papers and the
keys TO his store. which he handel TO
Mr.. Curtis with the request that he de-
liver them to Mr.. Sammis. Among the
papers was a Masonic life Insurance
policy for $1,000, a new pension certif-
cate and an unsealed letter addressed
10 Or. Whitford. In the letter he init
mated his intention 20 commit suicide.
and requested the doctor. as one Of his
old and best friends. 10 look after his
family. After the papers had been
handed TO Mr.. Curtis the old man left
the place. and so far as known no one
has been found who saw him after that.
Mr.. Curtis delivered the papers to
MI Sammis "a Few hours later and inn
medistely the matter was placed I'm the
hands of the police department. and
since then the town has been thorough
ly searched. but nothing further could
be learned OF him.
When IL became known yesterday
that Mr.. Tower vas missing a number
Of creditors Of his firm attached the
business and h store was closed up.
IL was learned AT . o'clock this morn
ing h IA Mr.. Tower Is at the Leland
hotel. in the city Of Anaconda. He
registered there Monday. Owing to the
~lsteness Of the hour. II was deemed in
advisable TO awaken him and ~acquaint
linn with the fact that his friends in
Butte were worried over his disappear
anoe. The night clerk Of the hotel said
he was personally acquainted with Mr..
Tower and had NJ doubt az to his iden-
tity. He said that Mr.. Tower had been
TO his meals regularly during his stay
AZ the hotel md had not acted strange
ly in any way.