The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-17
CLEAR CASE OF SUICIDE
The Cole Tragedy Investigated by
the Coroner's Jury.
NO MOTIVE is ASSIGNED
Sons of the Dead M m and Others Re-
late the Story as Gathered After
the Terrible Deed Had Been
Executed.

Coroner Julien held an inquest last
evening on the body of William C. Cole,
| who committed suicide Monday by
shooting himself through the heart at
his home in West Quartz street. All
| that is definitely known concerning the
strange case of self-destruction was re-
| lated in detail by the witnesses. 1t
| was established to the satisfaction of
| the jury that it was a case of suicide,
but there was very little evidence to
| show what the motive could have been.
| Harry j. Cole, the youngest son of
the deceased was first called. He said
he arrived home shortly before Z
O'Clock. He found the house locked and
climbed in at a window. A few min
utes later his mother came home and
about that time Abe Bucll, an old
frie nd came in. He sat down and they
chatted for some time. At length the
witness and his mother became anS-
Cus, as it was very unusual for Cole
to remain away from home so late, and
witness got up and went to look for his
father 1t occurred to him to go up
stairs, and he there found the dead
body lying on the floor. He took his
| mother to the residence of another son
| and then returned and notified the cor
oner. He said he was utterly unable to
| assign a reason for his fathers act.
William H. Cole, another son of the
| deceased, was next called. He told of
| the mother being brought to his house
| and of his then returning with Harry
! to notify the authorities. He accom-
| panied the coroner to the house and
| saw the body lying on the floor. His
| shoes had been taken off and carefully
| placed in a corner, but otherwise he
was fully dressed. Witness searched
| for note which might explain the
| deed, but found nothing. Witness could
not think of any reason for his father
taking his own life. He was in 10
financial difficulties and his health was
moderately good. All the witness knew
that might tend to solve the mystery
was that his mother told him the IA
ther had complained of a pain in his
head in the morning. He had started
in to read the newspapers after break
tast and was then taken with the pain,
which became so severe he had to quit
reading and lie down the rest of the
forenoon. In the afternoon, thinking
to walk out would make him feel h-t-
ter, he decided to go down town and
was accompanied by Mrs. Cole. They
separated t Main and Broadway This
Was the last any of the family saw Of
the deceased till he was found dead
The witness said his father had once
sustained an injury to his back and
had periodical attacks of the pain in
his head. They, however, We're not
very frequent. The witness thought
the pain complained of must have pro
duced a tit of temporary insanity.
Charles McLarry, an employee of In
dertaker Sherman, told Of examining
the body ard finding gunshot wound
over the heart which had undoubtedly
produced death. He also told of Wis
iting the Cole residence with the cor
bod
which the body was found Every
thins: tended to show Cole had gone
home, procured the shotgun and gone
upstairs where he had taken off his
shoes, evidently to enable him to ac-
complsh his design. He had then evil
IDENTITY placed the gun to his heart and
touched the trigger with his toe From
the character of the wound and the sit
uatlon in which the body. lay, death
was apparently instantaneous
The jury returned this verdict: THAT
deceased came to his death at Butte,
Silver Bow county, Montana on the
10Th day of May, 1899, from the effects
OF a gunshot wound inflicted BY the
said deceased with suicidal intent"
While nothing to the effect was
brought out at the official inquiry. ard
the members of the family profess to
Know nothing to warrant such an opin-
ion, some of the old friends of Cole
VINO knew him intimately have a
theory to account for the motive for
the suicide. These friends say Cole
was very quick tempered and in one
sense quite erratic. They say he was
an applicant for his old position of
master mechanic at the Parrot under
.ne' new management, and their opin-
ION is that he received notice MONDAY
afternoon that he would not get the an
polntment; that the disappointment of
his ambition was a severe blows AMI
produced fit of melancholia which
prompted him to take his life.