Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-12-03
The Stake Was the Life of w,
7. Sullivan, Gambler.
SHOT THROUGH THE BREAST
Remarkable Tragedy on Twenty.ejehth
Street Yesterday Afternoon. Lost His
Life Through Insane Recklessncss
in Handling q Loaded Revolver
Gamblers are proverbiany reckless.

Gamblers are proverbally reckless.
William T. Sullivan was enrphatically
not AN exception TO the rule.
Note the omlnous past tense. 1ester-
DAY morning the fact would have been
stated IN the present.
sullivan tempted fate once too often
This morning he lies dead in his room
over Todd'S Bears Paw saloon on
I'wenty-eighth street. just east of the
railroad. #.
When u man places (; revolver over
his heart and pulls the trigger, {; cor
oner,s jury generally calls it suicide
Sullivan pointed u revolver at his
heart and pressed the trigger. Those
VINO saw him do it say it was an acct
dent.
Eugene Hawley, Il scconC: cousin Of
the dead man; G. G. Johnson q friend
Maggie Johnson. Il colored girl WHO is
employed about the place as house
keeper. and Lizzie Council. coiorcd. the
cook. were all in The room Yesterday
afternoon about 4 o'clock. when Sul!i-
van pulled his smith !; WessoI, 3S
>alibre. revolver from his hip pocket.
and, twiiling it about his finger sail
Heres The boss: lis always here"
IF YOU are going to :'ool With 1ha;
gun leave" saii johnson, Who sri,ins
his actions to his words went out.
tlSlWiey and tn others demonstrated
With the man. telling him it was dan
Sei.ous 70 handle the revolver that way.
and warning i'm l:ilt he would Kill
himself some cay, o. Kill some one else.
L's the way half the people get
'nNonsensa." replied sullivan. you
can pull che trigger. Como here and
Try it,
.Yeu put j, mp" said Hawley.
II tell You there is no danger ans
wered Sullivan. lock here. In SHOW
you"-and the gambler. who had been
twiring rlle revolver around his thumb
during the conversation. flung the
weapon UP into the palm Of his hand
IT, n1uzzl" rontins, to his breast.
To show that tn" triggeJl could nos be
ru!!r:. he deliberately pressed it With
his thumb.
Next instant e.here was !, report,
sullivan staggered up from tho chair
:Hun around on his heel. and fell :, the
floor, saying. Il have snat myself
Ten minutes later he was dead.
yrouched sideways on the floor. his head
in u pool Of blood. WATCH matte. his
hair ana soaked his clnthng
The bullet had passed through the
i'eshy part Of his left thumb ana had
struck him in the breast just below
the base OF the neck, ;llins2'st midway
between the shoul,iers.i Crashing
through the breast bone, the deadly
missile either reached the heart OF the
gambler. or. what is more probable cut
through a large artery. to. the unf0r-
tunate man bad lerribly~-there VS.
blood everywhere. II ran all over tha
1onr. ".
The usual unnecessary physician Was
sent Tor. and a message was teleph 2ar Z!
~ the chief of police, who sent Office.
Bcoker 70 the scene. and later after
Su:EmOning the coroner, DR. Il; f. Gary
Went himself.
The coroner made 3; superficial exam
ination ct the wound. took an nven-
tory of the dead mans effects found on
him. secured the names of tia Witnesses
and announced that an inquest would
j1,tr a *. u ~,I-
After the usual legal folrnalitieS the
remains will doubtless be sent u Char
lottesville. where lives the father of the
dead man. Lewis sullivan, a we!l-kn0wn
FARMER. -Four sisters and two brothers
also reside there .
Wiillam Sullivan seems to have had
a checkered career From What san he
learned OF him, he was a F..rnar-boy
~ tn, the Valley OF Virginia. Where he
serted He enlisted in the United states
army and for six Years was stationed
in the West, where he probably ac-
uuired that reckless carelessness in
handling weapons that resulted in his
death.
What else he learned out there besides
soldering, IT is not naedful to say. That
he. ATTAINED skill at poker and other
card games. is a fact This skill he
turned to mis- advantage.
Coming East, he became {, bra KEENAN,
on the Norfolk & IVES tern railroad. Hv-
ing the while ait Crewe This lob he
soon relnquished, and some ten months
ago came TO this city and opened up 4
poker room over one Of th, saloons. \
few weeks ago. having made both ends
l!leer curing the meantime by ganb-
ing. sullivan moved into a couple OF
rooms above the Bears Paw" Occu-
Dying them at the time Of his sudden
death. One of these roctins he used as
a bed chamber. The Uaher. he fitted
mp IN a small way as a barber shop
While the body was being examined
by the coroner Yesterday. several stal ks
or poker chips were arranged on the
table in the corner Of the bed room =
PACK OF cards was Hakei1 from tie dead
mans pockets along with $40 in money
ana some ether articles.