The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-16
He TOOK A FATAL DOSE
w. A. Burt Shuff1es Off the Nor
tai Coil.
RAT HER CLOSE PRESSED
Had Been Leading the Life OF Sport
and Drinking Heavily-He Came
of Prominent Mormon
Family.

For almost no apparent reason, w. A.
Burt, the scion of a prominent Mormon
family of Utah, swallowed a fatal dose
of morphine in his room at the Manhat-
tan lodging house at SO North Main
street yesterday morning and in few
| hours was corpse.
Burt was a young man who divided
his time between working at different
occupations and the life of a sport. AT
times he tended bar at the NJ. &. NJ
saloon and did such other work as
came his way, but he was more inclined
to sport and spent most of his time in
the gambling houses, pool rooms, etc.
OF late he had not been working and
was understood to be rather close
pressed Generally speaking. he was
not a drinking man, but for the last
! few days he had been drinking pretty
| heavily and this is supposed to account
| for his rash act.
Burt roomed with J. H. Hynds at the
| Manhattan. Night before last he was
intoxicated and had some trouble with
| a friend, but 1t is said to have been
| of a very inconsequential character. He
went to bed with his room mate at
night and about $3.50 o'clock yesterday
| morning got UP and asked Hynds for
1 a dollar, which was given him, and he
went out. He returned not long after
| ward and again went to bed. Hynds
| states that he noticed Burt come in and
saw him go through the motion Of talk
ing drink Of something, as he sup
posed. Being sleepy, he did not pay
| much attention. Burt then undressed
and got into bed About II o'clock
Hynds got up. He noticed his room
mate was rather uneasy and then no
4 a an a
commode. His suspicious were aroused
| and he looked at Burt. 1t was clear
there was something wrong and Hynds
at once called the landlady, Christine
Ralfe, who went to the room. A look
at Burt was sufficient to convince her
the attendance of a. physician immedi-
ately was Of imperative Importance.
Miss Ralfe ran to the office Of Dr..
Dogge, in the same building, and called
him and word was at once sent for DR..
Loebinger and DR.. CoWperthwaite. DIR.
Dogge responded at once and was fol-
lowed a few minutes later by the other
physicians They worked over the I'M
fortunate young man for hours but
their efforts were of no avail and he
died about o'clock in the afternoon.
No note was left to explain the
young mans motive in killing himself
and his friends profess to know of no
| reason he could have had for wishing
to end his life. They were inclined 70
think he took the morphine to make
him sleep and carelessly took too much,
| but there can be little doubt the act
| was one of premedttated suicide, and
being hard up, and drink, appear to
have furnished the motive. 1t is known
! that the night before ne borrowed 81
from each Of two different persons and
| $40 from his landlady. Then, too. there
appears no doubt that the dollar he
borrowed from his room mate was bor-
rowed to buy the morphine, and if he
| had been taking it to make him sleep
he would hardly have bought a whole
bottle and taken nearly all it's con-
tents. not being addicted to the use of
the drug, but would have bought few
pills for such a purpose From the fact
/ that he had scarcely been known to
| take a drink for more than a year UP
to the last few days and that he was in
| close circumstances, it is supposed he
| became respondent from the effects nf
the drink he had recently INDUCED in
and in a sudden fit of suicidal mania,
concluded to end 1t all. From the fact.
however. that he could have bad any
thing he wanted from his friends or
| relatives, this move seems greatly out
of accord with the terrible consequence
of his act.
Burt was about 50 years of age and
unmarried. He was the son Of Bishop
Burt, one of the prominent Mormon Off
Gals at Brigham City, Utah. He has
numerous well connected relations liv-
ing in that state.
| Coroner Julien was notified of this
death and made an investigation, after
which the body was removed to Sher-
mans undertaking rooms, where an in.
I quest will be held.