The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-09

reer-Leaves n Wife and Family.
Who Are Now in Madison,
Mimi.
W. f. Gooding, for upwards of twenty
years prominent figure in Minneapolis
and recently politically prominent as one
OF the harder workers for the election OF
the Democratic city and state tickets as
secretary of the Minneapolis Democratic
committee, yesterday put an end to a
checkered career, the later years Of
which had not been financially prosper
Gus, by shooting himself in the head
Gooding died. far from his home and
friends, having recently gene 20 WdIia
Walla, Wash, to accept a position as
travelling freight agent for the Washing
ton & Columbia River railroad, but was
prevented from assuming his duties by
tll-health. Gocding reached Walla Walla
Thursday last An Associated Press dis
patch from that place, giving an account
of his death, says:
He left letter to the coroner and one
to his friend, General Manager McAbee,
of the Washington SS Columbia River
railroad. The letter to the coroner said
an inquest was unnecessary, and said his
was simply a case of too much politics
and bad luck. The letter to Mr.. McAbee
was long one and among other things
said: L don't know why I am going to do
it. 1 must be crazy, but it is the only
way out of it, He enclosed a roHt of
greenbacks which he requested to be
sent to his wife. Gooding was a man Of
temperate habits, we'll educated. and Of
refined tastes"
Rodney c. Gooding, cashier of the Foley
Bros. & Kelly. Merchantile company, is
brother Of the deceased. AS soon as he
received. the news of his brothers death,
yesterday afternoon, he wired Mrs. Good
ing at Madison, where she is staying, and
sent a messenger to Minneapolis to ad-
wise her daughter, Mrs. Hull. of the ac-
eident. This messenger, however, was
compelled to return without having found
her.
w. E. Gooding was in Minneapolis last
week, and returned to WalIa Walla only
week ago yesterday. He was in 5H-
health while here, and was confined to
his bed most of the time His former
neighbors, with whom he visited. are
rather Inclined to attribute his suicide to
dependency brought on by iil-health, and
by his failure to secure position under
the present city administration, which he
had confidently counted upon.
FAMILY ARE AT MADISON.
Mrs. Gooding and two younger daught-
ers are at present with Mrs. Gooding's
brother, at Madison, MINI. They were to
have followed him West as soon as he
had time to prepare a home for their
reception. A married daughter, Mrs.
Hull. resides in Minneapolis, but she left
home yesterday afternoon. saying that
she might not return until morning, as
she was going to visit some friends, and
up to a late hour last night she had
not been located. Mrs. Hulls husband
is not at present In the city. She has
been boarding with Mrs L. c. Olson, at
1922 First avenue south; but no one at
that address could give any information
as to her whereabouts, although they
were looking for her, and had sent mes
sages to several places where they
thought she might have gone.
r. G. Gooding says when his brother
left Minneapolis he seemed to be in good
health and spirits. In speaking of his
brothers death, he said:
MY brother was born in Cooperstown,
N. Y, in 1856, and received his education
there. He came West when only a
young man, locating in Minneapolis,
where, at different times, he was inter
ested in politics, in several different lines
of business, and, in 1856. manager of the
Minneapolis base ball team. He leaves
d wife and child, who is with his mother
at Madison Mrs Gooding will leave
Madison in the morning, first coming to
Minneapolis, and then going to her par
ents' home in Augusta Wis. My brother
was forty-three years old at the time of
his death, and was well known both in
ST Paul and Minneapolis
The body will be brought to Minneapo-
lis for interment.
HIS CAREER IN MINNEAPOLIS.
Mr.. Gooding, for fifteen or twenty years
of his life, was in the employ of the old
Minneapolis & Manitoba railroad now
part of the Great Northern system.
In the early sos Mr.. Gooding was con-
nected with the city ticket Office of the
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
road, in Minneapolis, and was finally
made city passenger agent The position
was a lucrative one, but Mr.. Gooding,
who had always been an ardent admirer
of and enthusiast for outdoor and ath-
letic sports of all kinds, believed that
there was money to be made in base ball
in Minneapolis, which had for a time
been without a professional base ball
club Accordingly he secured a fran
chise in the old Northwestern league in
1856, giving up his railroad position. AS
a base ball manager he met with serious
reverses, losing a large amount by the
prohibition of Sunday games in the Twin
Cities, and he afterward turned his at
tention to several theatrical ventures.
For a number of years he managed the
tours of Paul Alexander Johnson, son
of A E. Johnson, the st. Paul steamship
agent, who, about the time that the death
of Washington Irving Bishop, in sus-
pected state Of catalepsy, created such
an unusual interest in hypnotism and
"rnind reading" began to be looked upon
as the successor of Bishop, whose tests
had for time been the marvel of the
world.
Mr. Gooding also engaged In other the
atrical enterprises with more or less vary
ing success.
Having had a wide experience with
men in various walks of life. and being
possessed of a considerable instructive in
sight into men and motives, Mr.. Gooding