New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-23
COLONEL CLARK KILLS HIMSELF.
SUICIDE AT MEMPHIS OF THE RACING
JUDGE-DEPREssTON OF SPIRITS FOL-
LOWED FINANCIAL MIaFORTIfNEa

Clark. OF Louisville, prominent In turf circles
throughout the United States. killed himself at
O'Clock this morning In his room at the CASTOR
Hotel. Colonel Clark came to Memphis to act as
presiding Judge OF the at Montgomery Park
on April g. and It noticed by his friends that
he seemed much depressed. At the racetrack Judge
Clark was usually jolly and affabe. but this year
he not himself. At the gatherings in the
| clubhouse and elsewhere he often remarked that
| his day past, and that he was about 10 the
! end OF his course. Continued i-health contributed
TO his melancholy frame OF mind. He could no
| longer stand the many trials which his duties at
the track made upon his strength. and complained
frequently OF fatigue.
At the hotel his weakness particularly
ticeabe. He was restless and at times irrita-
bic. something unknown in him before. He would
sit In his chair and drop of suddenly into a sum-
Der. from which he could with difficulty be aroused.
and he In comatose condition almost half
his time At night his sleep seemed disturbed and
he would arise In the morning apparently unre-
freshed. For the last week his condition grew
steadily worse DR.. Kennedy Jones was his physi-
cian and forced to spend most OF his time with
his patient. The tissues had wasted away.
and Colonel Clark a victim OF neurasthenia.
nervous disease for which there Is save
absolute rest. With his illness and depression came
financial difficulties
Colonel Clark possessed a competency, but he
began to speculate The exact nature OF his deal
ngs was not known. but he watched closely the
stock quotations. and seemed greatly disturbed by
some letters which he received One In particular.
which from a Louisville bank yesterday
morning. seemed to trouble him. His speculations
were not coming out at all to his liking and II Is
said he heavy loser. The extent OF his losses
Is not known. but It Is thought he had lost his
money and had his property heavily incumbered
Yesterday morning he unable to get up from
his bed Dr. Jones summoned and worked
over the patient all morning. Last night DR. Jones
left Mr. Clark at II o'clock promising to return at
early hour this morning
Just how Colonel Clark committed the act which
deprived him OF his life knows. DR.. Jones
to the hotel at 900. He shown to Mr.
Carks room. and knocked at the door. lie re-
ceved answer. and. after knocking several
times. called the clerk. The door broken
open. and Colonel Clark found lying the
bed. His right hand crossed upon his breast
and In II casped revolver The bullet had
entered the right side of the head about two inches
In front OF the temple. and ranged downward Into
the brain. DR. Jones convinced that the pa
tlent had been dead ten fifteen. minutes. The
shot well aimed. the physician declared
that death must have been instantaneous. No mes
of any kind left by Colonel Clark. The
only papers in the room were some old letters and
torn kilograms relating to racing matters.
s. b. Montgomery, president Of the Memphis
Jockey Club. took charge OF the body, and imme-
diatey Informed relatives in Louisville. Stuart r.
Knott and other intimate friends OF the dead man
Will arrive here Tomorrow and with local COM
mittee OF turfmen will escort the body to Louis
VILE for burial.
Louisville. Ky. April 22-The news of the suicide
OF Colonel M. Lewis Clark at Memphis to-day
received In Louisville with the greatest SURPRISE
and shocked his friends beyond measure. No man
In Louisville widely known than Colonel
clark, and those who were closest to him the
least surprised at the that he had died by his
own hand. For several years he had been
n. M anch
Not only his waning health made him respondent.
but an apprehension hung over him that In the last
years of his life everything would go wrong He
was afraid that he would finally meet with financial
embarrassment
Colonel Clark man Of great pride. and II
was often the case that he exaggerated small turf
matters into reflection on his honor. He brooded
and fretted over trivial things, and Imagined that
ms integrity as , racing Judge WAS involved in
strued as even indirectly concerning him. outside
various business ventures, and his estate WIN
doubtless be found to be worth handsome sum-.
was the son Of General Merwether Lewis Clark
nd abigail Gh4rch s father was the son Of
Clark expedition to the Pacific. in 1906 His
Churchill. Of Louisville He was born and reared
In Louisville. and began his business Ne In the
daughter orv o
vile. who with one son. Churchill. who lives In
Mrs. Clark Is now with ner two daughters, Mary
and Caroline, in Paris.
Of the =, turf ii Of hs
breath Sec of SCANDAL ever "a his He
the author Of majority OF the turf rules or laws
can Turf Congress the maker OF the first Uniform
scale OF weights the pioneer In system OF stakes
track in America. and the author Of many notable
reforms that have tended to the publication of the
A dispatch from Memphis to The Post says
s f ro% :s SsS to- e
his suicide. The letter was In his hand early this
morning when he called oei,ooy re was wa stand
was found the letter was lying on the mantel.
The Of hs Letter ase bT d oeS
gomery. together with all other effects belonging
10 the dead man.
Colonel NJ Lewis Clarks many friends In this
city shocked by the news OF his sad end al
though large number OF them thought that he
might at some time kill himself In a fit OF de-
spondency as he frequently respondent
account OF his poor health. He had not been well
for a long time The turf suffers serious loss by
his DEATH for he had its best interests at heart and
worked earnestly and faithfully to put racing a
higher plane. His career was long and he
was frequently spoken OF of the last of the
old regime OF turfmen. Colonel Clark will per-
haps be best remembered In future years as the
organizer of the Louisville Jockey Club and as a
wise racing official and strict dlscipnarian. He
presided at every meeting at the track OF the
Louisville Jockey Club and succeeded In attracting
to the course large numbers Of persons who love
honest racing.
Colonel Clark quick to ferret out dishonest
Of " wronsdons ie tried in every way possible to
protect the public and If he thought was
suspicious he declared all bets off.
AT one time the Louisville Jockey Club was one
OF the foremost racing associations In America and
many OF Its stake races principally the Kentucky
Derby and the Clark Stakes attracted horsemen
from all parts OF the United States. The Clark
Stakes and the Kentucky Derby still interest
Ing contests but the meetings at the track have
not been for some years as successful as the early
meetings.. on account OF the valuable stakes and
In the early eighties Colonel Clark was considered
one OF the principal advisers OF the who estab
lished racing at Latonia and at Washington Park.
Chicago Owing to his efforts to improve the sport
Colonel Clark made some bitter enemies In 1882
he was shot and wounded by Thomas Moore In the
Gait House. Louisville. AT meeting OF the West.
ern Turf Congress. held three years ago. Edward
Corrigan took threatening attitude toward Colo