Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-21
Arrived in Portland Three Days Ere
vious to Manage a Large Machinery
Housewives Not intoxicated a.
Reported by Chicago Papers.

MT. ROundS mad only arrived. In Port
land Friday morning, and was to take
charge of branch factory that e. G.
Atkins g. Co.. manufacturers of saws,
hardware and milling machinery, were
establishing in Portland. The position
was responsible one, and the suicide
of Mr.. Rounds was a severe shock to
his business associates here. j. VIPER
kins, assistant secretary of the-eastern
firm. fand j. M. Arthur, of j. M. Ar
thur & Co., their local agents. Mr..
Rounds was handsome, well-dressed
man, of medium height, and dark eyes
and hair, and of prepossessing appear
ance. He was well supplied with mon
ey, $3.50 being found on his person, and
financial troubles cannot account for
his suicide.
A note written in clear, business
hand does not explain the mystery:
do not trouble to send my remains
back east. Bury me here-my position
was forced. May God forgive me and
may He be with my parents, brother
and sister. James L. Rounds"
No one can explain how his position
was forced, and his business associates
are at a loss to explain his action be-
yond that yesterday he complained of
being very tired and exhausted after
his trip, and that his suicide was the
result of profound melancholia or tenn
porary alteration.
At the inquest, held yesterday after
noon by Coroner Rand, j.. M. Arthur, of
j. NJ. Arthur & Co., told Of his connec-
ton with Mr.. Rounds in business
way. Mr.. Perkins, assistant secreta-
| ry of>the Atkins company, had arrang-
ed for dinner for the three Friday
evening at the Portland Hotel, but
when the hour arrived Mr.. Rounds sent
word from his room begging to be ex-
cused, being very indisposed.
Yesterday morning. Mr.. Perkins tel
ephoned to him asking whether Mr..
Rounds had presented his letter of in
| PRODUCTION, which had not been done,
and later, about 12:4O, Mr.. Perkins tel
ephoned from the Portland hotel that
Mr.. Rounds had just killed himself. Mr..
Arthur went to the hotel and accompa-
MED Coroner Rand to the room, where
they found Mr.. Rounds dead in his
chair, a pistol bullet in his head and a
pistol held FIRMLY in his hand.
II. G. Bowers. manager of the Port
land hotel, told the story of the dis
covery of the suicide and the letter in
the room, in company with the coron-
er. The body was still warm when dis
covered. showing that death had only
been recent. No one had heard the re-
port of the pistol.
4 J. w. Perkins, assistant secretary of
the Atkins company, who had made the
/ preliminary arrangements for estab-
fishing the branch factory here, was
the only witness who had been in COM
pany with Mr.. Rounds after his arrival.
His testimony was as follows:
i 81 met Mr.. Rounds shortly after his
arrival at the Portland. / had never
met him before excepting for few
moments at the Columbia club in In
Indianapolis, but had been informed when
he would arrive by The secretary of the
company. We lunched together Fri
day at the hotel, and found him to be
a very pleasant gentleman. Mr.Rounds
complained of being very fatigued from
his trip, having come thru from Provi-
tdence, r. l., without any stops. After
going over some business at our Office
on First street, Mr.. Rounds left for the
hotel, complaining anew of excessive
4 fatigue. When the dinner engagement
with Mr.. Arthur was broken, thru Mr..
Rounds indisposition, called at his
room and found him in bed, altho pro-
Tossing not to be i'll. Yesterday morn
ing he seemed to be all right, tho re-
4 GREETING his indisposition of the previ-
4 Gus evening. While in his room in the
morning saw pistol in his bed and
%ol .r,;&I I, ~
lessness. He remained with me at the
Office until II o'clock, when he left for
the hotel. AT, 1890 went to the ho-
tel, secured my mail, and, seeing his
1 key-box empty, went up to his room,
having an understanding that we
would, lunch together. Ifopened the
y door of his room and saw him sitting
in his chair, with the blood trickling
from his head, pistol in hand. The
. shock was very severe upon me, as
had no inkling of his intention. i'm.
mediately telegraphed east, but have
received no reply / can imagine nc
motive for his suicide, knowing moth.
ing of his personal affairs.
i No arrangements have yet been made
4 for the interment, and no word has yet
J been received from his eastern relatives
in Providence. r. |.
4 The coroner's jury brought in YER.
Idiot that "the cause of death was bull
let wound thru the brain, inflicted by
the deceased himself, for reasons un-
known to this jury, apparently while
suffering from temporary alteration OF
mind
Under Mass of slate.