The age-herald., 1900-10-10
THE DEAD MAN WAS
 ERNEST BARBOUR Body Positively Identified by His
 Former Employer. SUICIDE THEORY BELIEVED He Attended Wedding and Got Drunk Next Morning He Left Home
 and Two Days Later
 Killed Himself
SUICIDE THEORY BELIEVED

The young man found dying in Avondale Park Sunday afternoon has been positively identified as J. Ernest Barbour of Thomas vile, Ala His uncle l.. N. Coates, and ". D. Boyles, secretary treasurer of the Thomasville Mercantile Company. by whom Barbour was employed up to the time he left Thomasville last Thursday, arrived ln Birmingham yesterday morning, and as soon as they saw the body at Warner Smiley's they recognized it as that of Err nest Barbour.
 There was but little doubt as to the iden- tity of the body after w. C. Legsett of the Alabama Great Southern freight office, former schoolmate, had looked at it and stated who it was, but the arrival of rela- tives from Thomasville was awaited to dis pei the last vestige of uncertainty.
 Mir. Boyles and Mir. Coates arrived on the Southern train from Mobile at 5:3O o'clock yesterday morning, and shortly thereafter went to Warner-S -Smiley's, where they were shown the body. As soon as they saw 1t they stated that it was Ernest Barbour. Ernest Barbour, according to the state ments of MT. Boyles and MT. Coates, left Thomasville last Thursday morning. The night previous he had attended a wedding, where he acted as an usher It is stated that subsequent to the wedding he became intoxicated. Thursday morning he asked permission to go away for a few days. This was granted, and MT. Boyles gave him ten dollars in cash. This is supposed to have been all the money he had with him when he left Thomasville. He wrote back from Selma rendering his resignation as an em- ploye of the ThomasviIle Mercantile Com pany, and stated that If he was due the company anything the bill would be paid if presented to his father. When he left Thomasvil1e Barbour had a filled case gold watch, which was not on him when he was found in Avondale Park, and no trace of it has since been found.
 Coroner Paris held an inquest over the body yesterday but nothing developed 60 indicate that murder had been committed. The general belief now is that the young man was suffering from depressed spirits, and in a fit of melanchola took the opiate that ended his life.
 The body was taken to Thomasville last night by MT. Boyles and MT. Coates, who left with it on the Southern train at 1920 o'clock.
 Harry Turner, night clerk at the Metro politan Hotel, says that Barbour registered at the Metropolitan Hotel Thursday night under the name of James Lanford, New York He recognized the picture published in the Age-Herald yesterday morning as that of Lanford. In an interview last night he said:
 ''Lanford came to the hotel shortly after midnight Thursday night and asked for a room He registered under the name of James Lanford of New York; and was as- signed to room 2S. When he came down the next morning he said he would take the same room the next night He paid me for the room before retiring. He seemed to be troubled about something. but did not seem to be drinking. He certainly was not drunk.
 "Friday he pawned his watch, an eleven ieweled Waltham filled case gold watch, to one of the bell boys for two dollars. Sat urday he sold the watch to the boy for s35O getting $1.5O at that time. He left the hotel about o'clock Saturday after noon, since which time I have not seen him."
 Mr. Turner says he did not see Barbour, or Lanford-the name by which he knew him-wth any other person during the day and a half he was around the hotel.
 MT. Coates stated last night that he did not believe Barbour killed himself, and that as soon as he gets back home he will offer a reward of $500 for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of his murderer or murderers.