The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04
DRANK CARBOLiC ACID
SUICIDE OF A CINCINNATI MAN AT
OCCIDENTAL HOTEL.
Registered as w. c. Jones, but Is Be
Iieved to BE James Ashman-
Seemed in Troubled Mind.

W.. =. Jones', as ne was registered IN the
Office of the Occidental Hotel. committed
suicide some time Friday night or yester-
day morning. His body was discovered
yesterday afternoon at 4:3O o'clock. His
lips showed the burns from carbolic acid.
The room which he occupied was full of
the odor of the acid. on a small stand
in one corner of the room was a small
phial labeled carbolic acid.
He came TO the hotel early Friday after
noon. He gave his residence as Cincin-
natl. He remained around the hotel for
some time. Just before supper he took a
walk. After returning he ate a hearty sup
per. He seemed a stranger. and he ven
tured to make TO acqUaintances. After
supper he was noticed by the clerk to walk
in a nervous manner about the hotel lobby
About 9 o'clock he walked up 10 the office
and asked for the key 10 his room. He
held his face down and seemed troubled.
He took the key from the clerk without
raising his eyes. He walked toward the
stairs slowly. The clerk thought the man
had some business cares. Jones, in going
TO his room, did not leave any word about
being called.
No more was thought of the strange ac-
tions of the man until to-day, when one of
the chambermaids came down stairs and
asked for the key to JOneS'S room, saying
she wanted 10 get inside. She was told
that Jones had not yet returned his key
20 the office. She made another effort 10
get into the room, but failed. She sent
word down stairs, and two bellbOys and
one of the clerks went upstairs. They
forced the door TO the room. There, lying
on the bed. was Jones. partly dressed.
When the hotel attendants felt JOnes's
body thay found that he had been dead for
some time. His face and neck had grown
purple. Coroner Brayton was called in,
and be decided that the man had died from
the effects or the acid, taken with suicidal
intent: The body was turned over TO Rem
Than & Blackwell, undertakers.
A CINCINNATI MAN.
It is the suppOsition of the management
OF the hotel that the mans right name
was James Ashman. Yesterday afternoon
a telephone message from Cincinnati was
received at the hotel. The Cincinnati man
asked If there was a man named James
Ashman registered at the hotel. This was
some time before the body was discovered.
The clerk who answered the telephone re-
piled that there was no such name on the
book The Cincinnati man said his own
name was Otto-the remainder of the name
could not be understood. He said he had
q brothsr-in-law named James Ashman.
who left Gncinnati Friday morning for
indianapolis. He said Ashman, before
leaving Cincinnati. made the statement
that he intended going to Indianapolis and
killing himself. The clerk told the man
that James Ashman was not at the hotel.
Nothing more was thought of the oc-
opened, about an hour later. The clerk who
was talking 20 the brother-in-law at Gin
cinnatt hurried to the telephone and got
the long-dlStance operator at Cincinnati.
He asked her to try and get the man he
was talking with about an hour previous.
BY a stroke OF good fortune the Cincinnati
man was located. The hotel clerk asked
the description OF the missing James Ash
man, and IL cOrresponded with the dead
man above stairs. The Cincinnati man
-.N1 - - nrm~A eAa& ~ -
eide was his brother-in-law. He said he
would leave Cincinnati on the mex train
60 claim the body.
BROTHER-IN-LAw ARRIVES.
Robert C. Otto. brother-in-law of James
Ashman, arrived from Cincinnati this
morning at 1880 o'clock. He went imme-
diately 10 the undertaking rooms of REM
han & Blackwell and identified the remains
as those of his brother-in-law. Otto was
reticent about Ashman's affairs. He said
he did not understand what motive Ash
man had for killing himself. He said as
far as he knew his relations at home had
been OF the best. He said he was mar
rfed three years ago Ashman had always
appeared TO be an industrious fellow. He
worked for a long time as a reporter on one
OF the Cincinnati papers and was connect
ed with IL when he left Cincinnati on his
mission OF death. He said he did not know
that Ashman drank liquor 10 any extent
other than TO indulge in a social glass of
peer. ne SdlQ Asnman purchased the pol
son from a druggist named Downing. at
the corner OF Race and Sixth streets. He
purchased eight ounces of the acid. he said.
In AShman's clothes were two tickets on
the Union Traction Company's line, one
for Anderson and the other for Muncie.
1t was said Ashman had purchased the
tickets expecting 10 go TO one of these
towns. The clothes he wore were of good
texture. He was neatly dressed. He was
thirty-eight years old. but looked younger.
Mr.. Otto will take the remains back to
Cincinnati this morning. Ashman leaves
a widow and one child.