The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-06
SHOT HIMSELF
IN THE TEMPLE.
Frank B. Walker Committed
Suicide Yesterday.
ALL DETAILS ARRANGED
Dependency Believed to Be
Cause of Deed.
ALL DETAILS ARRANGED

Frank B. Walker. "A years Of age, COM
mitted suicide some time yesterday morn
ming by shooting himself through the
head with a 3s-calibre Smith & Wesson
revolver, at his home, 625 South Main
street The bullet entered the brain a
little distance back of the right temple
and came out a quarter of an inch in
front and just at the top Of the left ear.
Death came almost instantly. He was
lying on the bed in his room in the north
west corner of the house and died with
out a struggle of any kind. He evidently
lay down on the bed and placed the re-
volver TO his head. steadying it with his
left hand, and pulled the trigger. There
was no movement of any kind except the
hands dropping down by his side.
He was found by his wife a few min
utes before o'clock. She arose half
hour earlier and prepared breakfast and
as her husband did not get UP she went
to call him. Going to the door she spoke
but receiving no answer opened the door
and saw her husband lying on the bed,
his head in a pool of blood. She uttered
one scream and then tainted. Neighbors
soon came and she was taken care of.
She was delirious nearly all day yester-
day and last night, but in her rational
moments she upbraided herself and her
relatives for what she believed was the
cause of her husband death, desponden-
cy. She has been under the care of a
physician all day and night and when
last reported was still in a very precarious
condition.
The only theory advanced for Mr.
Walker killing himself is dependency
over business matters. He can not be
called wealthy, but he owned considerable
property, both residence and business, and
had money in the bank. He had been
fairly successful in all business ventures,
but little more than year ago he sold
out his business In Marysyille, Kan. and
came to Wichita, hoping to go into bust
ness here, but ever since coming to Wich-
tia everything he had attempted failed,
and this made him respondent He pur-
chased a half interest in a grocery store
on South Lawrence avenue from what
he supposed to be a fair-minded man.
In making the invoice he found that his
prospective partner was charging him
full price for an old stock Of merchan-
disc. He refused to go into that business
Last winter he became a partner in what
promised to be a very successful enter.
prise-spice mills and extract factory
but after operating this a few weeks
it was found that the chemist and fore
man of the mills were not capable of
charging the business and making it
profitable for three men, so he sold his
interest. The contract had been signed
for Mr.. Walkers purchase of the Games
grocery stock and business on North
Main street and the invoice was to have
been made the latter part Of this week,
Mr.. Walker expecting to take charge of
the business in a short time.
The two business ventures which turned
out almost failures made him worry
great deal, though his wife often told
him not TO think so much about them,
and this worry is given as the cause Of
his shooting himself He worried so much
about his affairs that at times 1t seemed
as If his mind were affected and it is
supposed that during one Of these periods
he determined TO end his life.
Mr.. Walker had carefully planned every
detail of the suicide. He had purchased
a new revolver, which. apparently. had
never been used before. He put on clean
clothes. washed his hands and face and
turned back the covers of the bed before
he lay down TO shoot himself He wrote
a short note to his wife. telling her that
he was tired of the worry and would
end his life, and he wrote q check for
little more than $4,000. payable 10 his
wife.
The note was written in a vest pocket
notebook and was as follows:
My Dear Stella: could not stand II
longer TO see you worry so much. I hope
you will be happy now. Take good care
Of dear, bright Frances and good, little
Paul.
I want all my money and property to
go to YOU. I make check for money in
bank to you.
Forgive and forget. Goodbye.
FRANK B. WALKER.
God bless you all
Turning over two pages. was found
the following note to his relatives:
Dear Father. Mother Sister and
Brothers: I wish you all happiness AID
success. FRANK"
Mr.. Walker, his wife and two children
went to the home of his sister. Mrs. II
c. Meeker Monday evening. They had
a very pleasant evening and he zce,7cd
to be as jolly and in as soo1 spirits - ~
any time They returned non,e alnut 10
o'clock. Mrs Walker ami the ,hiilrtn
retiring 10 bed in one room f. the solth-
east part Of the house and Mr. walker
10 his own room ia the northwest corner
That was the last time he was seen alive.
Mrs Walker had no intimation Of her
husbands intentions and did not know
Of the deed until several hours after II
was done. She says she heard door
slam about midnight. but that IS the
only noise she heard. Not one q the
neighbors heard the pistol shot. Coroner
McConister believes that Ms Walker
heard the pistol shot instead Of the door
and that il was at that tir1e Mr.. Walker
ended his life.
As soon as the neighbors heard Mrs.
Walker scream when she FOUND the body.
they ran 10 the house and some Of them