The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-10
HELD UP HIS FRIEND
Then to Escape Arrest John
McAtee Committed Suicide.

AHOu u ESCAPE AEEcSe JOHH
McAtee Committed Suicide.
Kansas City, Nov. 10.-When Police
men Dyer and Coughlin called at the
boarding house. 1898 Washington StreeT,
to arrest John McAtee, "a years old. on
a charge of attempted highway robbery.
they discovered that the man bad ars-
arrest had fired a bullet from 81
calibre revolver into his brain from tie
right side Of his head and was dead
from the self-inflicted wound.
The discovery was made after the Off
GERS had broken open the barred door OF
McAtee's room on the third floor. They
found the man they expected to take
prisoner dressed in his Undertaking.
lying across the bed in a pool of blood
In his right hand which rested on his
abdomen. was the pistol.
Boarders occupying adjoining rooms
recalled having heard an unusual sound
shortly after midnight. and it is as
sumed that the noise they heard was
the firing of the pistol. Deputy Coroner
WSeeler was summoned. and he made
an examination of McAtee's effects On
the back of an envelope the following
directions in lead pencil were written:
In case Of accident please notify my
mother, Mrs. ]. Long, S29 Seventh street,
Louisville Ky"
The writing was somewhat blurred.
indicating that it had been written some
time ago and carried by the deceased in
his pockets.
A letter. bearing no date, and ad-
/ dressed, ready for mailing. to Mrs. ].
! Long, 829 Seventh street, Louisville. KY.
was also found in his room. The letter
was evidently written while McAtee was
I in the last throes of renorse. and while
being remindful of the fact that he was
being hunted by the police. The letter
-ee5:
My Dear Mother-No matter what
may happen I still remain your erring
! bit loving Please forgive 2 nd for
get, mother dear. and think of me as
/ used to be before I got to be so bad. l
send you and Minnie all my love
7 owe sallie c.. you know who
I mean, Bessie's sister. and Charley
k, the first one 1925 and the other
SS7-don't pay any of the rest They
have been both good, true friends of
mtHe''
Among other correspondence was a
4 letter rom McAtee's mother in which
she took him to task for his extrav
agance. The letter follows:
Louisville, Oct 10, 1902
My Dear Son:-I am very sorry you did
not pay your board as soon as you got
your money You must always pay it the
/ first thing. I do not know what to do;
/ cannot pay what I owe. Mr.. B. says
4 he will sue me. You must support your
| self; you ought to help me, instead OF
! squandering your wages. Inclosed is $50
What did you do with the other SO? Why
]
! hope you will do you say. May the good
Lcrd give you strength to do SO. Your
devoted mother. JULIA LONG.
BY direction of the coroner the body was
sent to Eylar's undertaking rooms, and
! a telegram was sent to the mother in
Louisville. She wired back to have the
body prepared for burial and to wait fur
ther directions.
John McAtee was employed as pay clerk
in the disbursing auditors department of
the Kansas City Southern railway Ninth
and Broadway, and his offense for which
/ the police went to arrest him was of a
sensational character. He had attempted
to rob Frank H. Lane a clerk in the en-
ploy of the same railroad. in the doorway
of Lanes boarding house at 90S Charlotte
street. at early hour Saturday night by
! drawing a revolver and demanding his
money. Between 7 and 7:30 Saturday
night Mr.. Lane was In his room when Nc
Aztec rang the doorbell and asked to see
him. He went to his room. In answer to
/ Lanes remark that he had heard that
| McAtee had been away from his place in
! the railroad office for several days on ac-
count of illness the latter replied that he
/ had been to Louisville to see his mother
who had been quite ill., 1t is known that
McAtee had reported at the office since
November that he was ILL.,
Lane busted himself with his toilet Incl
dentally referring to the fact that two off
fe-ent attempts had been made during the
week by burglars to breal- into the house
| Wednesday morning by breaking out 2
window pane in the kitchen and THURSDAY
morning by knocking out the glass in the
front door Lanes narrative III the two
attempts at burglary did not seem to
arouse much interest in his caller Finally
/ McAtec rose to &C and was followed dGyy.l
/ the stairs to the front door by Lane The
( door was opened by Lane who was de-
scrlbing the way the glass was broken
4 when McAtee suddenly whipped out re
/ yolyer end, pointing the muzzle toward his
1 face. exclaimed
Give me what money YOU have Be
! cuic1-!
/ Lane erasped the hand that held the Dis
4 tol, and the two men engaged in a
struggle. In telling of it Yesterday Lane
says that they fought for ten minutes be-
fore he could disaru McAtee. Lastly from
sheer eXha Hstion. McAtee let go his grasp
on the pistol. leaving it in Lanes hands
/ and ran down the front steps and went in
a northerly direction.
was leaving, said Lane. but / thought
/ he was one of the boys in the office, and
/ I'll let him go
As soon rs Lane recovered from his sur
prise he telephorod the police Of the &C.
/ currence and officers were detailed to
hunt McAtee They were l1nab to get
track of him but it is indirectly learned
/ from several sources that McAtee wan
de~ed about The streets for nours before
/ going to his boarding house and that he
made several attempts to buy poison at
different drug stores on Main street. being
refused on account of his excited condi-
tior.
"SOMETHING DOING