The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-07
STRANGE NAN
TOOK POISON
IN OKLAHOMA
Swallowed Two Ounces of
Strong Acid.
IDENTITY IS UNKNOWN
Nothing Been Learned From
Friends or Relatives.

Guthrie. o. T., Jan. s--Okiahoma city's
| first suicide for the new year occurred
| al the European hotel on South Broad
way at about o'clock Sunday. says the
Oklahoran.
An ordinarily vel ldrcssed man, with
black hair and moustache. entered the
| ONCE of the European. a; about o'clock
Saturday night and registered as II l.
Royallien. but making no ADDRESS entry
/ opposite his name.
Wilbur Shepard. the night clerk, as
signed the stranger to room, and later
the guest left the hotel to go out in
town
At some time about 800 in the morn
ing Royaiiien returned to the hotel and
entered his room.
Some minutes later Mr. Shepard heard
| some one groaning. and going out into
ating from the room occupied By Royal-
| fen.
Proceeding to the door Of the room Mr.
Shepard stopped in front of 1t and lis
tened. and there was no abatement of the
distressing sounds
Calling the name of the inmate OF the
room. the clerk knocked at the door.
No response came 20 his ear. the clerk
rext tried 10 enter the room. but found
the door locked.
Believing the guest to be suffering in
tenseiy and perhaps delirous. Mr. Shep-
ard next summoned DIR. G. S. Petit. who
has apartments at the European
DR.. Petit lifted the night clerk asains.
the door and he clamored over the tran
som. unlocking the door and permitting
the doctor TO enter
They found Royallien lying on the bed
in the throes Of death. BY his side on
the bed was water glass and nearby
we're two empty ounce bottles bearing the
Inscription "Hydrocyanic acid" While
three drops of this nowerful drug will
XII anyone. 1t appeared evident that the
man who then lay sroaning on the bed
had poured two ounces of the poisonous
acid into a glass and swallowed il with
suicidal intent.
Dr. Petit stated at the coroners in
quest that the man breathed twelve
times after himself and the hotel clerk
reached the room. but it was too late to
DO anything for him.
Coroner Street was summoned. and
after calling a jury, arranging for the
inquest to be held at p. m. had the
body removed TO the morgue at Street
Harper's undertaking establishment
When the inquest was held no addi-
tional light was thrown upon the case
and the jury rendered the following YER
dict:
I'VE, the jury. find that II. E. Royailien
came TO his death by taking a poisonous
dose of hydrocyanic acid with suicidal
intent"
The coroner's jury was composed of c.
". Shepard. F. II Hart, Cowan Kirby.
j L. Paschai. W. F. Dabbs and 4. III.
baldwin.
The suicide looked TO be a man between
o. and 40 years Of age, weighing perhaps
l50 pounds and had only the thumb and
small finger of his right hand; the Other
fingers and a portion of the hand having
been smputated at some time following
an accident in which the hand was in
jured
The undertaken stated that the deceased
was atured IN fresh laundercd under
clothing and had perhaps just taken a
bath.
Little can be learned about the deceased
except that he frequently was seen in
the gambling houses and Of late had been
in hard luck. 1t vas also stated that he
was winner at the table some days ago
and sent away 500 by mail TO some rela-
tive or friend
The remains will be held at the morgue
for a tine in the hope that some relative
of the deceased viii be heard from. other
wise the body viii be buried by the
county.