The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-04
DEATH OF BROWN
INVESTIGATED
Pittsburg's Recorder Was Taken
of Suddenly.
EITHER SUICIDE OR MURDER
INVESTIGATION OF coRoNER,s
JURY.

DITTsBURG. July S-The investiga-
ton by the coroner as to the cause
Of the death OF The late Recorder
]. o. Brown was resumed today. Miss
Susie Mclean. a member of the fam
lily with whom Mr.. Brown boarded ana
in whose home he died, testified that
Mr.. Brown was decidedly i'll when he
returned home from New York on
March Is. After breakfast he Law down
10 take a sleep, and when the time
came for him to go to his office we
could not awaken him. I teIephoned
Or. Mckelvey and told him Mr.. Brown
was lying in a stupor as a result OF
taking trional powders. The doctor
replied: There's nothing to do but let
him sleep il off. Take all Of the DOW
ders and medicine and his revolver out
Of his room"
Doctors Instructions.
The witness then related how the re-
Voiver was removed. and how, when
the box that had contained the trionaI
powders WAS found, It was empty. Ii
had contained fifteen powders. DR..
Mckelvey called TO see him the next
DAY. He gave Instructions again that
all medicine and drugs were TO be re-
moved from the room and that Mr.
Brown was not to be left alone at any
time. Some time after the doctor left
Mr.. Brown made an attempt to get
the witness to go 20 the cellar after
hthia water. Her sister had been sent
out of the room by Mr.. Brown on the
pretense that he wanted a baked ap-
pie. The witness would not leave. but
finally Mr.. Brown induced her TO leave
She went out into the hallway and
watched him. He went TO drawer
in a bureau and took out small box
The witness went in and after a strug-
gle with him, in which ne displayed
unusual strength, got the box from
MIN. She noticed the word cyanide"
on the box.
Premeditated Suicide.
Miss Mclean told al length how Mr..
Brown tried to get her and others out
Of the room, and she said that once
when she pretended to withdraw she
saw him go to where the revolver had
been kept and make a search appar-
entity, for it. Later he was permitted
to go into another room where a re-
vOlver had also been kept. and he made
hunt there for a revolver.
His keys, the witness went on to say,
had been taken from him on Saturday,
so that he could not get into drawers
where he was supposed to have drugs.
On Sunday he was so much better it
was believed his tranquility of mind
was restored. He asked for his keys
and they We're given 20 him. He was
left alone at times during Sunday. The
witness gave Mr.. Brown his last dose
at 2.15 p. m. Sunday. 1t was strych-
nine. he was seemingly recovering
then. but about 3 o'clock he fell into
a stUpOr and died at 4 o'clock.
While it was not stated by the wit
ness the inference was that Brown had
secured poison during the moment
when he was left alone in the room.
Miss Nettie Mclean told a story sim
liar to that related by her sister.
Threats of Suicide.
The witness told of Mr. Browns go
ing into her room and searching where
he knew she kept a revolver. He
cOaXed her to give him a revolver, but
she got him to sleep. She said to her
mother later in the day. on Sunday:
1T viii be all over by midnight"
Have you cause to think that Nj
Brown committed suicide2" asked the
coroner
Yes. sir, have the witness an
swered.
What cause have yOu?"
DIR. McKelvey's instructions to re-
move drugs and the revolver from his
ROOM" was the reply. while ne was
trying to get his revolver on Saturday
he said he would be dead before mid
night"
Did he ever say to you that he
wanted to die?"
eyes, he did. About two weeks be
/ fore he died.
l The coroner then ordered an ad-
( jOurnment until July 10