The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-21
LAY DEAD
ALLALOVE
MANY HOURS
j. a. Love the Victim Of Of
a Gas Stove.
! FOUND F,,, LlFELESS
AT VALLE:N|', I !, ] NTlNE !, I i E: HOUSE y T:
Every Indication That His IS
Death Was Accidental. !,
WAS .A MERCHANT OF
MECKLENBURG COUNTY !, \ 4 7
Game to Richmond 70 Purchase Goods
Evidently Turned on the Wrong Yet NJ
il Lighting the Gas and Failed 70 I'M
Turnit. Of F,aln' and Was Found
at 8 O'clock Yester-
day Afternoon.
Every Indication That His lis
Death Was Accidental.
WAS a MERCHANT OF 8
MECKLENBURG COUNTY

In n room reeking with escaped gas
man, supposed to be Joseph 4. Love, g Q.
NIecklenburg countyRmerchant, was found
dead iii bed yesterday a fternoon at the
5Nalent tine House, in8this city
The case is clearly one Of death by
.asphyxiution, though whether accidental,
or otherwise cannot. OF course With accu.
5racy be said. Indications, however, seem
TO s,lbstantiatc the belief that IGNORANCE
(, OF az peculiar arrangement of gas fx-
lures Is the sole cause Of the tragedy
"a thorough investigation Of the circum--5
stances develops nothing which would
establish a theory Of suicide. s
$4538 CAME THURSDAY NIGHT.
#G3 The residence Of the dead man at he
Valentine House dated from Thursday
evening. About t 10 $50 o'clock that tight
he entered the place and engaged arooln
for a nights lodging, for which he paid
In advance From all accounts he es-l
pected to leaveEthc next morning, ard
he did not even make arrangements to
get his breakfast. t5 .s
The stranger was dressed In a suit Of
black: 10 register is keptEat the house
and he proprietor did not u%inQuIre
the name and occupation Of the lodger.
The mar was Mt once shown to his room
and nothing more was seen or heard Of
him until he was found dead. .s 3 e
DOOR WAS LOCKED. &.
About 10 o'clock yesterday morning a
tchnmbermaid went to the room, u, hit
found the door locked Frequently When
strangers come in late at night they
sleep late. and no movement was made
to- disturb the slllmberer. Throughout
the day nothing was. seen or heard of tho
man, and twas supposed that he had
gotten up and gone about his business
The next visit made to the room he occu-
pied was In the afternoon at s O'clock
when the chambarmaid went again this
time to clean up. The door was still
locked and the circumstances wero noted
with suspicion.
The woman peered through the kew
hole. but could see nothing. The view
was obstructed by the key sticking in
on the other side. faint odor Of gas
could be detected and this at once con-
snrmed the suspicion aroused By tie
locked door. a skeleton key was used
to remove the other and the door was
finally opened.
When the rush OF gas permitted those
on the outside TO enter Il ghastly sight
met their eyes. Stretched upon he bed,
with his mouth open and his hands out
spread, lay the lodger of the night before.
evidently been so for some hours.
s5 THE GAS TURNED ON.
IAN Investigation soon revealed the
cause for the condition OF the man, The
gas pipe in the room serves double
purpose heating and lighting. There Is
attached to It a jet and also pipe
which communicates with a Eas stove
The stove and the Jet have independent
stop-cocks. 1t was from the stove that
the deadly gas was coming. NV Ea4
The probable course of events can only
be guessed at, but the accepted theory
easily accounts for what followed The
man evidently entered N the room and
reached up to light the gas. lie turned
on the stove, but finding that that didn'l
work he turned the other and lighted
tho Jet, The stop-cock to the stove he
left open, After completing his ar-
rangements for the night, which owing
4 10 tho lateness Of the hour were proba-
bly briefly disposed Of II the man ma ~ turned ne
from tho stove was still escaping, and
it it Continued to do so throughout the
night, The man went peacefully OF
~