Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-11-03
BULLET ENDED ALL
Suicide of S. 0. Payne
Sometime Yesterday
Shot Himself Through the Head-Pre
sumably Despondent Over Heavy
Losses by Gambling.

s o. Payne committed suicide some
time yesterday between the hours of
a. m. and p. m. by, shooting him
self through the head, in his room on
Madison street, two doors west of
Second street.
The building in which he roomed is
owned by Antoine Gold who rents fur
nished rooms. Mr.. Payne was a day
sleeper and 1t has been the custom of
Mr.. Gold to call him every evening at
. o'clock. 1t is known that Mr.. Payne
retired to his room about Z O'Clock
yesterday morning. Nothing further
was seen OF him till o'clock when Mr.
Gold went to call him and on enter
ing the room he beheld a shocking
spectacle. Closing the door he at once
reported the circumstance to Marshal
Kinney who took charge of the situa-
tIon while Officer Andrews summoned
Coroner burnett.
The coroner and jury viewed the re-
mains and postponed further action
iill To-Day. The dead man was found
lying on his left side with his left hand
hanging over the edge of the bed. His
right arm Was at his side the hand
resting lightly on the handle OF a IL
calihre six shooter The ball had
entered the head on the right side a
little above The ear and passed out
little back of the left ear. buryinG
itself in the feather pillow on which
his head rested. The bullet was found
in almost perfect shape having been
hut slightly blunted in passing through
The skull.
Mr.. Payne was a man about forty
years old and but little has been learn
ed thus far concerning his relatives
or early 'iife. other than that he was
born in Texas, presumably Lamar
county. He has a sister named Mrs.
James Jeffries who lives in Minter.
Lamar county. Texas and is said to
have a brother in the same section OF
country. The sister was wired last
night and funeral arrangements will
be suspended pending advices from
her. His private affairs have been
kept closely. but few being taken into
his confidence. though in all other mat
ters he was a man of unusually open
and frank manner, genial to a notable
degree. in the best of repute among his
fellows and having a wide friendship
throughout the city. He was a memer
of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, hav-
ing been the first district deputy of the
local lodge on the occasion of its or
ganization. His funeral. or the dis
position OF the body will be under the
auspices Of that order.
There is naturally much speculation
rs to what prompted Mr.. Payne to end
his life so tragically but it seems to
be the general belief tina it was dc
spondency over losses at gambling. He
was q part owner of the games in the
pisvat
was somewhat under the influence of
liquor He seldom gambled himself.
He played part of the time Sunday
night against his own games and part
of the time against others but luck was
against him. 1t is a matter of report
that he had lost about S2.50C during
the night, which he had borrowed from
the games on tickets, his credit, of
course. being good and it being d GUS
tom among sporting men TO deal with
paper rather than writing checks as the
hours go by. When he went home ne
a $500 deposit he had in the
safe, paid over to the games and said
he would straighten up the other in
dehtedness in the morning.
While no one knows definitely at this
time what his resources were the
theory is that he did pot have enough
money to square his Indebtedness and
becoming respondent ended it all with
4 bullet IL the slop jar in his room
was found the ashes of a number of
letters but i is not believed the let
ters had anything to do with the case
other than they were from personal
friends and he .did not want them to
fall into the hands of others who could
have no interest in them.
Mr.. Payne has lived in Phoenix about
five years. He was of good appearance,
large of stature, rather feshy and al
together man of sunny and compan-
ionable disposition. He never boasted
of his virtue but those who knew him
best say that he was man given to
many charities, known to but few.