Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-08-23
Mysterious Shooting Occurred in
West Second South Store at
1890 Last Night
SUICIDE OR MURDER, WHICH /?
Two Shots Fired and Revolver Found
underDead Mans Body While
Hand Grasped Pen,
Snlclde or murder?

Suicide or murder?
This question Ia being asked today
with reference to the death Of Wilford
A. $. virmilion, a young Druggist
whose place Of business was at 5li
west second South street Ills death
occurred about 1880 o'clock last night
lie was found lying behind a prescrip-
ton case with a bullet IN his brain. He
was alive when found, but died within
a few seconds,
At The police department, from the
chief " police down, the opinion pre-
walls that Virmillion committed suicide
The coroner is inclined to the theory
OF toul play
From an The facts IN the case, learned
SO FAR, the suicide theory Is The most
reasonable,
the Young man was found lying be-
hind the prescription case. IN ms lell
hand was a fountain PEN Nh-
der his body was % calloer
revolver, of cheap make rom
when Two shots had eYldenuy oeei,
recently fired one Of the shots hed
crashed into the cash register. Inc ON
cr entered the young mans race at w
side OF the nose and lodged III the
main uis face was powder burned,
proving concluslvely that the shol was
nred AT extremely close range,
There ,Was absolutely no evidence OF
a struggle.
II the case was one Of murder rob-
berry was not the motive.
the cash box had not been disturbed
In the least. The dead mans hnanClu
affairs were In good CONDITION me
rear door TO the building VAS securely
locked. and. according to the police 1t
would have been utterly impossible Tor
anyone TO leave the building without
being seen after the shots we're tred'
young man who roomed upstairs healu
both shots, and almost before the echo
of the first died away, he was down
stairs and he declares that he looked
carefully IN and down the street and
saw no one,
The cash receipts, amounting to
something like 81 for the day, had been
made up and placed in the cash box,
with the exception Of 1920, which was
left In the TIL for change. Not q cent
was taken,
AAt first it was said that he was
involved IN financial troubles
that his father Judge j. $, Vir-
million of Dillon Mont, had given
his son money, and that young Yirmil-
lion was ashamed to meet his father
because Of his inability to explain mat
ters. This was the story first crculpt-
ed. But his friends declare that Viz
million was not In. any financial diflicul-
ty Dr. r. j. r. ATLAS, who knew Vir-
million well. says that the dead man
had more money on hand than he real
a. a. In,
good shape and that his receipts av-
eraged from SIS to $50 per day. Yester-
day Vlrmillion paid $500 tQ the Nedon
drug company
G. W. Dallon, who was college chum
Of the dead man, says that Mr. Virmll-
ion was sober a hard worker not gly-
EN- TO any bad habits and was moral IN
every respect. The dead mans friends
believe II a case OF suicide, but like the
retectlVes, they are az 81 loss to find a
motive for the rash act
Just before his death. the unfortu-
nate druggist had been writing a let
ter 20 friend named Maynard, who is
now at college In San Francisco. The
letter was In the showcase, but had
not been addressed II was an invita-
ton 'or Maynard To visit Salt Lake. II
was written with fountain pen. which
was in the dead mans left hand when
his body was found.
Virmlllion had been sleeping IN
back room OF the store There was n
door leading out doors from this room.
but Il was found securely locked with
key and bolt. so that Il would have
been impossible for any ono to have
left By that way. The dead mans
sister says she has been IN the habit
Of making nm his bed every day. and
that several times she noticed the re-
Nolver either undor the pillow or on
q shelf near the bed. She idcntineu
the revolver found under tho body.
The FIRST person ON the scene after
the shots were fred was Charles peter-
son, who rooms upstairs Ilo saws
he heard two shots In rapid succession
Ills iirst thought was Of a hold up. he
ran quickly down short flight o.
stairs and into the street lie says he
looked carefully up and down the street
but saw 20 one. lie then went into
the drug store and called for Vlrnij
lion, but receiving no answer no went
behind the prescription case and thpra
found the druggist Tho latter was
still alive, and his Inns moved as though
he wanted 10 speak But not "a sound
escaped his lips, In a few seconds ne
was dead
Or Hazel was sent for but before
he arrived, The man was dead. Peter
ron Is positive that he would have seen
any one leaving the place after the
shots we're fred
Severa persons residing I'm the neigh
horhood beard the shots and looked I'm
me street, hut so far no one has been
found who saw any one leaving the
Today the police have made care