The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-02
SAD ENDING
Of VISITOR
shoots Himself Through
Head New Years
Morning.

| Depressed probably to dementia by
| physical troubles, William s. Hancock
committed suicide at the Hawaiian
Hotel about II o clock yesterday morn
ing. He used pistol and sent bull
| let through his head, shattering his
skull in a terrible manner. When
| found he was at the point of death. a
45-caliber Colt pistol was lying on his
breast and a small mirror on the right
side of the bed near his hand.
A Chinese servant called Hancock at
| 10 o'clock, when he got up and told
| the servant to come back in half an
| hour, when he would be at breakfast,
| to make up the room. The boy return
ed a few minutes before IL O'Clock and
discovered Hancock lying on the bed
in pool of blood. One chamber boy
ran Immediately to the cottage. of DIR.
Walters on the premises, while another
one went TO the office and reported to
the chief clerk what he had seen. The
clerk supposing it was a femorrhage
of the lungs also rushed to cali DIR.
Walters. Although going to the mans
room at once, the doctor was only in
time TO see Hancock give few dying
gasps. He saw at once that it was
a case of a pistol shot through the
brain. The result OF the wound was
interesting from the fact that five
bones were fractured-both, parietal,
both temporal and the frontal.
DR.. Walters directed the hotel clerk
to send at once for Deputy Sheriff
Chillingworth, which was done and the
Deputy Sheriff on arrival took charge
of the body. He was soon followed
by High Sheriff Brown with coro-
ner's jury, which viewed the body and
adjourned until 1890 today. The body
was then turned over to H II. VIII
liams, undertaken.
Some of the fellow passengers Of
Hancock in the Ventura occupied
rooms in the same cottage with him
and had teen chatting on the veranda
since 9 o'clock that morning until the
time of the tragedy. When asked
about a pistol report, they stated they
must have heard one but supposed it
to have been from a large irecracker
such as those that were going off ali
morning. They were greatly shocked
when they heard from the servants
what had happened in the room direct
ly over their heads. These gentle
men had seen Hancock at midnight
previous. when he was out to see the
New Years Eve celebration. He then
had a pistol in his hand. which he fired
off as if taking part in the racket all
over town.
On Wednesday last Col. Macfarlane
advised Hancock to go to Kona IN the
next Mauna Loa for the benefit OF his
lungs. Allan Herbert had also adj
vised him the same way. His reply
was that climate could do him no good.
as his stomach was all gone and he
had no one to blame but himself. The
only physician Hancock had consulted
was DR.. Nobltt, who promised tc give
him consultation but did not find OPP
portunity for it.
Hancock arrived here in the steamer
Ventura about two weeks ago, regis |
tering from New Orleans. He was in |
bad health from heart, lung and stom-
ach troubles, and addicted to both |
cigarettes and morphine. In his room |
after he had done for himself, the |
stumps Of twenty-eight cigarettes were |
found strewed around. His effects |
were in great confusion and he had
destroyed all letters and photographs
in his possession by consigning tham |
to the hotel kitchen stove on New |
Years eve.
A wardrobe of clothes pertaining TO
4 gentleman of good position was left
by the dead man. AT his death he
was dressed in pajamas. People who
became acquainted with him on his
voyage hither and since his arrival
speak kindly of Hancock's general de-
neanor and disposition. He gave his
age as p years