, 1904-04-19
INQUEST
SHOWS THAT CONTRACTOR BASS
CAME To HIS DEATH FROM
WOUND SElF-iNFLIcTED.
Bullet Fired Into the Mouth from a Re-
voIver of ~Thirty-Two Hundradths
CaIibre, and Death Mas ~instantan-
eous-Shot Heard BY Brakeman
and Sheriff Cook.

N
llcan went to press at Ais, developed
that Mr.. Bass killed himself about the
time the freight train stopped, with or
ders received from the chief dispatch
er at Cheyenne to take the man aboard
and bring him to Laramie, and just a
few seconds before the arrival of Sher-
if Cook and Under Sheriff Yund, the
former Of whom heard the pistol shot.
The jury consisted of R. E. Fitch, s.. A.
Crawford and William Matheson, and
Justice of the Peace NJ. N. Grant acted
as coroner. The jury examined the
body at STRIKERS morgue and found
that the bullet, 80 calibre in size, had
ed under the scalp in. the rear portion
Of the head, where it could be felt
through the hair. Death was almost
instantaneous. one of the brakemen of
the freight train and Sheriff Cook no.
ticing a motion of the lower jaw only
after they arrived at the Frustrated
body.
1t was determined from the evidence
of Engineer Frank P. Myerly, Fireman
Alonzo C. Davis, Brakeman Charles
Stevenson and John A. Washer n
Conductor William H. Stewart, who
were in charge Of extra w~est-bound
freight train No. 1928, with the engine
of the same number. that MIR. Bass had
been lying on a pile of ties on the east
side of the track, on the side of an en-
bankment, with his feet toward the
track and the pistol pointing away
from the right of way. He had raised
himself to his knees and fired h bull
let into his mouth, falling backward
End leaving the knees doubled up I'M
derneath the body. The pistol lay near
one knee with only one chamber dis
charged.
The conductor and one Of the brake
men were the first to reach the form
of the unfortunate contractor. They
did not touch it, and in the absence Of
any knowledge of the near proximity
of Sheriff Cook, Mr.. Stewart had asked
Mr.. Washer to remain near the body
until he could come to town and notify
the officers. Sheriff Cook appeared Ut
this moment and had the body placed
in an empty box car and brought to
the city, where it was received at the
freight depot by Undertaken Stryker
and conveyed to the morgue.
, The trainmen said that they had re-
ceived an order at Sherman to watch
out for the man who had been acting
queerly and who had been reported
from Laramie to the chief dispatcher
at Cheyenne. Both the engineer and
fireman saw Bass lying beside the
track at the point where the body was
found and the engineer brought the
train to a standstill, the caboose with
in about 200 feet of the spot. Before
any of the crew could reach him he
had shot himself.
Mr.. Cook when he was told Of the
matter by Mr.. Kellett, the engineer Of
the passengertrain under whose engine
Bass had sought death, and had re-
ceived a description Of the man from
the train brakeman. fastened at once
to the scene being firmly convinced
that the stranger was none other than
Bass, who had threatened to take his
own life. He arrived less than a min
ute after the fatal bullet had been fired.
Last night Sheriff Cook telegraphed
to Moscow, Idaho, to Mrs. Bass. in
forming her of the death OF her hus-
band, but was told by the operator at
that office that Mrs. Bass had started
that morning for Laramie. Arrange
ments for the funeral will depend upon
her orders.
Hundreds of friends Of the deceased
were inexpressibly shocked when the
news Of his demise reached them
through the columns of The Republi-
can in less than two hours after the
sad occurrence. Many Of them were
not surprised. they said, Is Mr.. Bass
had not been himself for some days
and had threatened on more than one
occasion to take his own life. They
had hoped that the few days he had
been restrained and under the care of
a physician would bring him out Of
the terrible At Of dependency. but the
m~inistrations Of the officials and ply
sicians failed to effect the desired end.