The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-30
TAKES POISON
IN DRUG STORE
j. W. Thomas Fights for Death in
Crowd.
LOSES MONEY GAMBLING
INVITES MEN TO DRINK AND AN
NOUNCES INTENTION.

". THOMAS. d solicitor for the
Union Savings & Investmen Co.
fought fierceIy for death and won
his battle in the midst Of a horror
Drug store last evening From
a Commercial street gambling
house he walked down stairs into 2
barroom. where he announced his in
tention to commit suicide. He bur
ried 10 the store; bought two ounces of
carbolic acid at the prescription coun-
/ ter and swallowed it as soon he got
the bottle. After a terrific struggle
with William Leary, clerk in Judge
DlehlS police court who tried 10 ad-
RED INTO the open air. There. on the
shoulders of six men. with a morbid
crowd pressing his bearers almost off
their feet. he gasped his last.
His wife Is in the city U-p to an
early hour this morning she had
heard nothing of the tragedy
Lost Some Money Gambling.
Yesterday afternoon he pawned a
bicycle. Last evening he left a crap
I table in one of the Commercial street
gambling houses with an oath on his
lips He had lost nearly all of the few
dollars he had brought with him.
Then Thomas invited three strangers
l.
outside he told these guests:
m going TO commit suicide
tried morphine once They pumped me
out, - them This time III take
the carbOlic route
The men were telling the bartender
about 1t when he reached Smiths DRUG
store.
That place was crowded. The usual
evening crowd of women was at the
SOFA fountain. Men and women stood
along the counters and at the door
W ay, awaiting their hOmeward cars.
Takes Poison in Store.
Thomas walked TO the Drescrintion
counter at the east end OF the store
lie bought two ounces Of carbOIic acid
w T. CoHman. the prescription clerk
waited on him. Thomas said ne
wanted the poison for antiseptic pur-
poses. As he got the labeled bottle
Ihomas threw TO the clerk a leather
wallet He raised the bottle to his
lpS- Conman knocked il to the floor
out Thomas had swallowed its CON
tents Cofman rushed around the
counter. Selling a bottle Of sweet oil as
he ran
I.eary was at the cash register. He saw
what mad happened and ran to Thomas
clerk aad tried to raise 1t 10 Thomas Inns
= 81 ming fI oaths' Thomas knocked Leary
- YOU. I'm going to die ne shouted.
- l-5'itFL rose and cItnched with the frcn-
I'm going 10 die and YOU ean-f sion
me me, ne yelled and ended with a pro-
Leary. handicapped by the weight Of the
6lS bottle Of OIL called for help. but pan
9emonlum was reigning and half dozen
pair as they fought.
Struggled to Die.
1t was desperate struggle. Leary is a
IarEe man and quick. but the Easpiug
victim of his own mania was too powerful
Tor him They made their way. locked in
one another's arms. to the front end OF
ing for doctors.
Thomas reached the threshold when pa
trolman Thomas Miner appeared Miner
and, several others raised Thomas from
the floor TO which he had fallen and
TO police station and other officers came.
These fought 70 keep back the fast
IaIntef ana ne gdSpeG for breath. When
Drs- Myers and Narian arrived only "A
FEW moments after ne had taken the poi
I son the man was practically dead. Hy-
poderm1c injections were administered by
the physicians. who worked in the midst
OF a thrOng who fought their wav mast
the squad OF blue-cOared policemen and
ieaDed on one another's shoulders 70 see
the sweat-covered face This whitened
and grew rigid beneath the rays Of the
arc lights and when the part0l wagon
arrived it had corpse to bear away.
Has Been Gambler for Years.
taking esta blishment- Examination of the
personal effects showed only ; cents cash.
An ElkS' lodge card from Boulder, Colo.
showed the name
From the proprietor and night man Of
the Red Onion gambling house IL was
learned that Thomas has been frequent
ing the place for some time past. He
never had money Of any amount He fire.
QUently played on stakes furnished by
others. sometimes by men in the house,
though he was never on the payroll He
is supposed by the gambling house people
10 be about - years Of age The night
man knew him years ago in Omaha. Neb-
He was then in the habit Of frequentinE
gambling places. He never drank hard.
but last evening had been drinking He
played at the crap table and lost several
dollars. This is thought to have been
obtained from pawEing a bicycle in n
Commercial street brokers' establishment
Thomas IS known to have a wife but
her residence could not be learned last
night Coroner Dana T Smith was called
and took charge of the body and effects
Thomas has been employed by the
Union Savings < Investment company as
solicitor for several weeks. ID. J. Williams.
general manager Of the company says
Thomas brought in but little business. He
came TO Salt Lake from Denver. and Mr..
Williams was under the impression that
his wife had either died or separated from
him in Colorado.