The daily sentinel. [volume] (Grand Junction, Colo.) 1893-current, 1906-05-28
RAILROAD FIREMAN SUICIDES.
Wen Known Railroad Man Takes His
Life Yesterday Noon-Leavcs
No Statement of Cause.

William Wilson, Denver and Rio
Grande fireman. and a veteran of
the famous battle of San Juan hill.
during fit of insanity shot himself
through the head and died Instant
ly at his home at 1856 Chipeta ave-
nue. yesterday noun. The bullet en-
tered the right temple piercing the
brain and emerged from the opposite
side just above and little to the
front of the right ear.
No communication was left by the
deceased showing that the act had
been premeditated and only the
nervous breakdown from overwork
which the members of his family had
feared for several months was COM
ing upon him can be assigned by
them as a cause for the act. The de-
ceased had been In i'll health for
about three months and had been
feeling particularly i'll during the
past week. He came in on the en-
CINE of train No. Saturday noon
going to bed after dinner and slept
most of the afternoon. awaking in
the evening in time to take a walk
down the street with his wife and
little daughter. He was expecting
at the time to go out on the engine
OF train No. 4. which leaves early
Sunday morning, but later that even
ing he complained of feeling much
worse and went down to the depot
to get a lay on from one trip TO
spend Sunday with his family and
rest up. He returned about ten o.
clock seemingly In good spirits but
his wife noticed that he did not seem
to rest well during the night and he
did not arise with the rest of the
family in the morning.
About twelve O'Clock noon he
arose. and without dressing went
from his own room through the kit
chen where his wife was dressing his
little daughter. into the room ad-
joining belonging to his fater-in-law
Peter Smith where he secured Mr..
Smiths gun which he found after
rumaging around in his dresser draw
er. without saving a word to his
wife and child he passed them the
second time on his way to his own
room where. standing in front of the
dresser mirror he placed the revolt
yer to his temple and fired. The bull
let passed clear through his head
and striking the wall of the room, he
fell to the floor The gun dropped
out of his hand to the floor and he
fell on his back lying at full length.
The muZzle OF the gun was held so
close to the head that the hair was
badly singed by the burning powder.
Mr.. Wilson was born thirty-one
years ago in a little college town call
ed Normal outside of Lincoln, Neb.,
where he went to school and spent
the early years of his life. Coming to
Grand Junction some years ago after
| having served as a soldier during the
! Spanish-American war. he entered
| the employ of the Denver and Rio
Grande company as fireman always
being ambitious to become an engi-
neer. In 1908 he married Miss De-
| liza Smith. who at that time had been
! keeping house for her father Peter
Smith a well known railroad man
of this city. Mr.. Wilson has always
been ambitious to become an engi-
neer and just recently passed n very
difficult examination in a very credit
able manner and was awaiting his
turn to be assigned to an engine.
NJ. Wilson was a popular man in
the brotherhood of Railroad Fire
men and the local Masonic lodge TO
which he belonged, and the sudden
news of his death was a great shock
to all of the friends and nelghbors OF
the family.
Mr.. Smith, father-in-law of the de-
ceased said that they had not yet
ascertained the amount of his insur-
ance but that he was told by several
railroad men that Mr.. Wilson had