Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-05
C. NJ. Mitchell, of This City
Blows Out Brains Before
Crowd in Des Moines
KNEELs; FIRES; DIES INSTANTLY
Before a Throns in Des Moines Street
Car Transfer Station Late Monday
Afternoon, Mitchell Takes His Life
Had Destroyed Every vestise Of
Letters and Effects Kept Here.

and waiting room of the Des Moines
City railway. late Monday afternoon,
C. M. Mitchell, book agent of this
city, knelt before a seat, placed IS
caliber revolver to his head, and blew
out his brains, dying Instantly Tha
end was most dramatic, and several OF
the women passengers tainted at the
sight. The Identity Of the man was Ia
cilitated by the presence of Sheriff G.
| S. Hutson, who happened to be at the
station on his way to Knoxville with
Frank Aud. Hutson recognized the
man Immediately.
Mitchell has made his headquarters
in this citysfor little over two years,
living at, the stoddart. He had been
making the town for eighteen or TWEEN
ty years, andfw here. off and on, but
not to call this city his headquarters.
He sold many works ontihistory, travel
and law, handling the encyclopedia of
Iowa law, edited by Judge q. G. Eber-
sole, of Toledo. He was not, however.
a regular employe OF the Ebersole Pub
fishing company, but handled the works
on commissions
Burned All His Effects:
Mitchell was in the city for the last
time on Sunday, February "a. On the
night preceding, it has now been
learned, he took all OF his effects, let
ters, papers, photographs andslittle be-
longings to the boiler room OF the
Stoddart, and sat in front of the fur
mace until every scrap was destroyed.
The only thing found Monday night at
the Stoddart that had belonged to the
man was an old overcoat that he had
probably overlooked. The pockets of
the garment contained nothing what
ever. Because of his efforts and APP
parent anxiety to destroy everything
he possessed. would lead one to believe
that the man had preineditated the
tragedy Of Monday and wanted to leave
no traces of his whereabouts behind.
Was a Queer Fellow.
Mitchell was a queer fellow, to say
the least ard has always been con-
sidered odd by the management an6
guests at the Stoddart. He was hard
to approach, uncommunicative to a
fault, and always appeared rnorose and
| Respondent. In fact, on his last visi,
| here, he said that he had never been
so despondentain his life He said thai
he was being followed by bad luck ane
had had bad luck all his life. He drank
considerably. but used beer exclusive
/ ly, so far as known. A number of the
people at the Stoddart have suspected
that the man was addicted to the use
OF some drug, but this is not definitely
| known.
Worried Over Relatives Sickness.
For several months, In fact nearly al
winter, Mitchell had expressed extreme
worry over THE serious illness of GER
tain relatives and friends. Telephone
messages were received while in the
city several times. and each time a cal
came Mitchell appeared to be more de-
pressed. Several of his phone calls
were from Waterloo. si
But littletor nothing is known Of the
mans relatives, and it is not believed
that he has any very near of kin
| Judge Ebersole states that he had be-
lieved for years that Mitchell was
slightly deranged, and that he had un-
derstood there was a trace of heredl-
tary insanity in his family.
Mitchell was a man OF slightly more
than ordinary size, tall and somewhat
portly, and wore a dark naustache. He
was of sallow complexion, altho did
not appear to be "a man in poor health
He was a frequent visitor to the T.-R
office, coming ito talk over book
schemes and propositions, and it was
always noticed that he lacked concen-
tra'tion ON any subject he. preached. He
was always rambling in his CONVERSE
ton and seldom possessed any con-
tinuity of thought.
Coroner Ne.wlan, of Polk county, has
secured the names of several eye wit
nesses to the tragedy, whom he will
subpoena as witnesses before the in
quest.
Mitchell had about SIS on his person
when the clothing was searched. He
should have been wearing diamond
stud of considerable value, as was his
custom. He is known to have left his
Stoddart bill unpaid here, and at the
time of his death he was indebted to a
Des Moines hotel.