Arizona republican., 1907-09-11
TOOK POISON
BABE FAREWELL
The Suicide of Joe Ward
a Pharmacist
His Persistent Refusal To
Accept Relief rendered
at the Last Moment.

I TOOK poison, good bye, send me
home" My death trap in rear of
Miller drug store, Joe. Saw it building.
Telegram stolen"
Those were the last two messages
left by Joseph Ward, a man of about
50 years, a pharmacist who was found
dead at his room in the Hardwick ho-
To- yesterday morning about, 1890, the
result of strychnine taken with sui
cidal intent The body was found by
Pedro Flores, an employee in the II. l..
Boehmer drug store, where Ward had
teen given temporary work the pre-
Vious day. He at once communicated
With the proper authorities and jury
was impaneled and before Coroner
tombstone held an inquest about II
O'Clock and a verdict rendered in ac-
Cordance with the evidence.
The suicide came here on Saturday
and applied to DR. Boehmer for work
He had the best of recommendations
from the Western Wholesale Drug
house in Los Angeles and held a ter
ritorial certificate For two years he
had been in charge of the Carr drug
store at Jerome While Mr.. Car and
wife vert in the east At the time Ward
applied for a position, Mr.. Boehmer
related at the inquest, that he NEEDED
a man but had written to two men and
could not give him "a definite answer
till he heard from them. Ward came
in several times afterward and talked
The matter over with DR.. Boehmer.
Monday morning the latter was not
feeling we'll and decided to leave the
80.
man and so called up Ward at the
hotel and asked him To come and work
for the day. Ward did so and ap-
peared in good spirits all morning and
Pedro Flores. who watched him about
the work and told Mr.. Boehmer later
in the day that he appeared TO know
his business.
In the afternoon he wrote a couple
of letters. About o'clock a messenger
boy came into the store and delivered |
to Ward presumably a notice that there
was money for him at the Western |
Union office. IL was not a telegram !
according to those about the store who I
saw the paper. 1t is said that he had !
been looking for money for two or
three days and appeared to be very
much Worried because he had not re-
ceived a-'- word from Los Angeles. !
where he had telegraphed for funds I
1t is said by those about the store that !
he had but a few cents left. Shortly |
after receiving the message at til, ,
drug store it was noticed that he was
mere agitated about something than !
usual and was seen to write a note on
small piede Of paper. which was
probably the first quoted above. He
then wrote another letter and was
very anxious that the three he had
written should be mailed. The mes
sage he had received or some note
possibly he folded up in an envelope
and placed in his coat pocket and told !
the hoy at the store 70 not let him /
forget II.
short after this. about 80. he be f.
came very nervous and twitched at
the slightest sound. and soon began to I
complain Of pains in his head and
stomach. He would not listen TO tn I
suggestion that doctor be called but |
said that he would be all right in a !
little while. 1t was suspected that he I
had possibly taken some kind Of
dope" habit which he NAV have /.
had. He kept getting Worse and at
$50 DIR. Hawley was set FOR and Sandy I
Huntington with his cab. but Ward I
did not want to go to his room. /
Leave me alone" he said repeatedly /
and wanted to remain at the
store all night. However, he was
made to enter the cab and taken to his
room. DIR. Hawley remained with him /.
till near II o'clock but Ward refused /
to take the medicine prescribed by the (,
doctor, spilling il out OF the spoon. DR. /,
Hawley inquired of him what he p
been taking. Ward replied that h had
eaten some mutton that day and II
had made him sick. The doctor did
not believe this and told him he knew
better: that he had been using some
kind OF dope. Ward said that he had
taken some glycerine. bismuth. car
bolic acid FOR indigestion or ptomaine
poisoning. He finally admitted 'r9'
he - ne was hi~ custom three times
a day. taken the Goth of a grain of
strychn'nn
Doctor Hawlev was called again at
$50 in the morning and found Ward
suffering. but he still refused To take
any medicine and did not appear to
have enough dope in him to cause
death. DIR. Hawley said yesterday
that he stayed with him an hour and
he was positive that he would come
out OF the effect of the poison. which
was causing the muscular commissions
IL he had not later taken another
large measure of the strychnine
Stephen Crandall at tho Hardwick was
probably the last person who saw