The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-06
Well Known Druggist in Fit of Dependency Takes a
 Desc of Morphine
HAD ACTED PECULIARLY
 FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS
All Efforts of His Friends and Fellow Workers Could Not Rouse HIm From Gloom-Funeral at
 Montgomery.

After registering under an assumed name at the Colonial hotel in a successful effort to prevent friends from interfering with his purpose of self-destruction, !. P. Ledbetter of Wood1awn, drug clerk for the Patton-Pope Drug company. ended his life with morphine, at late hour Wednesday night
 MT Ledbetter was in a temporarily mentally unbalanced condition for several days, and refusing the aid and sympathy or friends and conhdants, he exercised a cunning peculiar to the insane, eluded watchers who were detailed to guard him, and ended his life twenty-four hours be- lore 1t was known that he was dead.
 Seemed Depressed and Gloomy.
 Mir Ledbetter who was only 87 years of age, and who bears an excellent repu- tation among those who knew him, was noticed to be acting queerly during Tues day. He was depressed and gloomy, and no efforts of his co-workers were suc- cessful in cheering him. He asked leave of absence from his work at o'clock in the afternon and left the store. Lit tie Is known of the subsequent actions of MT. Ledbetter until his reapparance at the store at 9:30 o'clock at night. He. gloomy as in keeping with his tacIturn manner of the past several days, rebufred the friendly advances made by members Of the force, and went to the prescription department on the second floor.
 While MT. Ledbetter was in the store a telephone message was received from his brother-in-law, inquiring as to the whereabouts of the demented man. Led better heard the message as received, and instructed the clerk who was nearest the telephone to state that no one by that name had been in the store. The unfor- tunate man then went into the basement of the building and secured a bottle of morphine He left the store, and was followed by 8 friend, but the latter lost him in the crowds after a block had been traversed.
 May Have Visited Home.
 Mir. Ledbetter went to the Colonial ho- tel at 11;30 o'clock and called for a room. It is supposed that in the meantime he had visited his home in a cab to take a last look at familiar scenes He regis tered under the name of J. c. Johnson of Birmingham, and the name Is as clearly and firmly written as any on the page Of the hotel register. According to the statement of the hotel clerk, MT. Ledbet- ter seemed perfectly normal. He paid for his room, the only vacant apartment in the place. in advance.
 \ e ta ir Tba nesday morning, friends, aided by the po- lice department of the city, were search ing for the man. As he was under an assumed name, and had kept to his room, the clerk did not know that the missing man was In the hotel.
 Upon being asked Wednesday night Tt Ii 80 o'clock for a room by a guest, and as the only room being supposedly va want was that occupied by MT. Ledbetter, the clerk knocked on the door, and look ing in and seeing the body across the bed, thought that the man was sleeping. Yesterday morning, however when d chambermald endeavored to gain entrance to clean up the room the clerk became alarmed and effected entrance from an other door opening into the room.
 Took Drug HypodermicalIy.
 The room was in order. MT. Ledbet- ter's clothes were piled neatly upon chairs and a half empty bottle of morphine was on the table. The body lay across the foot of the bed. As much as twenty-five grains of the narcotic had been taken by the suicide The drug was administered bypodermically in the upper arm and in the shoulder.
 A note bidding farewell to his wife and three children was on the table. The note follows
 Goodbye, opld sweet Aline, Kingdom. George and Imama. You'll all go to heaven, hope. Lord only knows where ]. will go."
 An ambulance was hastily summoned and the body was taken to the under taking parlors of Green & Co. It was identified by a number of receipted bills found in a pocket Friends of the dead man were at once notified. Besides his wife. Mir. Ledbetter leaves two yttle girls. aged and 8 years, and a son, George. aged years. His parents, two brothers and four sisters are residents of 1 Piedmont.
 The body will be taken to Montgom- cry this morning for funeral and burial. MT. Ledbetter had held position with Ne Adams Drug company four years be-
 accepting place, three months ago.
 Patton-Pope Drug company. He
 e.iends here who are naturally