Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-31
FOLLOWS HER
IN SUICIDE
FRIEND OF GIRL WHO KILLED
HERSELF ENDS HIS LIFE
DEEP MYSTERY IN DEATH OF
ACTRESS AND MAN FRIEND
Amos r. Rumbaugh, Summoned t
Tell What He Knew of Laura
Matthew'S Death, Fires
Bullet Into Brain
BY Associated Press.

| by Associated fTees
COLORADO SPRINGS, July 9O.-Amos
R. Rumbaugh of Washington, D. c., a
close friend of Miss Laura Matthews, the
young actress who committed suicide near
Broadmoor Sunday night, added horror
and mystery to the grewsome case by
| shooting himself through the head this
| afternoon in the same manner adopted
by Miss Matthews, dying later in the
| hospital.
Rumbaugh committed the act in his
| room at the Alta Vista hotel. The hour
when the fatal shot was fired is not
known, as 1t was not heard by any one
| in the hotel, and the deed was discovered
| only when officers went to his room to
ascertain why he had not responded to
the subpoena to attend the coroner's In
quest over Miss Matthews body today.
| When the officers appeared at the hotel
| a bell boy was sent to Rumbaugh's room
! to see what was the matter. The boy
| found the door locked and could get no
| response.
The officers asked that the door be
opened, but the key was on the inside
and another could not be inserted in the
lock. An officer was boosted up to the
transom and looked in and the spectacle
he saw was horrifying.
| Rumbaugh was reclining on the edge OF
the bed and his brains had oozed out
onto the floor. His body was nude. A
hasty examination showed that the man
was still alive and he was taken to
| hospital, but all efforts to save him were
fruitless.
That the act of Rumbaugh was the di-
rect result of the death of Miss Matthews
is not doubted. He was to have appeared
this afternoon as a witness at the coro-
ner's inquest to tell what he knew of his
| friends ira Ric ending,
Knew Actress Well
Rumbaugh claimed to be but a chance
acquaintance of the girl, but it develops
that he knew her in Chicago and also
knew c. A. Coey the wealthy Chicagoan
| and DR.. H. A. Thomas of the '101'' ranch.
He was frequently member of parties
| at which Miss Matthews and the other
men referred to were members.
Rumbaugh was the one who accom-
panied Miss Green, the nurse, to the iiV-
cry stable about 8 o'clock Monday morn
ing to see If the actress horse had re-
| turned 1t was he who sent the tele-
gram to Coey demanding that he do the
| right thing by the girl and 1t was with
| him that Miss Matthews left the letter
in which was enclosed another letter TO
i Coey.
i The officers have not yet had time to
! examine RumbaN&h's papers and effects
and the coroner had his room locked. If
Rumbaugh did not destroy the letter left
him by Miss Matthews, together with the
! letter to Coey, it is believed they will
show startling facts that may entangle
many people of prominence. The telegram
sent by Rumbaugh to Coey Monday morn
ing, taken in the light of his suicide,
has more meaning than before. 1t was
as follows:
Laura committed suicide on account of
atf 1aff hahind. Send S3OU at
once for expenses"
The police officers say that the letter
shows that Rumbaugh knew Coey well
enough to speak to him of Laura" and
threaten him.
Rumbaugh was about 2S years old and
was a son of a wealthy Washington, ID.
c.. family. A service medal of honor
shows that he served with distinction in
the Tenth Pennsylvania infantry in the
Philippines.
Nurse Testifes
At the coroners inquest held over the
remains of Miss Matthews several sem
sational facts were developed today
Miss Green, the nurse who has been
Miss Matthews companion while In Col
orado Springs, was the principal W.T.
ness She admitted having written sew
eral letters to friends of Miss Matthews
In Chicago and elsewhere, stating that
Laura had taken her life after making
"a hard battle" 1t developed that these
letters were written before she had been
informed of the finding of Miss Mat
thews' body. She explained this by say
ing she had anticipated such an event.
One of the letters written by Miss Green
is as follows:
INV Dear Tot: Poor little Laura has
ended her hard battle she has tried to
fight She shot herself tonight. Home
al oil hn
been a severe nervous strain, but must
keep up to make arrangements. Sin
cerely, TlLLY.
This letter was not addressed, but is
supposed to have been intended for some
person in Chicago.
Miss Green also testified that several
DAYS ago she and Miss Matthews visited
a local undertaking establishment and
Miss Matthews selected casket and
remarked: This is the kind of casket
wish to be buried in"
Miss Green swore that DR.. H. e.
Thomas, whose name has been men
toned in the case, was merely good |
friend of Miss Matthews and was not |
involved in the case in any way.
She declared that Miss Matthews was
not in delicate condition.
Late tonight it was learned through |
a guest of the hotel where Miss Mat |
thews was registered that she feared |
Rumbaugh, who was infatuated with
her.
She is said to have told acquaint-
ances that she was afraid to go back
late at night to the hotel for fear her
admirer would blow her brains out
as she passed North Park.
Miss Tillie Green, who came here
with Miss Matthews and who has acted
in the capacity of nurse, is under po-
lice surveillance pending the findings
of the inquest.
Miss Green declares she knows moth
ing of Coey's relations with Miss Mat
thews. With regard to Rumbaugh's at
tempted suicide this afternoon Miss
Green had the following to say:
"Rumbaugh was desperately in love
with Laura. He had previously told
me that he was engaged to marry her,
that they would go east on their honey
moon, etc. He did not know Coey, but
seemed to take boyish delight In de-
scribing how he would go to Chicago
and parade with his bride in front of
the millionaire manufacturer
when l told Rumbaugh that Laura
had committed suicide he seemed like
one possessed. He swore that he would
go to Chicago and kill Coey and his
entire motive from that on until his
suicide seemed to be that of revenge
m i