The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-08
DOUBT If IT WAS
SUICIDE OR
ACCIDENT
Authorities Differ Over
Smiths Death--P Police Say
Due to Slot Gas Meter.

Doubt exists whether William Wal
ter Smith. about 80 years old, who was
found dead in his bed at 20 Burnet
street yesterday afternoon with the gas
turned on, committed suicide or was
the victim of an accident. County Ply
sician Elliott now believes Smith
caused his own death, though he had
some doubts yesterday, but Captain
Brown, of the Second Police Precinct,
is inclined to believe that death was
due to the use of a slot gas meter,
Smith having left the gas turned on
when he went to bed. Afterwards the
supply became exhausted and the
flame from the jet went out. When
the supply of gas was replenished the
gas escaped from the open jet.
h house in which Smith lived Is q
furnished room establishment con-
Quoted by Mrs. Clara Stevens. She
denies that death was due to the
meter and is much disconnected over
the death, the second in six months
that has occurred in her house by gas.
The first one, the police say. was a
case of accident. Mrs. Stevens denies
that it was. but today she sale that the
two deaths have upset her so much
that she intends to have the slot meter
replaced by old-style ones, so that
there cannot be any doubt about the
matter. The death is the fourth in a
year on the same block, all due to gas.
The reason the police are skeptical
about the suicide theory is that when
Plainclothesman Harmon went to the
house yesterday afternoon soon after
the body was discovered the room
showed no signs of preparation for
suicide.
County Physician Elliott was of that
opinion also until he made an investi-
cation of the mans affairs later, when
he, says he was led to believe that
Smith Intentionally ended his life.
Smiths home was in Williamsburg,
Pa. but he had worked for the West
inghouse General Electric Company at
Pittsburg, and when the plant was
moved to this city several years ago
he came here and worked steadily un-
til several months ago, when the firm
reduced its working force. A few
weeks later he got a position as a
night checker of freight cars in the
Lackawanna Railroad freight yard in
lIolI ~ ollo WI Z luCI6 nf1tll LWo
weeks ago., when he was discharged
for insobriety.
Since hat time he has not been doing
anything. A week ago he pawned
some electricians tools he had for $3.50,
which leads to the belief that he was
hard up at the time of his death. A
position as q cook was offered him
last week on an ocean steamship, and
he W. t0aIit,od IN a0oont ~ until Ia OF
Saturday, when he told Mrs. Stevens
that he guessed he would not accept it.
On Monday night he was with a
friend until after midnight playing pool
in a place in Broad street. When he
left about / o'clock yesterday Smith
asked his friend to call for him last
night, an6 his friend said today that
while Smith had taken several drinks
he was not intoxicated.
Mrs. Stevens said she passed Smiths
room about / o'clock yesterday after
noon, but cid. not detect escaping gas.
An hour later she did. Fearing some
thing wrong, she called a neighbor, who
broke open the door, which was fast
ened on the Inside.
Or. ID. A. Kraker, who lives nearby,
was called in and he found that the
man had been dead several hours.
An Investigation of Smiths effects
revealed several letters, one from a
young woman at Williamsburg, Pa,
which related about the disgrace she
was in and waiting for him to do some
thing. Another was from a person who
signed his letters H. H. B., in which
a loan of some money was referred TO.
Smith had a brother-in-law employed
in the Westinghouse Company. When
he was informed of the death he sent a
telegram to Smiths parents at Will
k%insburg, Pa. They will take charge
of the body.