Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-29
BROOKS JONES
TAKES His LIFE
SWALLOWS DOSE. oE CYANIDE
or POTASSIUM
FORMER CAPITALIST BECOMES
VICTIM OF DRINK
Believed Wife Had Deserted Him, but
Letters Show That She Was
Fighting Hard to Save
Him

Brooding over the fact that his wife
and little child apparently had deserted
him. and rendered desperate by his in
ability to conquer his craving for
liquor, Webster Brooks Jones, 38 years
old, committed suicide yesterday morn
ing by swallowing several five-grain
capsules of cyanide of potassium in his
room at the Chautauqua apartment
house, 1881 North Spring street
Brooks JONES' as he was universally
known, was ell known in Los Angeles
and at one time was capitalist of
Bakersfield and proprietor of the Kern
County Abstract company OF that city.
He was nephew of John Jones Of
Webster & Jones, wholesale merchants
of San Francisco in the early days
From this uncle he inherited fortune
which he ran through in few years
In later years his love for strong drink
proved his ruin.
Jones came to Los Angeles from Ar
rowhead Springs g. week ago and rented
q room at the Chautauqua. He was
moody and depressed at all times. Late
Saturday night he sent for his friend,
DIR. r. Howell, who had been treating
him for nervous disorders. About /
o'clock Sunday morning he went out,
leaving Howell in his room. He re-
turned a few minutes later and went
to the bath room. 1t Is thought that
he took one or more of the capsules
then, for he soon fell upon the bed and
lapsed into unconsciousness.
Where he obtained the powerful
poison is not knwon. Howell at once
telephoned to the. central police station.
Ten minutes after Jones was admitted
to the receiving hospital he died with
out recovering consciousness. Police
Surgeons Bonynge and Cook worked
over him without avail, attempts
EoSa afx-af Tor, fnV-n
ing fruitless A slight beating of the
heart was the only sign of life he ex-
hibited after being taken to the hos
pital.
A bottle containing cyanide of potas-
sium in capsules was found In his
room. There was also quart of whisky
from which the cork had been removed,
but the contents were untouched.
Howell said that he knew little or
nothing about Jones. II met him at
Arrowhead where he was acting as
clerk 1 have been doing what / could
for him. He gave me no intimation
that he was about to end his life, and
my first realization that something was
wrong was when he fell over on the
bed
often Inmate of Patton
Jones has been many times an inmate
of Patton asylum as an inebriate. Two
weeks ago, through. the intercession Of
his wife and of J. M. Beck of Arrow
head Springs, he was released and de-
termined to make a new start In life.
Beck procured him clerical position
at the springs, which he held for a
short time. At that time his wife, who
was a Miss Mcclure, was staying at
the Hayward hotel with their 4-year-
old daughter. She wrote affectionate
letters to him and promised him money.
A week ago he came to Los Angeles,
expecting to find her. She had gone
to San Francisco and taken the child
with her.
Mrs. Jones had several times talked
of obtaining a divorce, but such action
was never taken At the very last 1t
appears by her letters to him that they
were on the best of terms, and that she
was doing all in her power to aid him
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