Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-19
PROMINENT PULPIT ORATOR
Il Believe Christ Died for Uttermost
Man." His Death Message.
DON'T CARE TO LIVE, HE WROTE
Financial Secretary of Syracuse Uni
versity, in Room of Utica Hotel,
Shoots Self to Death.

UTICA, N. Y. August 19-The Rev.
James Duane Phelps of Syracuse. financial
secretary of Syracuse University. COM
mitted suicide early this morning in his
room at the Wurz Hotel by shooting.
A revolver and cartridges. which he
carried to the hotel with him, and a
note, written on the paper in which the
weapon had been wrapped, gave con-
elusive evidence that DR.. Phelps act was
deliberate.
The body was discovered about $50
o'clock this morning by the son Of Joseph
Wurz, proprietor of the hotel. who saw
the head and shoulders of a man pro-
truding from window on the top floor
Of the building. The lad called to Mrs.
Thomas Chantry, who lives next door.
Woman Discovers Deed.
The woman Immediately dashed into the
hotel and up the stairs to the room from
the window Of which the body was hang
ing. She tried to render aid. not knowing
the man was already dead.
Later she recalled having heard a crash
about o'clock in the night. The noise
awakened her, she said, and she thought
at the time it was of crashing glass. 1t
Is probable the report of the pistol when
discharged awakened her. and that the
body Of the man falling through the win
dow was the crash she heard
Wurz, the hotel proprietor, Immediately
summoned a physician and the two pro-
ceed to the top floor Of the hotel and fore
ed the door of the room in which Phelps
had killed himself
The bed had been placed against the
lay indicated that the clergyman stood
not far from the window when he
placed the muzzle of the revolver in his
mouth and pulled the trigger with his
thumb. The revolver still clung to his
thumb when his body was found.
Only one chamber was discharged. On
the dresser nearby stood a box OF cart
ridges. The box was full save for the
six cartridges necessary to fill the
chambers of the revolver.
Dead Mans Last Message.
On the piece Of green wrapping paper
which had inclosed the revolver anu
the cartridges when he brought them
into the hotel was written In a firm
hand in four lines this message:
My name is ]. D. Phelps of Syracuse.
1 have done this because I did not care to
live. Still. believe Christ died for the
uttermOst man."
The coroner took charge Of the revolver,
the box of cartridges. some papers in the
dead mans pockets, gold watch and
card case containing three $40 bills and
two 81 bills, and a number Of visiting
cards.
There was also a card of the Northern
Christian Advocate. dated July l. 1903.
stating that Phelps was a correspondent
OF the Advocate, and which bore the sig
nature Of Bennett E. Titus, manager OF
the paper.
Titus was i'm Utica and was notified. On
his arrival at the undertaking parlors.
where the body was taken, he said he was
not surprised at DR.. Phelps suicide.
Insane for Months.
He said the clergyman had been melan-
choly for some time, and that in his opn-
ion. Dr. Phelps had been insane for sew
eral months. Aside from this, nothing is
known here as to a motive which would
have prompted the suicide.
DR.. Phelps was about sixty years old
and one of the foremost Methodist
preachers in the state of New York.
He was a member Of the tennessee
conference and had filled many leading
pulpits in Buffalo and the cities of CEN
trail New York.
For the past ten years or over DIR.
Phelps had been connected with SYRIA
cuse University. For several summers
past he had directed the work Of the
Methodist Institute at Thousand Islands
Park.