Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-19
STORY OF RAPID RUN DOWN HILL
Details of s~Ieunian's Life Before and
After MeettnH Woman,

tim he tried to induce the woman whom
he had schooled in extravaganza to be con-
tent with less. but she had learned the les
son too well; she found It impossible TO
curb her expensive tastes.
Week before last sleuman took Miss Hart
to Kansas City and they registered at one
or the leading hotels as man and wife. re-
naming there for a week, living in luxury.
On that trip he tried to prevail upon Miss
hart 10 loosen her clutches upon him. His
methods of action were unique. He re-
Vealed something of his uneasy state OF
mind to a friend last Wednesday. whom
he invited to a popular cafe for dinner and
to whom he opened his heart.
i had rooms in that Kansas CITY hotel
costing me 50 a day and we were fairly
throwing the money to the winds" sleu-
man told this friend. ~ had got sick NJ
this sort of thing and told the little girl We
would have to stop. She seemed utterly
insensible to the amount Of money 7 was
spending on her and yet she was costing
me from s70n to $1,000 a month.
Il tried to show here by comparison how
e~Ntravagantly we were living. I asked her
to go with me on to st. Louis. where 7
could take her to a place and get our
breakfast for 5 cents. I wanted TO contrast
that sort Of living with what we had At the
" hotel in Kansas City, but she wouldn't
go. Then I begged her to take an automo-
ole ride with me out about thirty-fIve
miles northeast OF Kansas City to the old
tarm where used TO work day in and dav
out and where I lived a descent, simple
lte' but again she refused"
Hinted at Suicide.
And then sleuman stopped short in his
CONFIDENTIAL narrative to his friend, look
ing him straight in the eye.
But. -" calling his friend by name,
win all that fine time we had in Kansas
CITY that week 1t didn't. cost me a cent"
he exclaimed, not a cent! That was once
when 1 got from under"
And then he laughed in derision.
Didn't cost YOU a cent, at 50 a davY"
asked his friend in surprise. What do
you mean? Who paid for it?'
MY heirs" replied sleuman quickly and
in a low tone of voice.
To another friend sIeuman, about the
time. remarked:
Il may die with my boots on, but never
broke"
There were two or three men who ware
not surprised when the news that he had
taken his own life came out.
That day while Sleuman was entertainine
his confidential friend at the cafe A woman
sitting at a table opposite them came over
TO sleuman' table and asked him ~ he
pay that dress bill OF $72 now p"
why certainly replied Sleuman. ,.ss
well now as any time and took out hts
checkbook and wrote the woman a check
for the amount. ~
That was to pay for one Of Miss Hart.s
he told this friend.
fought Home for Girl.
me nome at 1904 Burdette street. wh era
the murder and suicide occurred ,vo,,II
nave been Miss Harris had she lived an
mis- confidential friend Of SIeuman's saw.
Sleuman told him that same dav AT H.
care That he had bought the interest An
the nome owned by john 8. Hart the
fts lather' who now lives In Lincoln.
ahu taken a mortgage on the home, but
intended TO turn 1t over to her. He said
the father knew Of their relations ana
he bought the nome to get the old mar
away." maj"
Sleuman said he had spent some a. oon
the home. Wv
Mrs. Sleuman, IL il understood hao.uo
ware or her husbands duplicity and Ieft
nm while they were making their home
II the Rome. Efforts at reconciliation NV
friends and relatives were unayaIltnT
betrayed a desire some tima sSo
% make up" with his wife, a most es-
Unable woman, but last Wednesday he
old this friend that he knew he wouId
lever see his wife again.
It's TOO late now ever to make IN"
10 SAID 1 nave treated her too mean
Man OF Much Wealth.
MI Sleuman was q wealthy man. Aside
ms bucket shop business in omaha
le owned a vast amount of good Nebraska
arming land out In the state. mostly an
he neighborhood of Trumbuu and Hsst'
nss' A banker in Omaha made this state
nent:
We had occasion to look into his at-
airs about a year and a half ago ana
I mat time found him to be worth about
'e'OoO or $4,000. Since then he has had
osses and gains and / don't know which
las amounted to the most It would bs
IttIe difficult to make an estimat of
circumstances OF a man in his busi-
iess. l should say, however, 70 be safe
nat ne was worth at least $50, 900. That
5 the smallest l would make 1t. I might
II $4,000 and still be none too
So far as l know he has had no
erious financial trouble. lie was. OF
curse a fast liver and spender. as the
aging Is"
story Of Life, :
mere Is a statement given to The Bee :
y a man who had known Mr.. sleuman !
or man ~years-known him intimately
cen associated with him in business and !
ocial ways: {
MT sieuman was a peculiar man. He !
'as OF a radical turn OF mind. He would !
o Just as far In one direction as he
In another, He was a man OF fads Z
'heh he lived at Trumbull he was the !
nost prominent man in the Methodist '
hureh there and when he moved To Z
hastings he continued his activity in
hureh affairs. being equally as Jealous c
M enthusiastic In that work as he had :
yer been In the grain business or IN !
utomobiling or even In vice afterwards" I
One day Mr.. Sleuman embarked in the :
ueket shop business In Hastings That Z