The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-05-19
TAKES HIS OWN LIFE.
Maj. IL. FRANK WILSON KILLED
HIMSELF THIS MORNING.
Shot Himself Through the Head in
His Office I'm the Court HOuse-.Iis
Aged Father Was Seated i'm Next
Room Reading the Morning Paper
No Explanation of the Suicide.

Maj. III. Frank Wilson, master in
equity of Sumter County, committed
| suicide at $3.50 o'clock this morning
in his office in the Court House. by
shooting himself in the right temple
with a 44-calibre revolver. death be-
ing practically instantaneous. A mo-
ment before he killed himself he had
been talking with his aged father. Mr..
r. +. Wilson, of Mayesville, and leav-
ipg him seated in the large office went
into the fireproof record vault. closing
the door after him, and immediately
shot himself. The report of the pis-
tol startled Mr.. b. F. Wilson. who ran
to the vault but found the door lock.
ed. He then hastened out into the
corridor and called Clerk of Court L,
|. Parrott and Judge of Probate r. f.
Richardson, telling them that he fear
ed his son had killed himself. The
vault door was opened as quickly as
possible, and Maj. Wilson was found
lying dead on the floor. with wound
In the right side Of his head and q pis-
tol on the floor beside him. That the
suicide was a deliberate act, was in
dicated by the fact that Mai. Wilson
had removed his hat, placing it on a
table and on top Of the hat laid his
spectacles which he wore habitually.
DR.. j. A. Mood, who was Mai. Will
sons physician was summoned and
Coroner Flowers notified and after
they arrived and viewed the body It
was removed to the Craig Furniture
Co.'S undertaking department to be
prepared for burial.
The inquest was held at the Craig
Furniture Co., as soon as a jury could
be summoned. The only witnesses
examined We're DR.. j. A. Mood, Mr.. T.
E. Richardson and Mr.. L. I. Parrott
DR.. Mood described the wound and
stated that death was instantaneous
tilted to being called to Maj. Wilson's
office by his father, Mr.. B. F.. Wilson,
and as to their opening the vault door
and finding Maj. Wilson dead on the
floor. Mr.. B. F. Wilson who Is in his
seventy-ninth year, was completely
snnstrung by the terrible tragedy, was
too greatly prostrated to appear at
the inquest and It was not thought
necessary to adjourn the inquest until
he was able to testify. The jury de-
liberated only a few minutes and rem
dered verdict that the deceased
came to his death from a pistol shot
wound inflicted by his own hand.
There is no known motive for the
suicide, and no explanation except
that Maj Wilson had been in i'll
health for the past few years and re-
Gently had been i'm a depressed and
melancholy state of mind. During the
past few days he had been more ner-
vous and depressed than usual but
yesterday he went to Marion on legal
business, and his father and Col. r. d.
Lee who accompanied him, did not
observe anything strange in his con-
duct, nor did ne appear excited this
morning. But In the light of the sad
occurrence this morning several incl
dents in his conduct recently. which
were not regarded seriously at the
time. indicate that he has been men
tally unbalanced at times for weeks.
Or perhaps longer.
The tragic end of Mai Wilson was
a terrible shock to the entire COM
munity and has saddened the hearts
.o' hundreds. For more than a quar-
ter Of century he has been resi-
dent of this city and one of Sumter's
most prominent and popular citizens.
Endowed by nature with bright
mind. which he had cultivated by
wide readinss and study he was fitted
to be leader in any community in
which he resided. 1t is dificult-al-
most impossible--to write of him as
we wish, i'm the present circumstances
his taking off being so sudden, SO
unexpected and so ineXpressibly sad
He will he missed and he will be re-
membered for what he was and not
for the tragic end that was his fate.
He is survived by his father. three
brothers, Rev. Il. +. Wilson, of Har-
risonburg. Va, Mr. Flynn Wilson. of
Texas, and Mr. Bradley Wilson. Of
Mayesville; three sisters, Mrs. II. L.
Shaw, of Fountain, :. c., Mrs. Price
and Miss Rebecca Wilson, both mis-
sionaries in China.
Henry Franklin Wilson, son of Ben