Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-26
Former Legislator ann Editor,
Recently Released From In
sane Asylum, Kills Himself
With knife He Borrowed.
WAS ON HIS WAY
TO ATTEND TRIAL OF
WIFE'S DIVORCE SUIT
Ends His Life in Presence of Conduc-
tor After Having Inflicted Stab
Wound Beneath Heart and Was
Being Helped to Feet.
Especial Dispatch to The Jour1aL)

SAVANNAH, Ga, March 25.-While the
Central of Georgia train. No. 4, was on
its way from Atlanta to Savannah and
had reached Toomsboro early this morn
ing at 2:5O, George H. Bell OF Swains-
boro, former representative IN the state
legislature, committed suicide by cutting
his throat, after having inflicted stan
wound slightly beneath the heart
The act was committed in the Srescncs
of Conductor Robert L. Brake. who.
| though standing beside the unfortunate
man, was unable to prevent the suicide.
/ Bell had previous to the coming of the
conductor stabbed himself Der cath the
heart and was lying upon the floor of the
smoking compartment of a coach when
found by the conductor.
Used Pocket Knife
Thinking that the man had suffered
from a hermorrhage, Conductor Brake
lifted him from the floor and placed him
upon seat and while standing up after
his effort was astounded to see Bell take
| a pocketknife and pull it across his throat
/ from left TO right and Immediately unde.
the jawbone.
Bell sank into a collapse imnled.atoiy.
and expired at once. An examination OF
/ the body showed the stab under TIE.
heart from which he had bled profusaly,
though the evidences were covered by his
clothing The body was kept on the train
/ Until Wadley was reached and from
there sent to swainsboro to his reIa-
tives
That Bell intended suicide after he
/ left Macon is undoubted. He had pur-
| chased ticket from Atlanta to SWANS
boro and was due to change trains at
! Wadley for his destination.
Borrowed Passengers Knife
He first occupied seat inNthe smok-
| ing car, where he was found when the
conductor went to take up tickets Bell
was slpeeing apparently and though an
/ attempt was made to rouse him he
| seemed in such a state that the con-
| ductor refrained from further inconven-
| fencing him and returned to the other
| coaches without troubling him any more.
/ At the time his actions had been no.
/ ticed by several on the train and were
/ thought queer.
After the conductor had left him Bell
| went into another coach and asked q
| passenger to lend him a knife with
which to peel an orange, which loan was
| readily made. He went to the smoking
| compartment OF another car, and ii was
! there that he stabbed himself in the
| proximity Of the heart. When the con-
| ductor again passed through the coaches
| to collect tickets he found Bell lying
/ upon the floor and the suicide followed
] as described.
Going to Divorce Trial
Bells movements after ne was picked
up from the floor and placed upon the
seat were so unexpected that Conductor
Brake had no opportunity to interfere
/ before the suicide had been accomplished.
/ Bell has only recently been given his
| liberty from the state sanitarilIm and
was on his way to Swainsboro to attend
the divorce proceedings instituted against
81 I,xr1 hi rrrffo
| It is presumed that the impending suit
and the fact that his mind had been pre-
viously unbalanced are the direct causes
| of the suicide.
One month ago, to the day. George
Bell was released from the state asylum
after a sensational fight. in which he
was aided by Mrs. Blanche Burton.
former actress, now the wife Of a wealthy
Indianapolis man, whom Bell had once
befriended.
In his petition for release from the
asylum Bell contended that he had been
I illegally held. From the beginning of his
| fight he claimed that he was kidnapped
without having been regularly and legal
ly adjudged insane.
He was placed in the asylum on April
( IS, 1906 He was given his release Feb
ruary %, 1909.
Several weeks ago Mrs. Bell, who Is now
a stenographer at Waycross, filed suit
for divorce. alleging cruelty. Bell an
nounced that he wouI1 not take any legal
steps to contest the suit, nor would he
oppose her taking their only child. Mrs.
Bell is prominently connected with one
Of the best families in the state.
During his confinement in the asylum,
Bell wrote a number of articles to the
newspapers of the state, which attracted
great attention. In these articles he
claimed that he was illegally committed
IoII = ~r~faF
and should be released. He was a bril-
liant writer, and hundreds of people, az
ter reading his letters, were apparently
convinced that he was sane.
One of these articles attracted the at
tention of Mrs. Rlanch Burton, whom
he had once befriended, and she determ
ined to help him. She was aided by hon
L. ]. Kilburn and w. d. Mcneil, a
well known lawyer of Macon. Mr.. Kill
BURN was a colleague of Bell when ne
was a member of the legislature. Mrs
Burton was visiting in Macon at the ffr1e
she enlisted her efforts in behalf Of Bel.
Bell was arraigned for hearing at Nil
ledgeville some weeks ago. but was 81
its conclusion sent back to the asylum.
Not discourag ed, friends of Bell sent 10
work and By habeas corpus proceedings
succeeded in having the case again
brought up. This time the hearing Was
before Judge Lewis at GreensDorc, 49,
ordered Bell to be held for 30 days AM
then RELEASED unless legal steps wers taxi
en- The asylum authorities. however, at
once freed the former legislator.
IntOxicants Caused Insanity?
Bell was termed ''paranoiac" and de-
cIared to be suffering from delusional
insanity by Superintendent Jones of the
state sanitarium, and Drs. Green and
Little attending physicians
1t was brought out in their testimony