The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-22
James Couch Painfully Points
Pistol at Breast and
Pulls Trigger
HEAVY BALL PASSES
OUT OF MANS BACK
Talking With Friends Takes Re
volver from Pocket and Ends
Life Before Anyone
Can Prevent.

Placing a Colts forty-hye against
his chest. James A. Couch, manager
of the shipping department OF the
j. A. McDonough Liquor Company
at 903 East Cary street. pulled the
trigger and sent ball crashing
through his heart Monday marning
at 1879 +o'clock He never breathed
again. the ball went through his body
as IL II were paper and buried itself
in the wall back of where he Was
standing when he committed the
deed.
Couch fell TO the floor with blood
streaming from a gaping wound over
the heart and a large hole In the back
where the big bali came out after
blowing through his heart.
The deed was done so quickly that
J. =. Bixby and James E. Lewis. two
men who were with him. were unable
to interfere. Rushing to his side IS
soon as he fell, they found that he
had inflicted a mortal wound and
could see that there was no chance
OF his surviving.
suicide. Couch was popular with his
employers and with the entire force
of workmen, and none of them could
give the police any IDEA of the man's
cause for the act.
The two men who were with him
when he fired the shot. however, be-
lieve that IL was accidental and that
he was playing with them when the
revolver exploded.
How IL Happened
Lewis. a white man, and Bixby.
colored, gave a graphic description
OF COUGHS last moments. Both con
cur to the letter in their story of
how the suicide came to his end and
declare that before pulling the trig-
ger ne gave no evidence of his In
tentions.
The two men were at work on the
second aoor of the building when
Couc hcame up from down stairs and
picked up the Colts as. that belonged
TO him and that was always kept in
the large room where he committed
the deed.
Without having much 10 say with
either OF the men, Couch aourished
the revolver and said to Lewis,
Haven't / always treaetd you all
right When Lewis replied in the
repeated the question and received the
same answer. "Dne OF these days |
am going TO place the gun to my
hheart like this and let her 60" said
Couch. And suiting the action TO the
words, he pulled the trigger and his
two companions were Mortified 10 see
him stagger and fell to the floor.
The revolver flew from his hand
and blood spattered all over the room.
small hole in his chest showed
where the ball had entered, and a
ga ping wound In the back showed
where 1t had made Its exit.
Dr. TurnTan was hurried summon
ed and made an examination. He
found that the mans death had been
instantaneous, and declared that the
I bali had pierced the heart almost in
the middle. He told the men that
there was nothing that could he done
for the victim.
The police were notified and hur-
ried 10 the scene and Coroner Tay-
lor reached there soon after the police
and began an investigation. He view
ed the remains and will hold an in
quest in the early afternoon.
Left Letter to Wife.
Search OF the dead mans pockets
resulted in the discovery OF letter.
| sealed and addressed to hts wife. The
latter, accompanied by her children,
is spending the summer in the coun-
try. Coroner Taylor did not open the
letter. but teiegraphed to Mrs. Couch.
asking her to come to Richmond i'm
mediateiy She viii be given the let
ter and then viii be asked to inform
the police as to its contents.
The missive is said to have been
| written only a few moments before
Couch killed himself This fact leads
the authorities to believe that its con-
tents may give some reason for self
| destruction
Coroner Taylor, after making rigid
/ examination and questioning the wit
nesses of the suicide. decided that ii
would not be necessary TO summon a
| jury.
! The dead man was thirty-seven years
old and had been employed by the
McDonough Company for a number
of years.
No funeral arrangements will be
made until the police can communal
| cate with his wife and learn her
wishes