The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-07-23
A SENSATIONAL SUICIDE.
yf RAILROAD KILLS
HIMSELF.
PRESIDENT of Monon Route Was Con.
neeted With Irregularities i'm Re-
pair Department..
Lib. 5 c Univ y

II, N.
president of the Chicago, Indianapolis
& Louisville railroad (The Monon
route), died of a bullet wound at his
| summer residence in Winnekeea *
miles north Of Chicago early today
| The members of Mr.. Rawn's family
| say he was killed by a burglar. The
police are working OIL a theory that
Mr. Rawn killed himself AS a basis
Tor their suicide theory. the police
point to the fact that Mr.. Rawn was
| operating vice president IF Illinois
| Central at the time fraudulent car re-
pair contracts were put through and
that recently he has been drawn into
the Illinois Central graft investiga-
| ton as chief witness.
The action of Mr. Rawn's relatives
in refusing to aid the detective de-
partment to search for the alleged
murderer is considered suspicious.
| They declare that there exists a
lack of convincing evidence that an
intruder had actually been in the
| Rawn residence.
Mrs. Rawn, wife of the dead man:
| B. c. Coburn, his son-in-law; Mrs.
| Coburn and two children and three
maids were in the house when the
| tragedy occurred.
| Mrs. Rawn says that her husband
was aroused from sleep at 1870
o'clock in the morning by noise on
the first floor Of the residence. She
says Mr.. Rawn picked up a revolver
in his room on the second foor and
started down stairs and was shot at
landing half way down. Both Mrs.
Rawn and Coburn say that two shots
were fired. A minute search Of the
front hall and adjoining rooms of the
residence, however. show but one bull
let, that fired from Mr.. Rawn's re-
volver, which apparently has passed
through Mr.. Rawn's body just below.
the heart. - =
| Coroner Peter Hoffman took per.
sonal charge Of investigation into the
death. He refused tonight to say
whether he thought the case was one
of murder or suicide. He states,
however, that powder marks had
been found on Rawn's night gown in
dicated that the bullet which killed
Mr.. Rawn was fired at close range.
Friends and business associates of
the dead man say that he had been
looking badly for several weeks. Some
attributed Mr.. Rawn's worried ex-
preston to the investigation of the
conspiracy by which the Illinois Cen
trail claims it was mulcted of hun.
dreds Of thousands of dollars.
On two successive days Mr.. Rawn
begged for and succeeded in getting
a postponement of the hearing of his
testimony.
Mr.. Rawn left the Illinois Central
railroad in November 1909, and be-
came president of the Monon. Early
this spring the Illinois Central fraud
came to light. Though the investi-
cation is not in such shape that any
criminal responsibility for the fraud
is fixed, it is declared that the rep
utation of some persons involved
would be ruined and their future
practically destroyed.
Mr.. Rawn's sons-in-law, G. Coburn
and r. c. Briniky, assumed command
of the investigation from the start.
number of detectives from a pri-
Vate agency We're summoned hurried
ly to Winneteka early today. A num-
Der of these were stationed at various
points in the house and grounds.
They were ordered to give no infor-
nation to newspaper men or any 9TH
er persons making inquiries
This situation further was COM
pHcated tonight when a squad of en-
ployes Of a second private detective
agency arrived in Winneteka. These
men stated they had been ordered to
make full inquiry into the death.
| When they went to the RaWn resi-
dence, however, they were ordered
off the grounds by detectives from the
first agency. A brief alteration en-
sued and members Of the Rawn FAM
lily were called to settle the dispute.
Mr.. Coburn and Briniky told the sec
ond squad they were not wanted at
the residence and had not been or
dered.
1t is not known who is responsible
for placing the second detective agen-
cy at work on the case. Several
neighbors in the vicinity of the Rawu
residence state they heard a single
shot close to 10 O'Clock on Tuesday.
| None heard any shots on Wednes-