Arizona republican., 1910-07-21
POVERTY AND ILl-HEALIH
Robbed the Future of Every Favorable Prospect. Note Explaining Why Writer Had Elected to Leave the Earth

The discouragements of l.. R. Ford became greater yesterday morning than he could bear. Through i'll health and poverty which he had al- ways known, he could see nothing His prospects in this life were i'm penetrably dark and he decided tu die and make d public affair of it. He committed suicide in the south eastern part of the city hall plaza a little after nine o'clock.
 Though there were many persons near him none saw the act of death and none had taken notice of Ford's presence. Bystanders heard the sharp report of small rifle and saw d well dressed man sinking backward upon the grass. There was little round spot on the forehead near the hairline and there was twenty two Caliber Winchester rifle between the knees of the man already dead A pocket knife lay on the ground be- side the body and nearby was box of cartridges from which two had been extracted.
 Ford had meant that there should be no mystery concerning the affair for on the front leaf of new writing pad beside the body was the follow ing note addressed to Justice John stone
 Good bye to all.
 Judge Jonhstone. sir. you have known me for d long time. Bad health is the cause of this I have been here three years. but I have got no better. Nov, I am unable to earn my living any longer and do not want to be a burden to any one else. You will find something over twenty-one dollars in my purse This is all l have left in this world that amounts to very much No business to settle I do not owe no one here any money. Please do not call me insane or crazy. l am just tired of living and suffering all the time. Notify my friend Mir Moore 721 West Washington. have nc one to write to-
 Ford had apparently dressed for death. His clothing was good and part of it was new. As he lay in death it was only slightly disarranged and was entirely unstained by blood for little had issued from the wound His pockets contained d little more than s2I.
 Marshal Moore and Officer Trout man were quickly on the scene and Coroner Johnstone was notified The inquest vas held where the body lay All the evidence was before the jury and the verdict was quickly found and the body was removed to Moore & McLellan's.
 R. H. Moore to whom reference was made in the note of Ford was found and he said that Ford had been stopping at his house lately. He had left in the morning taking his rifle but he was apparently in good spirits. Others who had met him said that his manner had offered no hint Of his-intended suicide Only the fact that he was more than or dinarily carefully dressed indicated that he had contemplated death when he left the house of Moore.
 Of his past. Mir. Moore knew little He understood that he was twenty six years of age and that he had come to this country from some place in Arkansas about three years ago. Ford had told Moore that his family had always been poverty ridden and that for d long time the only mem bers of it living were himself and his mother. He had been her sole sup port and when she. died he found himself broken in health, d sufferer from asthma.
 He had done his best to make a living after coming to Phoenix At first he was engaged in hunting and trapping along the Agua Fria mostly He did fairly well at that until the legislature reduced the bounties on wild animals when he was forced to turn to something else. For d time he had run an ice cream wagon but he had found that he could not make living at that. He had sold his outfit at auction last Saturday He had been talking with MT. Moore about engaging in chicken raising He had made plans for that enter prise as late as Tuesday night He certainly had no intention then of committing suiiide. Perhaps some thing in the night increased the weight of his depression until it became crushing.
 Just one year and one day before L. G. Lawrence sufferer of asthma committed suicide at the Phoenix hotel by shooting. His body was found by Ford. He too left note beginning Goodbye to all.'' a formula which the finder of his body was to use year and a day later.
 Soreness of the muscles. whether in duced by violent exercise or injury, is