The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-21
Police Are w o rk ing
on Theory of
Suicide.
WAS INVOLVED
IN GRAFT CASE
Everything Indicates That Story
of Railroad Presidents Death
at Hands Of Burglar Is Myth,
and That He Killed Him
self to Save Certain
Disgrace.

/
president OF the Chicago. indianapolis
and Louisville Railroad tthe Monon
route), died OF bullet wound at his
summer residence in Winnetka, fifteen
miles north of Chicago. early to-day.
Members OF Mr.. Rawn's family say he
was killed by burglar. The police
are working on a theory that Mr..
Rawn killed himself. AS a basis for
their suicide theory. the police advance
the following reasons:
They point to the fact that Mr.. Rawn
was operating vice-president OF the
Illinois Central Railroad at the time
the fraudulent car repair contracts
were put through, and that recently he
has been drawn into the Illinois Cen
trail graft investigation as chief wit
| ness. They say that the action Of Mr..
Rawn's relatives in refusing the aid
OF the Chicago detective department to
search for the alleged murderer is sus-
piclous. They declare that there exists
a lack OF convincing evidence that al
intruder had actually been in the Rawn
! residence.
Mrs. Rawn's Story.
Mrs. Rawn, wife of the dead man;
|
| burn and two children and three maids
were In the house when the tragedy oc-
CURED. Mrs. Rawn says that her hus-
band was aroused from sleep at 1890
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 floor, started
downstairs, and was shot on landing
| halfway down. Both Mrs. Rawn and
Coburn say that two shots were fred.
A minute search OF the front hall and
adjoining rooms of the residence, how
I ever. shows fuS one bullet that fired
from Mr.. Rawn's revolver, and which
/ apparently had passed through his body
Just below the heart.
Coroner Peter Hoffman took per.
sonal charge Of the investigation into
the death. He refused to say whether
he thought the case was one of mur-
der or of suicide. He stated. how
ever, that powder marks had been
found on Mr.. Rawn's nightgown. indi-
eating that the bullet which killed
him was fred at close range.
Involved in Graft Case.
Friends and business associates OF
| the dead man say that he had been
blocking badly for several WEEKS.
Some attribute Mr.. Rawn's worried
expression to the investigation Of the
conspiracy by which the Illinois Cen
trail Railroad claims it was mulcted
4 out OF hundreds Of thousands OF dol
lars. This Is now going on in court
On two successive days last week
Mr.. Rawn begged for and secured a
! postponement of his examination as
1 witness on the plea that his wife was
/ ILL His examination was scheduled
TO be taken up again next Tuesday
Mr.. Rawn left the Illinois Central
j Railroad in November. 1909, and be-
Fcame president of the AIonon. Early
this spring the Illinois Central fraud
/ came TO light. Though the investiga.
tion is not in. such shape that any
criminal responsibility for the frauds
! is fixed, 1t is declared that the rail
road regulations Of some persons in
4 volved would be ruined and their fu-
lures practically blotted out,
Would Have Been Ruined.
At the first holding before the mas,
ter in chancery, Thomas Taylor. Jr.,
Mr.. Rawn testified that the car repair
contracts all came under his super
vision, He admitted that he was re-
/ spcnshle for farming out the cars to
the various repair companies
'As I sat across from him at the
witness table, the thought came to me
! that was watching man slowly
slipping into his grave. Every day
1 for, weeks he had looked like a walk
ing death. When the news struck the
North Shore suburbs this morning.
those who knew Mr. Rawn and saw
! him daily were not surprised. The
only surprise expressed was that at
the story of the burglary"
Story of Shooting.
The story of the shooting Of Mr..
Rawn was told by Ralph q. Eoburn. a
son law of the victim.
.'Mr. Rawn was awakened by sounds
on the flrst floor of the house, he said.
"He insisted on COINS down to ascer-
tain the cause. although Mrs, Kawn
i tried to persuade him not to do So iSe
/ descended the stairs and had barely
reached the landing, when every one
4 in the house was awakened by the roar
of two shots, fred in quick succession,
81 rushed out, as did the others We
found Mr. Rawn lying In his night
clothes. Blood was trickling from his
breast He struggled, turned over,
\ tried to speak, and could not. We sent
\ in hurried calls for a doctor.
tMr, Rawn died within five or six
I. (continued on Third Page)