The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-06-29
DEPUTY UHERiFF AND EXPO.
LlcEMAN BLOWS OFF HEAD
IN BEDROOM.
MOTIVE IS MYSTERIOUS
No Reason For Act Can Be Found and
Il Is Supposed That Officer Put Gun
to Forehead in Moment Of Temporary
tnsanity-Chase Of lunatic in Hills
May Have Been Cause.

Charles a. Farrell. deputy sheriff
and policeman. blew his brains out
at o'clock last evening In his bone In
the Lacasse flats on West Cedar street,
presumably during moment of tenn
ponry insanity, for no motive can be
found. Death was instantaneous. the
heavy bullet Of a s-caliber Smith Il
Wesson revolver carrying away the
upper portion OF his skull
The violent, self inflicted death Of
the deputy sheriff caused a sensation
In MissouIa. where he was known To
practically everybody. There were
many stories afloat on the streets last
night as to the cause of his act, but
In the light Of the circumstances that
led up To the suicide. there IL left hut
one theory thai Is tenabe.
Chases Lunatic.
The day before his death Farrell took
part In the running down Of Charles
Hanson. supposed To be Il lunatic. In
the hills above Bonner. The day was
extremely warm and the chase was
strenuous. Hanson being captured only
after he had been forced to the top of
q mountain In the Blackfoot country.
The Missoula man was accompanied
by Deputy Sheriff Walter Nesbit Of
Bonner and both returned to the county
Jail here completely worn out and with
their clothes torn and tattered While
Farrell's associates In the sheriffs Of
flee noticed nothing out of the ordl-
nary In his condition at the time. ex-
cspting that he was very. very tired.
II IL thought that the heat and the ex-
ertion Of the man hunt In the hills af-
fected his physical being sufficiently to
be reflected on his mental nature. al
though that evening he laughed and
joked about his experience. telling of
Interesting details Of the chase of the
crazy man and making light of the
hardship he and Nesbit had endured
Yesterday, soon after noon. he COM
planned of feeling III and was advised
To go to his home. within short dis
tance OF the jail. He went on the sug-
gestion of Deputy Sheriff Larson. to
whom he admitted his condition. He
went 10 his flat. to which he had moved
on Wednesday Of last week from the
south side. and sat down at an auto
matte piano. possession OF few
weeks According to Mrs Farrell. who
IA now prostrated. he ran over n few
tunes on the instrument and occupied
himself In other ways for n time.
Works on Stairs.
Presently, Mrs. Farrell asked him to
fit some carpet on the stairs In their
apartments and he complied cheerfully.
For a while he worked ut this. Then he
.trniuhtened IN and said
II can't make this carpet fit. can't
do anything right any more. | think
I'll go upstairs and put bullet In my
head
Mrs. Farrell laughed at what she
supposed TO he nothing more than
joke. a pleasure that was little grim.
perhaps, but saying without real
meaning. when Mr.. Farrell went to
his room and shut the door she was
not alarmed. A minute later-it was
then just 9 oclock--the fiat roared
with the report of heavy pistol and
filled with the acrid tang of powder
smoke.
Deputy Sheriff Farrell was half sit
ting. half lying on the bed. with hor-
riblc wound In his head. facing full n
long mirror. with smoking revolver
In his limp right hand, He had seated
himself before the mirror. had placed
the gun against the middle of his fore
head and then pulled the trigger. The
result was horrible.
The body was given into the care of
Coroner w. d. Kendrick. Mr.. Kendrick.
after an investigation, announced that
there will be no inquest.
The gun used by Charles Farrell In