Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1911-07-07
F UNERAL SUNDAY
Mentally irresponsible at The
Time of Rash Act--Wrote
Note to His Son

snd the many friends of the family
especially were Mortified by the tragic
occurrence, yet it was not altogether
unexpected, as for year past or more.
Mr.. joyce had at many times seemed
irresponsible, and on such occasions
had more than once threatened to take
his own life. The supposition Is that
he committed the deed while mentally
irresponsible.
The first intimation that anything
was wrong was received by his son.
Rex, who upon going into the office Of
the undertaking parlors Saturday
morning, found note in his fathers
handwriting placed upon the type.
wtiter on his desk. It had been Gus.
tom Of Mr.. Joyce to leave in such
fashion any messages or notices that
he may have had for the following
morning, but as soon as he picked up
the envelope Rex believed that the oft
repeated threat of suicide had been
carried out. The note read: "Rex,
am tired of living. Life is joke.
There is nothing for me in it, SO l
have gone to the Great Beyond. You
will get my Insurance."
Immediately upon reading the note,
his son called up John Gillespie, an
intimate friend, and upon his advice
sent for Marshal Dornan. The keys TO
Mr.. Joyce's den where he slept, over
the garage, were also found on the
typewriter and an entrance was easily
effected. The body was found in q
pool of blood, the bullet, which entered
the heart having caused instant death.
A crude apparatus for firing the gun
had been rigged up out of q window
shade stick, and with that the desper.
ate man had been able to pull the
trigger while holding the gun in q po-
sition to send death dealing bullet
into his body. Apparently the deed
had been committed towards morning,
probably after he had been unable to
sleep for some time. Neither the note
nor the keys we're on the desk at ten
O'Clock the preceding evening when
his son visited the office for the last
time. 1t is supposed that he arose
some time after retiring, wrote hit
note, took 1t with his keys to the office,
locked himself in with the Yale look
on the door and loaded and flred his
gun for the last time.
An inquest found that he had come
to his death by his own hand. The
coroner's jury was composed of John
Parks, D. D. Tsllman and 8. e vii
son, and the witnesses were j. H. Gil
lespie, Rex Joyce and DR.. r. D. jen.
nings. The funeral services we're held
from his undertaking parlors at two
thirty, Sunday afternoon and the re
mains we're inferred in Evergreen GENE.
terry, formerly the property Of the de.
ceased The services we're conducted
by the Rev. Mr.. Tallman of the Presby.
terian church and Rev. T. b. Wilbur
Of the Methodist church. The pail.
bearers we're Charles Stewart, Lyman
Allen, George Bell, John Gross and
Fred Klussman.
james William Joyce was born in
England at hinckley, Leistershire, on
March %, 1854. His father was q
wealthy silk manufacturer and young
Joyce was given an excellent education
being university graduate. He was
the only son in family of five. When
only twenty. one yehrs of age he made
his first visit to America, and though
returning to England at intervals for
q number of years, finally settled in
st. Louis in the early eighties. He
was married March %, 1884, to Miss
Mary E. Adams, of Dexter, New York.
whose parents had been friends TO the
Joyce family in England. Two sons
we're born to them during their St.
Louis residence; the elder died in in.
fancy, and the younger, Rex, one Of
the most highly esteemed young rnen
of this city, has been for q number Of
years his fathers assistant. In 1891.
the family moved to this city where
they have since made their home,
Mr.. Joyce was very activs lodge