Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-28
ACT CAUSED BY WORRY
Had Been Depressed Since Wife's
Elopement With Horace Wylie.
SERVICES THIS AFTERNOON
Body Will Be Taken to Mount Au-
burn, Mass, Family Home,
For Buriel


killed himself last evening in the home
Of his sister, Mrs. Paul Pearsall, 1v0l
18th street. Funeral services will be
held in this city at $50 o'clock this aft
Rev. Roland Cotton Smith, rec
tor of st. Johns Episcopal Church. OFF,
ciating. The body will be taken 10
Mount Auburn, Mass, the old home Of
the Hichborns. this afternoon at 5:3o
o clock Burial will take place there
probably tomorrow.
Mr.. Hichborn locked himself in the
library Of the house when no one was at
home, with the possible exception of one
or two servants in the lower part o. the
house. and fired a shot from an auto
matte revolver into his head. Death
must have been instantaneous, as the
ball pierced the temples and was found
mbedded in the frame of a mirror close
at hand.
No doubt exists in the minds of his clos
est friends that Mr.. Hichborn's great
sorrow and humiliation were responsible
for his self-infiicted death. note writ
ten in pencil by the young man just be-
fore he went to his death is supposed to
read:
Il am not to blame for this. 1 think L
have lost my mind
A brief line mentioning his little boy
closed the note. 1t was impossible today
to obtain permission to see the message,
1t is in the hands of Coroner hewitt.
Wrote Short Stories.
Mr.. Hichborn. who was talented as a
lawyer and gave promise Of becoming one
of the really good short story writer's
of the day, brought swift climax to
his own personal story while his sister.
Mrs. Pearsall, was driving through the
city on her way home to give directions
for dinner. Her brother had said he
would be there to dine. He had arrived
in Washington Tuesday. after three
weeks rest in Los Angeles. Cal. and it is
not understood chat he had exhibited any
signs of mental or nervous breakdown.
He had been in California with his
partner, Samuel E. Swayze.
Yesterday Mr.. Hichborn put in several
hours hard work at his Office, III 14l.
street. and called to see his mother
widow of Rear Admiral Hichbom. q
1907 N street northwest. That was in the
middle of the afternoon. He told hii
mother of his intention to call at his sis
ter's home and to remain there for din
ner, and probably went direct to Mrs
PearsalTs.
Some time between $50 and $50 oclool
people passing in the neighborhood o.
1901 18th street heard a shot. In thu
house a servant in the kitchen heard thu
noise, but imagined it was a bursting
practically empty. the butler was not a
home, and Mr.. and Mrs. Pearsall were
both out.
Finds Door Locked.
When Mrs. Pearsall returned sh'
learned that her brother had gone intt
the library, and went there to speak Il
him. The door was locked, and no answer
came from inside when she called hel
brothers name and knocked at the door
Instantly the fear that Philip HichborI
had killed himself swept over her. Sh'
ran from the library door and went Ou
on the street, finding Policeman Sander
at Dupont Circle.
Come with me, please she said
something has happened"
He went with her Immediately to th'
house. The policeman burst open tn
library door. Philip Hichborn's body la,
on the floor. Sanders, seeing the wound
knew the man was dead, but did no
communicate this fact to Mrs. Pearsall
Instead, he walked by her, as she stoo'
in the library doorway and telephonet
to Emergency Hospital.
Meantime people had gathered in from
of the house. Murray Cobb. clos
friend of Philip Hichborn. was going b,
in motor car and saw Policeman San
ders at the front door and Park Police
man Redmond near at hand. Mrs. Pear
sail saw Mr.. Cobb and called him in.
Story Told by Friend.
Mr.. Cobb's version of what he foun,
there is as follows:
Il saw a crowd collected in front O
the house.. and stopped to see what thu
trouble was. l know Policeman Sanders
and was about to ask him. Mrs. Pearsal
called me in She was in a badly fright
ened condition, was nervous and wringint
her hands. l feared, of course. that som
terrible thing had occurred. 1t was ther
6:31 o'clock.
door by that time, and had called for al
Emergency Hospital ambulance, but i
had not arrived. / was sure Philip Wa
dead. but simply could not tell his siste
so. / went quickly out of the house Il
get q doctor and brought back Drs. Har
din and Clayton.
"The ambulance from Emergency Hos
pital had arrived when l returned will
the two doctors. DR.. Tyree OF Emer
gency had seen Philip Hichborn and hat
pronounced him dead. There was nothing
for us to do then but await the coroner
While l was out looking for the doctors
Reginald Huidekoper arrived at the house
He was a friend of the family"
Did Not See Note.
Mr.. Cobb was asked about the note
which was found near Mr.. Hichborn.
Il did not see the note, but 1 under
stand It was of short and personal ma
ture. / imagine 1t said nothing about
any reasons for doing this thing, or the!
would have told me so at the house
Coroner Nevitts verdict or suicide
closed the matter officially yesterday aft
ernoon.
philip Hichborn's mother is prostratet
nv reason of the death of her son. She
had grieved deeply over the tragic enc
to his married life. but had great hopes
that now the matter was coming to al
and in the pending suit for divorce, Philip
H;chhorn would lift himself out or MS
tro,,ble She was especially proud OF his
literary work, and believed that IL he
would devote himself to 1t he would for-
Get much Of his misfortune.
Marriage a Brilliant Event.
Philip S. Hichborn and Miss Elenore
Hoyt were married September IL. 1906
The wedding was one Of the most notable
CONTINUED on Thirteenth Pagel