The copper era and Morenci leader., 1912-05-10
MURBERANDS SUICIDE IN THE CAPITOL
 AT PHOENIX
Deed Committed in Surveyor Generals Office shortly Before Twelve O'clock, Tuesday, While Both Houses In
 Session.

into the office of the surveyor general of Arizona at the Capital, at shortly after Il o'clock this morning, Frank Coffman, formerly an employee of the Salt River valley nurseries, shot and killed Malcolm Gillette, chef clerk to twice through the heart with a 32- caliber Savage automatic pistol. Turning then and walking out of the office, the assassin turned the pistol upon himself and snuffed out his own life, falling in heap right in the door of the entrance to the surveyor gener- al's office. No word was spoken by either of the men before or after the shooting.
 so quietly and with such deliberation that the fellow clerks of the dead man did not know what had happened un- til their friend lay upon his face on 1 the floor of the office with his life blood oozing from two wounds in the chest, and a, hole in his back through which one of the steel-jacketed bull let's had escaped from the body of the dead clerk.
 Gillette was about to. close the desk at which he had been working when Coffman walked in. Gillette turned to speak to him, when as quick as a flash the man whipped out his pistol and opened fire upon the chief clerk. Three shots were discharged from the pistol, two of them piercing the body of Gillette, and a third going wild. Gillette fell backward and roll ed over on his face on the floor. Cohman. without looking twice at the quivering body, turned, doubled quick iy back in his tracks and shot him self twice, falling in the doorway with his feet under him.
 The sound of the shots echoing through the capital caused great ex- citement, and almost immediately hundreds of persons in the building were Hooking to the scene, where the two dead bodies were lying a few feet of each other.
 For some time the identity of Coef- man remained in darkness, but with the coming of the coroner, who was immediately telephoned for, it was Coffman, with whom Gillette had had some business dealings but a short time before.
 Dr. Win Wylie was summoned but before he could arrive on the scene life was extinct in both men.
 The father of the dead man was immediately telephoned for and he hurried to the scene. Mrs Malcolm Gillette was prostrated by the news
 
 dition. A Deliberately Planned and Murder
 ous Attack.
 That the deed was a planned and deliberate act of man whose mind may have or may not have been un- balanced because of real or fancicd wrongs seems to be the general indi- cation of the letters which were found upon him when the body was search ~c T~I, e-%% Three letters were found upon him, one addressed to John Armstrong of this city, one to Ben. H. Coffman Of Bremen, Ky, and a third to Miss Nonnie Coffman of Sacramento, Ky. A fourth letter found on him was not addressed, but contained the follow ing instructions:
 Phoenix, Ariz., May '.
 Notify Ben H. Coffman of Bremen, balmed and sent to above name, cost not to exceed $200. Also notify R. Kohl of the Salt River valley nursery, and l.. c. Brown of the Phoenix re- staurant, City, to see that my remains are cared for. Mail the letters which I have.
 F. Coffman"
 Upon the body of the dead man was found also a card giving the address, but not the name of E. A. Spaulding, a real estate man of this city. When told of the circumstances of the kill ing, MT. Spaulding said that, acting in his capacity as real estate agent, he sold to Coffman last Saturday, for Malcolm Gillette, a certain ten-acre tract, Coffman paying $1,500 for It. Since that time Coffman has been seen in conference with Gillette, and it is supposed he was trying to get Gillette to agree to take the land back.
 He seemed to have some objection to the title, and referred it to many lawyers and title experts of the city, among whom are Judge Lysander Cas- sidy, and General Cogg1ns, but all as sured him that his title was clear He then tried to sell the land to J A. Griffin, who did not see fit to pay the