The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01
Was Discovered by Citizens
of North Birmingham Late
Yesterday Afternoon
is IDENTIFIED BY
BOY AS HIS FATHER
Had Apparently Climbed Tree and
Tied Telegraph Wire to Limb,
Placed Loop Around
Neck and Jumped

A man whose name is thought to be
Lawrence was found dead yesterday aft
ernoon about 5:15 O'Clock hanging to a
dogwood tree at Seventeenth avenue and
TwentysiXth street. North birmingham.
A telegraph wire was looped around his
neck and he had apparently been dead
about an hour when discovered. He was
taken down by police officers and War
ner e. Smiley's ambulance removed the
body to the morgue.
At II O'Clock last night a Western Union
| messenger boy walked into Warner &,
Smiley's morgue and asked to see the
remains of the unknown suicide. He was
shown the remains and Immediately said
''Fhats my father, | am sure of it," The
boys name was George Lawrence and
his age was Is years. He told the fol
lowing story to the officials of the War
ner & Smiley Co.:
Father was separated from mother
about eight years ago and went away
Mamma got a divorce and she married
again. Her name is Mrs. w. II. Zas-
trow. and we live at SO09 North Twenty
fifth street. Father went away and we
iitNCi hcdid lIOll MN until ldSI year
about this time towards the last of May,
when he came back to Birmingham.
saw him then but | ran away from him
because | was afraid he might hurt me.
Father went away again and we never
heard anything more about him until to-
night when | was out in North Birning-
ham and some men said George, your
Dad done gone and hung himself They
told me where you all were, but | had
no money, but somebody loaned me 10
cents for car fare and | came straight
here. I am sure that's father, and mother
will come in the morning and shesll say
the same thing; SO will my sister Beu-
lah."
This story was Immediately communi-
Gated to the police and detectives were
at once detailed to investigate the truth
of it.
According to Detective Ed Jones of
central headquarters, who was one of
the first on the scene, the case was
evidently that of suicide. He said
q found the man hanging on a small
dogwood tree about six or seven feet
high by small iron telegraph wire
He was hanging right on the edge of
the woods and was seen by passen-
gers on a train that passed over the
Southern railway tracks a short time
before a citizen found him.
How he hanged himself is puzzling.
but he evidently first tied the wire
to the prong of the tree and made a
small moose. Then, climbing on the tree
marks he ch ba
had put his feet there-he placed his
head in the wire moose and Jumped
However, he miscalculated, for the tree
was too low and both his feet touched
the ground by the slightest fraction
enough to cause him to choke slowly
to death.
In his pockets we found a few
pieces of plug tobacco and a pair of
spectacles He was dressed very poor
ly and looked like a man that was
down and out 1 should imagine that
he was about SO years old for he was
very gray. He weighed about 100
pounds and was about 5 feet 10 inches
in height.
In the investigation of the case we
In Interviewed several people, among
r,
They testified that they had seen the
unknown old man sitting on the edge
of the railroad tracks about o'clock.
but that on their return about o'clock
the old man was hanging on the little
dogwood tree. By the hundred or so
persons who came to see the suicide.
none could identify him and the theory
Is that he was an old man broken
down and discouraged who sought this
lonely spot to end his earthly trou-
bles"
Coroner c. L. Spain was notified OF
this suicide few minutes following
the discovery but stated that Judge
Russell of North Birmin CHAM was now
the acting coroner. Up to a late hour
last night Judge Russell had not been
located and 1t is not known what stems
he will take in investigating this case.
The body of the man is being held at
Warner & Smiey's pending identifica-
ton. This is the second case this week
of an unknown being found deSJ. The
other was last Monday morning when
an unknown man still unidentified was
found murdered near the old rolling
mill in Gate City.