The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-26
GUEST AT MURPHy'S
KILLS HIMSELF.
Man Who Registered as ]. R.
Williams Jumps From Seventh
Story Window.
POLICE CAN'T IDENTIFY HIM
Young Woman Comes Forward
With Pictures, but Hasn't
Looked at Body.

Whether the man who committed
suicide Monday night by leaping from
seventh story window at Murphv's
| Hotel. and whose horribly mangied
body was found yesterday morning at
O'Clock lying upon the concrete paw
ing OF the courtyard below. is that Of
| j. X Williams. lumber salesman of
Philadelphia. or j. r. Williams.
bugler in tho United States Army. or
whether or not his name is Williams,
are questions which the police are
making every effort to decide.
II was at first believed that his name
was not Williams. Last night young
woman voluntarily came forward and
supplied Captain of Detectives Nc
Mahon with three photographs. all of
which she said We're of ]. r. Williams
whom she declared she knew four
years ago in Lynchburg. At that time,
sh" said. he was bugler in the army
She refused to see the dead man last
night. but announced her Willingness
to view the body this morning She
described the man she knew as being
six feet tall. The man who committed
suicide is five feet six inches.
Detective Sergeant Wiley, to whom
the pictures were delivered. and who
searched the body for some mark of
Identification. said he was almost GER
tain that the man the young woman
knew is not the one who jumped from
the hotel.
he young woman who interested
herself in the case is Miss Lcmma
Boguess. of 322 South Third Street.
She was interviewed by Sergeant Wiley,
but until she has seen the body iden-
tification by her will be Impossible.
Face BndIy Bruised.
Two of the three photographs sub
mitted by her to Captain Mcmahon
show young man In the uniform of
Il soldier The third shows full face
Wiley said there was faint rcsem-
Dlance between the photographs, but
the face OF the dead man was so
badly cut and bruised that he could
not be certain.
Another new phase OF the case is
that the police have discarded the
theory that Williams was sober when
he leaped from the window. 1t has
been almost clearly established that
he had been drinking heavily and was
on the verge of deliruEl tremens.
When he learned of the suicide yes
terday Captain y. S. Wright OF the
Third Police District, recalled that he
had been accosted by man answer
ing the description of Williams Mon
day evening at seventh and Perry
Streets. South Richmond. Captain
Wright said that the stranger told him
he was going to Petersburg but he
was afraid declaring that he had SlT
and that people were following him
about to get it. lie added that he had
been drinking heavily.
Captain Wright. who said that the
man did not appear to be drunk. ad-
vised him To so 10 hotel instead Of
Petersburg and spend the night lie
directed him to Murphys That the
man who accosted Wright and the one
who ended his own life are the same
is made practically sure by the fact
that when the latter registered at Muir
ha I'M RI
there BY policeman.
Seen by Another.
X. j. Crowder. of 702la East Leigh
Street. last night also told Captain Nc
Mahon that he had been accosted Mon
day night shortly before S o'clock in
Broad Street, between Eighth and
Ninth. by man who Tailed with Will
liams's description He asked Crowder
TO be directed to "A playhouse The lat
ter did so. and the stranger is de-
clared to have asserted: II don't be
iieve | want TO go TO n theatre. have
lost my job, and | feel like walking
into the river. I've got life insurance
bolicy for $4,000. and ! Will give it to
anybody who will shoot me or cut my
throat" Crowder told Captain McMa-
hon that he understood the man 10
say he had been employed by the Camp
OF Kent Lumber Company.
Williams went TO Murphy's Monday
night shortly after . o'clock and reg
istered. He gave his address as Phil
adelphia. Examination of the writing
yesterday showed him TO have been
nervous. He was shown TO his room
on a floor seven stories above the street,
and after ordering n bottle of beer.
nothing further was heard of him.
y waiter early yesterday morning
SAW his lfeless body lying in the
courtyard. lie at once gave an alarm,
and the police were notified. Coroner
I'm, raI tl,. -Ja o.l,.
OF suicide. and deemed an inquest un-
necessary.
No Identification Marks.
Sergeant Wiley took charge OF the
body. He carefully examined the cloth
ing. but could find nothing which would
lead TO identification. Labels had been
ripped from the coat and vest and
borne the name of the dead man. had
been torn from a leaf in the notebook
The book contained market quotations
on hardwood lumber and the addresses
of numerous lumber dealers most of
which are located in Philadelphia. This
led the police TO the belief that the
dead man was lumber salesman from
the Pennsylvania city, The Philadel-
phia authorities were asked to make
an effort to ind out something about
him. but no reply was received last
night
Willams's effects consisted OF $13.75
in cash, safety razor, brush. pipe,
tobacco few cigarettes and several
articles Of wearing apparel. aside from
the notebook. He carried no grin
He had n heavy army blanket. in which
he had wrapped his belongings. This
was covered with n well-worn rubber
cloth. The following marks arc
stamped on the blanket: rs. Krause,