Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-10
UNBEATABLE PAIN
DRIVES De CANT
To SUICIDE
Prominent Atlanta Insurance
Man Is Found in Lakewood
Park Lake by Boys.

Mystery surrounding the death OF
George l.. Defiant. prominent Atlanta
insurance man. whose body was found
in Lakewood park lake. is not cleared
with todays developments except by Il
reiteration of the theory that he ended
his own life because he was haunted
by the pain of an incurable disease
Sufferer for n long time from kidney
disease in violent form. DeGant IL
believed to have been the subject Of an
alteration which drove him Saturday
TO Lakewood park and to his death
=. II Traynham, assistant general
manager Of the Home Friendly society,
said today that DeGant's affairs were
in perfect and prosperous condition.
and that the probably self-inAicted
death could not have been due to trou-
BILE in that quarter
DeGants body was found sunday
morning by two boys, as it fioated in
two feet Of water st Lakewood park,
close TO the shore. He had been miss
ing since early Saturday morning, and
detectives had been put on the search
for him.
George l.. DeGant was about %
years old. and had been in Atlanta
nearly % years. He was we'll known in
business in Atlanta and founded the
Home Friendly Insurance Company
Friends declare that Defiant had sew
craI times before the fatal day threat
eued his life when spells Of morbid
iditv seized him. but that each time he
recovered bis balance and his cheer
'ulness as his iii health passed.
Night of Agony.
After a night of sleepessness ano
agony DeGant arose early Saturday
morning at his home, 253 CORTLAND
street. where he lived with Policeman
Y. r. Allen. In this he broke the or
DERBY routine Of his life, and was at
his office in the Austell building two
hours before his custom before the
sleepy elevator boy had become accus-
toned to his morning surroundings.
Those who entered the Office later in
the day found letters and papers neatly
arranged and ordered for the days
work. DeGant placed the keys of the
office In the vault OF the safe label
Ing each, and placing apart from the
Office keys his own personal keys. Hint
of reconciliation of the suicide is found
in the orderly preparations.
The elevator boy in the Austcll
building remembered yesterday that
DeGant had descended from the Office,
bid him good bye. and had gone out on
the street man answering De
Giants description caught a Lakewood
car at about $50 O'Clock. and rode to
the end of the line. This fact was
ascertainad by detectives, who We're on
the job of finding DeGant after he had
failed to show up at his CORTLAND
street home or at his Office late In the
day
The two boys who found the body
Abe and Louis Billet, are the sons OF
the manager of Lakewood park. They
thought the floating object was Il log.
and decided to wade out to investigate
They found the dead mans body. puff
ed and discolored and evidently having
been in the water for many hours De-
Giants soft hat was pulled down tight
~ on his forehead. his nose glasses
were plaCeu naturally DeloIc ms eyes
and his heavy overcoat was buttoned
tightly.
Body Floating in Water
The body was floating in two feet
of water Nowhere in that part of the
lake where the body was found is tho
water Of sufficient depth to prove oan-
gerous to an able bodied man
Coroner Donehoo was notified and
he body was removed TO the establish
ment Of Greenberg & Bond, where an
inquest was held at 4 o'clock Sunday
afternoon, resulting in a verdict Of
death by drowning. A number of wit
nesses testified, among them Y. r. Al
len. with whom DeGant lived, and who
gave as his opinion the statement that
DeGant ended his own life because %
the illness which has bvset him fol
many months.
DeGants closest relative is Mrs.
Myrtle Prodigy of Washington his
daughter who has been notified Of his
death, and who probably will reach
Atlanta today TO take charge of the