Arizona republican., 1913-02-17
Joseph R. Remard, Pic neer of Arizona, Mason, Miner and Grand Army Man, Tires of Living and Suicides
BODY LIES ON
 BURNING BED
Shoots Self Through Head and Mattress Ca tc h s Fire From Open Crate; Cremation is Narrowly Prevented

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 With tiny forks of flame leaping about his left shoulder and the left side of his face. the mattress upon which he was stretched at full length being rapidly consumed. the dead body of Joseph R. Rennard was found at six o'clock last evening in ! the room he occupied in an unpre- tcntious structure at the rear of BIS West Madison street \ bullet wound just above the right ear and d 3S cal ! iber. bue-steel revolver clasped in the right hand told the story of the pass ! ing away of one of the old time min
 CTS of Arizona and veteran of the civil war
 Probably past seventy years old,
 the old man for year or more had been living in the single room where ne was found dead yesterday A pen sion of $l2 per month had provided 1 him with the meager necessities, his room rent amounting to little or , nothing
 For d time he had been an inmate | of the Soldiers National Home at 1 SaWtere. Cal. and was under fur 1 lough from that institution. It is un- derstood that several years have elapsed since he lived at the home and that he had secured extensions l Of his furlough from time to time. Recently Icc9r1tDo Thomas Marshall. who is also veteran and
 who lives in an adjoining room. Rem
 nard has been complaining of not l! feeling well. He was advised that he would be better cared for if he were i to return to the Soldiers Home. but each time he evinced d disposition to l reserving the privilege until such i time as he was no longer able to care | for himself
 1 Rennard was seen about his room 1 yesterday morning, but according to 1 neishbors. he retired to his room not 1 long before noon yesterday and was l seen no more. Some neighbors say l they heard q revolver shot shortly 1 before noon others say that the sound of the discharge of weapon l was heard after one o'clock in the afternoon.
 l About five o'clock Marshall. who 1 had been up town for a l ttilehilW.e | had been up town for little while, returned to his room and soon after ward noticed a strong odor of smoke. He made d casual investigation and found smoke coming from the chim- ney of Remarks room. He thought no nor" of the affair until other fneighbors noticed smoke coming from the doors and windows. The door was broken open and the bed upon which ! Rennard was lying was found in l flames few buckets of water ex- tinguished the fire and then it was noted that Rennard was dead
 It was not until the smoke had cleared from the room that the re volver in his hand and the bullet wound over the ear were discovered. The police were notified and Coroner JOhnstone also summoned. The cor oner empanelled a jury. which viewed the remains and took note of the con- ditions under which the body was
 found and then retired to continue the inquest at 1 o'clock today.
 ! Upon the removal of the body to the undertaking rooms of the Arizona Casket company. an examination re- vealed the fact that the left side of the shoulder, neck and face were
 badly cooked. There were large blis-
 ters on the left arm. which indicated that the burning had occurred before
 death had ensued
 1 While it appeared from a casual 1 observation that the wound must have resulted in instant death. there is a
 belief that Rennard was simply rem dered unconscious and that he may have lain on the bed several hours
 l after shooting himself before finally
 dying. The head of his cot was close
 to an open fireplace, in which there
 were still live coas. A spark from
 this fire evidently communicated to
 the bed clothing and started the fire I which was just starting to consume } the inert but living body
 } Rennard, it was indicated by papers l in his possession. had enlisted from ) New York in the Forty first Volun- $ teer Infantry. He evidently served
 with credit to himself, for he had
 been drawing q pension for many
 years. having been granted an in
 crease from nine dollars to twelve
 dollars in 1890. He was also a Mason being a member in good standing ot ; Arizona Lodge No. ?. A. F. & A NJ. 1 of Phoenix He was also a member
 l of the local post, c A. R. Y Funeral arrangements will not bt : completed until the conclusion of the
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