The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-04-23
NO CAUSE FOR ACT KNOWN
Had Gone to Racine Only Short Time
Before He Locked Himself in Room
at Belvidere Hotel and Fired the
Shot Which Ended His Life.

A profound sensation was caused in
Kenosha on Friday night when tele-
phone message from Racine announced
that Roy f. Thompson, well known
real estate man and automobile sales
man of Kenosha, had committee suicide
in a room at the Belvidere Hotel in
that city. Thompson hidden behind
the locked doors Of his room had shot
himself in the right temple with a
thirty-eight calibre revolver and a
minute later when the door was broken
open he was found dead on the floor.
He left no note of any kind to give
any reason for his rash act and it is
shrouded in mystery.
There are no details of the suicide
known. Thompson had been seemingly
in the best Of health and his business
affairs were in excellent condition and
his friends can assign absolutely no
reason for his taking his life. He had
been most successful in his business
this season and seemed to have every
reason to desire to live. His domestic
relations had been of most pleasant
nature and his wife was crushed with
grief when the sad news of his tragic
death was brought to her several hours
after the lifeless body of Thompson
had been removed from the hotel.
Thompson had been the agent for
the Buick Motor Car Company in this
section of Wisconsin for the past two
years and this season he had develop
ed an unusually large number of pros
poets in Racine and the surrounding
territory He went to Racine three
days ago with a view Of closing up a
lot Of contracts and had planned to re-
turn to his home here on Friday night
Frank Kleiber, Racine garage man.
was on his way to the hotel with an
automobile to bring Thompson to Ke-
nosha when he received word from the
clerk of the hotel that Thompson had
shot himself The Kenosha man had
not made his home at the Belvidere
Hotel, but he went to this hotel on
Friday afternoon and engaged room.
He had spent part of the afternoon
il the hotel, but during the afternoon
he had gone out with a party Of
friends and he did not return to the
hotel until Just after six clock. He
told the clerk that he expected tele-
phone call from tho garage and that he
might go to sleep and asked that he
be called. Just after seven o'clock
guests in the hotel heard the sound of
the pistol shot and the clerk hurried to
the room. Thompson still clutched the
smoking revolver in his hand The
body was removed to the morgue of
the Hansen Undertaking Company and
the coroner of Racine county after
making an examination into the facts,
held that it was unnecessary to call
jury in the case.
Roy Frank Thompson was born in
Milwaukee June cath, 1880. He was
SON of Frank Thompson, now a
prominent Milwaukee business man.
He was educated in the schools of Mil
waukee and after completing his school
work he went to Racine where he ac-
cepted a position with the j. r. Case
Company, Later he was associated
with the Chicago Offices of this com.
oany. While there he was married to
Miss Eva Rice, daughter of Fred
Rice of this city Mr. and -drs Thomp-
son went to Lincoln, Neb., on their
honeymoon and Mr.. Thompson in
business in that city for short time
after which he returned to Kenosha
and joined with his father-in-law in the
real estate business. He was one of
She moving spirits in the putting Of
the Rice subdivision on the market.
For several years he had been in the