South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-13
F IND No REASON
FOR SUICIDE OF
LEO {. CULBERT
Manager of MiShaWaka Office
of Gas and Electric Co. Ends
His Life by Drinking Car
b0IiC Acid.

Leo c. Culbert, 25 years, manager
of the Mishawaka Office of the North
ern Indiana Gas and Electric Co.
ended his life at his boarding house,
535 Michigan av., Monday afternoon
at $3.50 o'clock by drinking a three
ounce vial of carbolic acid.
No reason was advanced by his
friends. although it is possible that
the recent death of his mother and
father may have been the cause. II
was also stated that trouble with a
cause, although this is denied by his
friends.
Culbert only recently returned
home from Schuyler, Penn, where he
was called by the death of his father.
Two notes were found In his room
when the body was discovered but
neither of these gave the officers a
clue.
According TO Mrs. Ella Stricken,
owner of the house in which Culbert
roOmed the latter was in his usual
spirits Thursday morning. She said
that in the afternoon he said that he
expected a telegram and that If he
was not at home when ii arrived that
she was TO sign for it. The telegram
came at 2:4O and about } o'clock
Culbert took ii and went to his room.
That was the last time he was seen
alive. The telegram was later found
and was to the effect that friend.
Lincoln Sponsler of Toledo, O., would
arrive at $3.50 O'Clock Thursday even
ing.
Detectives Find Body.
T. p Reed, owner of the Central
TO discover that something was
wrong. He called about o'clock,
according to his statement, upon a
matter of personal business, which he
claimed he was not at liberty to make
public, but he said that il was not of
enough consequence to cause young
Culbert's suicide. He knocked at the
latter's room and called to him sew
eral times. When there was no re
spouse he called Chief of Detectives
Kuespert and the two men succeeded
in forcing the door. They found Gull
bert sprawled across the bed and an
empty three ounce vial that had con-
tanned carbolic acid on the floor.
Later in the evening, Lincoln
Sponsler, the author of the telegram
that gilbert had received earlier in
the afternoon, arrived and when ques-
toned said that he knew of no rea-
friends self destruction. He said
that he had met Culbert a year or
so before and that the latter was
the cause of Culberts coming to
South Bend a year ago to work for
the gas and electric company. They
had kept up a regular correspondence
and he said that in none of GILBERT
letters was there found anything to
make one think that he was in any
sort of difficulty, either financial or
otherwise. He could give no reason
as TO why Culbert had telegraphed
him TO come to this city at once.
Finds Two Notes.
Coroner Swantz in his examination
of the body found no papers that
would give a reason for the deed.
Culbert left two notes one of which
said: please notify DIR. r. n. Gull
bert, care of Jacob Z. Decker and
Sons, Mason City. Iowa" DR.. r. n.
Culbert is a brother of the dead man.
The other note was fastened to a
! bunch of keys and said: Keys to
the Mishawaka office"
The inquest over the body will be
held by Coroner Swantz Tuesday af-
! ternOon at o'clock. Culbert was a
member Of the Mishawaka lodge of
! the Moose and according to a card
! found in his pockets, his dues were
paid up TO date. The lodge will prob
ably have charge of his funeral.
| The brother, Dr. r. n. Culbert, OF
! Mason City, Ia, has been notified and
Will come to the city at once.