The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-16
DIES
BY ASPHYX|AT|ON
ON WEDDING EVE
Was Vice-President and
Secretary of South
ern Railway.
CAUSE OF DEATH
is NOT CERTAIN
Friends Think It Due to Acct
dent, and Police Report 1t as
"Probable Suicide
Risen From Clerkship
to High Position
With Railroad.
Especial to The Times-D,spatch.1

lPpSNiUi W L ne iIDneS-
New York, January 15-Richard
Dixie Landlord, a vice-president and
secretary of tho Southern Railway.
and connected with more than a dozen
other railroads through the South,
was found asphyxiatcd by gas In the
bathroom OF his bachelor apartments In
Brooklyn to-day. Mr.. Lankford's s
body was found just forty-eight hours
before lie was to have married Miss
Nellie 5. Patterson, IL Brooklyn society
girl
The police in their blotter report
give the cause of death as probable
suicide" Coroners Physician Lester
Volk. who viewed the body, issued a
certificate In which he gave the cause
of death as Accidental gas poisoning"
From the superficial examination
have made. everything indicates that
the man came to his death through an
accident" said the physician.
Mr. Landlord was found dead by a
colored porter shortly after IL o'clock
this morning, when he had gone to
MS apartments to arrange his rooms.
Gas vas flowing freely from the one
Jet In the room, from which the tip
had been removed. His body was
lying unclothed on the floor.
Too Happy TO Take Own Life.
Thomas j. Mcdowell, one of the dead
mans most intimate friends, voicing
the sentiments of number of other
men who had known him for 81 scoro
OF years, said:
Mr. Landlord did not take his life.
He was in too happy a frame Of mind
TO do such thing. He was as happy
as lark over his coming marriage,
which was to take place on Saturday
mt the home of his fiance's brother,
larry : Patteson, at No. s14 Pros
pect Place. There was absolutely no
reason why he should commit sui
eide He was successful and had
money"
1t was learned that Mr.. Landlord had
visited Miss Patterson at her brothers S
home, where she has been stopping
Tor two weeks. on Wednesday evening.
lie spoke only of one subject-his
coming marriage. He left In the best
OF spirits about IL o'clock, after tell
ing his fiance to make certain that
several friends who had previously
been overlooked be extended invita-
tions To the wedding
Notes of Marriage.
In his room were found cards which
were To have been placed on his bag
gage after he had been married They
were addressed TO the Marlborough-
Blenheim Hotel, Atlantic City. To
Charles l.. Mccarthy, assistapt secre-
tary of the Southern Railway, Mr..
Landlord had intrustcd a notice of
the marriage, which was to have been
given to the newspapers Sunday. 1t
read:
''Lankford dPatterson--On Saturday,
January IL 1914. at tho home of the
brides brother. Harry S. Patterson, No
Sl+ Prospect Place. Brooklyn. by the
Rev. Charles Carroll Albertson, ID. d.;
Miss Nellie S, Patterson to Richard d.
Lankford."
He had already purchased his parlor
car transportation for himself and
bride to Atlantic City.
Mr.. Lankford was forty-six wears
old His bride-to-be was about thirty
seven. She had been employed as a
confidential secretary In the presidents 8
Office Of Huyler & Company. and had
resigned several weeks ago When
notified of her hance's death, she was
in the apartment where they had ar
ranged to live after their marriage
Mystery in Case.
Just how Mr. Landlord came to turn
electric lights in the room, one of
which Is attached to the same fixture
a9 the gas The theory is advanced
that he was in the act of turning on
the electric light preparatory to TAX
ing bath, and through an error
turned on the gas. when he was sud
denly taken i'll with an attack OF in
digestion. sickness from which he
had been suffering considerably.
1t was said by Mr.. Mccarthy, tho
dead mans secretary. that Landlord
had been considerably overworked
since last Thanksgiving. when many
of the duties of w. w. Finley. who died
several days previously, had fallen
upon him.
Mr.. Landlord had risen from Il clerk
ship in the Southern to the office he
held at the time Of his death He was
the son of Uriah j. Lankford and was
born at Princess Anne. Md, in 1867 He
has n sister living at Princess Anne
and brother ut Columbus, Ohio.
Formerly Lived I'm Roanoke.
Roanoke. Va, January i5@Richard
d. Landlord, the Southern Railway off,
cial, whose body was found in his
bachelor apartment in BROOKLYN to-day.
formerly lived in Roanoke, beginning
his railway career in this vicinity. He
came to the Norfolk and Western Rail-
way when the Roanoke and Southern
Railway was absorbed by the Norfolk
He remained with the Norfolk and
Western here for three years in the
waybin department OF the auditors
otiice,, and later went to Brooklyn, N.
y, where he accepted service with an
elevated railway company.
RACCOON WITH GOLD TOOTH
Presented to President Wilson by Ed
ward II. Goltrn.
Especial to The Times Dspatch.l
Washington, January IA Missouri
raccoon was brought to tho White
House to-day by Edward +. Goitra.
Democratic National Committeeman
tyrI ..tf