The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-27
EDWARD STRATTON, READ 60. OFFICIAL,
 DIES BY OWN HAND
Intimate of Late D. F. Read Kills Him self Amidst Belongings of Friend=- His Love for Employer Led Him to Act of Self Destruction

Edward Curtis Stratton, aged 67 lyearz, secretary and superintendent of Hhe D. M Read Company. with which E4a has been connected for the past 35 wears committed suicide this morning Edn his place of business by shooting himself in the region of the heart and ilater through the brain with a modern I82 cal automatic Colts revolver. Death Twas almost instantaneous and the act Ids ascribed to Intense breeding over lthe death of David F. Reed, with Ityyhoan he had been associated even be- fEore the inception of the firm of Hall 6 Reed which later merged into the lpreeent concern
 Stratton had been ailing for some EeFeehs and, although taking osteo- jpafhic treatment, which seemed to re- t1ieve him temporarily. he had within. ltzhe past week or two suffered severely 1erorn aresoznrlia which in it's acute foa1n
 wous system. His actions yesterday
 and Ehfs morning attracted consider
 abIe coznEneut and strong pressure had been broaght to bear ss1pon him to take Q much needed vacation This he had refused to do so firmly had he become KTWeddad to his busdnesss Ha
 At the usra1 hour this morning, he ERppeared at the store and opeded his Eod1ce He was accustomed to lay out lfhe u1a1ls but so intensely was he suf- fering from pain in the head and back that assistaIts had to perform the, ltask while he watched and made fre-
 sQuenf reference to the agony he was lsumer4ng-
 He waaared about the place and in Iconvansaf5on with other department heada talked so inco1>erently that EGsoxEe c GouAden, an offcial Of the Icompan1, and long a. friend of strat- kton. advised him to take a rest and keee A physician at once. Tt is too 1ate-too Iatein stratton replied and starhed disconsolateay to walk towards
 fhe street.
 He was followed by Goulden, who was alarmed at his condition and, as lfhey reached the sidewalk in front of lfhs store, another attempt was made to direct his steps towards a. physd- scian. Stratton, taking the hand of SGoulden, which rested sympatlletical- l1y upon his shoulder and casting it lasde, repeated that it was too late to ido anything and refused to be taken to the physictanss office.
 He turned back into the store and fwaIked to his office, where he is be- nieved to have secured the automatic revozver, loaded with ten steel capped bullets.
 GouIden. alarmed, called to Walter Brown. a negro porter and told him Ao watch SEatton carefully, while sev- tera1 of the heads Of the firm might be E0n8Q4b6d ko aid the sufferer.
 The distracted man came from his SIittIe office in the rear of the carpet Edepar1nent and walked out the front sof the store with Brown behind. As Brown reached the sidewalk he saw sthe Read building and believing that t11e had gone into the main store went fbaek to intercept him as he passed idown the aisle. He waited a moment land, as he did not see Stratton, went Ito Goufden's office to see if he had bGouIden what had happened and it was then that the heads of the house kassenfbled there realized that he tmfght leave the building before he Ecould1 be stopped.
 Brown was dispatched upstairs to ethe office section of the building and bound that Stratton had gone to the ksecond floor of the building Brown sneE Mrs. Ellen Congdon, a coIored l5anftress employed in the offices, and btogether they went to the floor above E5n search of Stratton.
 They walked down the hallway ant kpaased a partially opened doorway Heading to a suite of rooms vacant ex- scept for a pile of old furniture which had once been in use by the founder Eof the Read store.
 As they returned towards the front |of the building they heard a noise land were about to enter the unoccu- pied room when they heard a untitled Esound
 Brown placed his hand on the knob of the door when a. second shot rang out clearly, followed by the falling of Ia heavy body to the floor. The two Ef1ed in terror and, on the way down stairs met members of the firm who were searching for Stratton. When the men walked into the room, it needed no time to disclose what had Happened.
 Stratton lay in the corner of the room, his right hand grasping the pis- fo1, head against the surbase Of the inner wall his feet partly under a chan once used by D. M. Read in the 1 ola days of the business and into which stratton had apparently fallen 1 1ach hwards as hs dropped and which l