Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-07
LEAVES TENDER LETTER
TO HIS WIFE IN TEXAS
Guards Attention Attracted to Other
. Side of Tier, Prisoner Hurls
Himself to Destruction,
J0v1AL EARLY IN NIGHT
Keepers Suspicious Aroused. But
Ruse Lured Him Away-Explo-
sion and Murder Rumors Dis
proved by Autopsy.


NEW YORK, July Frank Holt, the
man who shot J. p. Morgan and blew up
a room in the Senate wing of the Capt.
tol at Washington, lay dead today in an
undertaker's esta blishment at Hempstead
L. l.. and the New York police had in
their possession his trunk. containing 1s4
half-pound sticks of dynamite, with which
they believe he planned to wreck public
buildings in New York and other cities
An autopsy early today established the
fact that Holt committed suicide by leap
ing from the top of his cell door in the
Mineola, L. l.. Jail while the keeper was
temporarily absent last night.
Walter r. Jones, the Mineola coroner.
issued a statement after an autopsy had
been performed by the prison physician.
He said:
Holt came to his death by a compound
fracture of the skull and cerebral hemor-
rhage caused by fall
Holt's suicide followed closely upon the
discovery Of evidence tending to confirm
the suspicion that he was Erich Muenter,
the former Harvard instructor. who was
accused of poisoning his wife in 1906.
This was the day set for Hollis pre-
limfnary arraignment on the charge Of
shooting Mr.. Morgan.
Investigation was in progress today to
ascertain whether his suicide was due to
negligence Of any Jail official.
Hollis Last Letter.
District Attorney Smith searched
Hollis cell Immediately after arriving
at the Jail and found a letter written
on yellow paper. This letter. which
Holt must have written before he at
tempted suicide early yesterday morning,
when the pencil with which he tried to
sever an artery was taken from him,
was addressed ITO My Dears" and fol-
lows:
Il must write once more. The more
I think about it the more / see the use
lessness of living under circumstances
such as these. Bring up the dear ba-
bies in the love of God and man. God
bless you my sweet. Anectionately,
FRANK.
''P. S.-All please pardon me for all
the heartache 1 have brought you. Pray
with me that the slaughter will stop.
My heart breaks. Goodbye"
Autopsy Shows Crushed Skull.
DR.. Guy Cleghorn, after performing an
autopsy on Holt's body at Hampstead
stated that Holt had died of a hemor-
rhage Of the brain. caused by a depressed
fracture Of the skull. Dr. Cleghorn said
that he found a large confused wound,
which extended from the top of the head
to below the eyes. and that both the top
and base of the skull had been fractured.
DIR. Cleghorn said that he found no
evidences of an explosion or bullet wound.
Holt was under the guard of jeremiah
Organ, a Jail attendant. The prisoner
apparently was sleeping soundly, and
of the cell tier. left his place in front of
Holtt open door and started to investi-
gate.
Organ heard noise. which. he said.
resembled an explosion, and hastily re-
turned to Holt's cell.
Confusion in the Jail.
While several of the Jail authorities
declared that Holt killed himself by
climbing through the opening at the
top of his cell door and then plunging
to the narrow court below. HoIt's
keeper at first said he was positive
that the prisoner was killed in his own
cell. where, he said. he found the body
There were many conflicting reports
last night as to the manner in which
Holt met his death, but 1t was def
nitely established through DIR. Cleg-
horn the Jail physician. that Holt died
of a fractured skull. This disposed of
one report current Immediately after
the finding Of Hollis body, that he had
been killed from the outside. This was
only one of a number of reports reach
ing the authorities.
Inquest to Be Held.
Although the autopsy performed on
Hollis body early today by DR.. Guy
Cleghorn established definitely that his
death was due to a fractured skull,
Walter R. Jones, the coroner, said that
he would hold an inquest into the man.
ner in which Holt met his death. This,
Mr.. Jones said, was purely formal
jeremiah Organ, the keeper who was
on guard at Hollis cell when Holt COM
mitted suicide, had recovered his COM
posure .oday sufficiently to give con-
nected story of what happened. ORyan
said that he had been employed by
Sheriff Petit to guard the prisoner on
the stipulation that he watch him from
8 o'clock at night till In the morning.
Last night at the specified hour O'Ryan
went,to the entrance OF Holts cell. Holt
seemed to be cheerful.
Il had some food today and managed
to retain 1t in my stomach. ORyan
says Holt told him. Il feel much better
detectives have been coming in and
asking me all kinds of questions. and
they have been bothering me day and
night I must get sleep. I have got an
important statement to make tomorrow
and / must be able to convince people
that what / say is true.
Investigates Noise.
ORyan said he told Holt to go ahead
and sleep. and that Holt turned over on
his side with his back to Organ and
remained there for about an hour. At
the end of that time Organ heard a
noise in the next corridor. He glanced
at Holt and saw that he had changed
his position so that he was facing the
ioor but apparently Holt was sleeping.
Organ then crept. he says. on his
hands and knees down the corridor to
check the disturbance so that Holt
might sleep. He looked into the other
corridor and found there was nothing
here. As he was about to start back