The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-01-21
DON 0'bR|EN ENDS lift:
BULLET THROUGH HEART

letter of recommendation found in one
OF his coat pockets when the body was
FOUND. This letter Is from a local
automobile man and reads as follows:
keokuR, Iowa, Jan. 6, 1916.
To whom 1t may concern:
Mr.. Don O'Brien has been In our
employ at different times in the
shop and as an automobile driver.
| We consider him q safe, careful
driver and competent to take care
of a car.
Gate City Motor Car Company.
l. H. AVER, Jr., Mgr.
After he left Mr.. Woolley he went
to the home Of his grandmother, Mrs.
Margaret Tracy, and there bid good
bye to her, to his aunt, Miss Kate
Tracy, and to his sister. Florence
OBrien. All commented upon the af-
lection that he showed for them. He
kissed all three several times and was
unusually demonstrative.
They begged him to stay to dinner
but he declined, saying that he had
some letters to write, and he left the
house about 11:20 o'clock with
Gladstone bag. From his grandmoth-
er's house he went to the Grand Hotel
where he evidently penned his three
letters Immediately. All are written
on Grand Hotel stationary and sealed
In the hotel envelopes.
Tho Three Letters.
These were found on his body. One
is addressed to his employer, Ed
Woolley, and reads as follows:
Dear Ed:
NY dying request Is to come out
and see me at the cemetery, 30
good bye.
Dear Old Cat.
Dear Old Benny.
Dear Hank Payton and all the
rest of the boys. Good bye.
DON O'BRIEN.
The three referred to IN the above
letter were close friends of Don's.
Another letter is addressed to The
Gate City In this he stated that do
nestle sorrows had drove him to the
deed. He concludes Il have worried
about it and now am crazy" He
asks that certain local priest preach
his sermon and say prayer for him.
The letter is signed Don O'Brien.
In the letter addressed to his grand
mother he bids all OF his relatives
good bye and repeats to them the var
ious things that led up to his decision
to take his life. As will probably be
remembered. young sister Of his
committed suicide six or seven years
ago by drowning herself and there
have been other sorrows, 1t is said,
that have been preying on his mind
for some time.
After he had written his letters he
left the Grand Hotel about noon and
stepped into the Western Union tele-
graph Office next door, where his sister
and aunt are employed. They were
out, and he exclaimed cheerfully:
What, everybody goneT'
Waved Good Bye.
He left the office and walked ACROSS
Third street. Turning around he saw
his aunt and sister entering the build
ing and waved good bye to them.
He then evidently went up North
Third street to bid good bye to an old
friend Of his, Jesse Ray. He threw
his arms around Ray and said: Good
bye, am going away for good"
Ray asked him where he was going.
and he said to California.
The tragedy happened shortly over
two hours after this and this time he
spent in telling his other friends
goodbye. tits evident that about 200
o'clock in the afternoon he went to
the family lot in the Catholic ceme-
terry and shot himself while standing
between his mothers and fathers
graves.
At least three persons heard the
shot that he fired through his heart,
but none realized that a tragedy had
been enacted. All believed the shot
was fired by squirrel hunters who had
been hunting for some time near the
cemetery.
The three were Harry Landman OF
SIC South Fourteenth street; Emile
Sommer of 62S South Thirteenth
street and J. ]. Crimmins Jr., who
happened to be driving in the ceme-
.-------------------