The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-02-29
TRAGIC DEATH OF
0. P. HEATH
Head of Firm Of 0. p. Heath &
Co. Shoots Himself.
WAS IN BAD HEALTH
Financial ReverseS. Added 20
Physical Ailments, Assigned
as Cause. Had Specta-
cuiar Career.

'iNiiISo VI tllS UeuIN OIL
Mr.. 0. p Heath, of Charlotte.
who was a native of this county
and a former resident of the
town, were received with sorrow
in Lancaster, for Mr.. Heath had
a number of relatives as well as
many warm personal friends
here. He was an uncle of Mrs.
Charles ID. Jones and Mrs. John
Crawford of this place. For a
number of years Mr.. Heath was
one of Lancaster's leading busi..
ness men being a member of the
firm of Heath, Springs & Co.,
and later of the Heath-Jones Co.
lie was a progressive citizen, ac.
lively identified with every in
tereSt that made for the upbuild-
ing of Lancaster. From the
Charlotte Observer of to-day we
take the following sketch of Mr..
/ Heath:
"Mr. O. p. Heath. one of Char
lotte's oldest, best known and in
his day one of the South's most
prominent cotton merchants,
committed suicide yesterday
morning at II o'clock in his Of
flee at No. p 12 South College
street by shooting himself thru
the head with a 32-caliher Colt
blue-stee revolver. Death was
instantaneous. TIL health with
the added tribulations brought
on by financial reverses. are as
signed to account for the act.
Two notes. sealed and addressed
to his wife, We're found by those
who reached the scene first.
Their contents We're not divulped
but it is stated that they relate
to intimate personal matters
such as might be anticipated
under the circumstances. The
body viii be carried 10 Monroe
|on the 1910 O'Clock Seaboard
train this morning and the fun
eral will take place at the Cer-
tral Methodist Church immedi-
ately on arrival. Rev. DR.. ]. C.
Rowe, of Salisbury assisted bv
Rev. NJ. t. Steele. of Hickory
Grove and Rev. J. e. Abernathv
of Monroe, will have charge of
the service.
Was Carefully Planned.
There was no doubt but that
me suicide was carefully plann-
ed. Mr.. Heath came to his of
flee early and opened his mail as
usual. He inquired about the
market and appeared to be in
ms customary state of health,
which however has not been
good for several years. Shortly
before ii o'clock he asked his
son George and his bOOk-keeper.
theodore Harris, nephew. to
step out on small errands and
that was the last seen of him
alive. Mr.. George Heath hur-
ried out and Just as he was in
the act of starting up the stairs.
leading to the office on his re-
turn he heard a pistol shot from
above. He hurried up and found
his father sitting in his office
chair. in front of his desk, with
his feet resting in a chair oppo-
site, evidencing careful prepara-
ton, his right hand still clutch
ing a revolver and his head lean
ing over on his chest, with the
blood streaming from a hole in
the skull, Just above and behind
his right ear. Mr.. Heath turned
instantly and rushed out for
physician but before DR.. J. A.
Austin could arrive, he was dead.
Doctor Austin stated that Mr..
Heath's body was still quite
warm but that his heart had
stopped beating when he arriv-
ed. He expressed the belief that
death had been almost instanta.
neous. Drs. C. S. Mclaughlin
and {. M. Strong were also on
hand in few minutes but moth
ing could be done. Lying on the
desk where Mr.. Heath had lust
finished writing them were two
notes, addressed to his wife. in
which he voiced his last appeal
and told why he had been i'm
PEELED to the act which ended
it all.