Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-05
BELIEF IN SHIRK'S
SUICIDE GROWS
Theory That lie ba IN
Banker Was Murdered
Losing Supporters
WIDOW CLINGS TO 1T
Truth Hinges on Proof That Bull
let in Brain Does Not Cause
Instant Death

LEBANON, Pa. March 5.--The only way
hy which the death OF Howard {. Shlrk,
Lebanon National Bank president ana
leader Of the county bar can he determined
as murder is for physicians to estahlish an
solutely that a man cannot live Tor mo-
ment with a bullet in his brain
Unless that is true il Is almost certain
the lawyer killed himself
Shlrl<'s widow is now the only person who
clings steadfastly to the murder theory.
The teller OF the dead mans bank.
walter MartZ is said today to have identi.
fed the revolver which was found by the
body as having belonged to the bank. lie
would not admit or deny it when questioned
hut referred the Questioners to +, :, Becker,
vice president.
Mr.. Becker was willing to discuss any
feature but that. 1--WE will pass that over
he said
District Attorney Adams knew who owned
the revolver but wouldn't tell SO did Mrs
Shirk. She and not the authorities has
possession of the weapon. The reverse nat
urally would be the case if murder IN
vestigaton was being made.
Just why every one Is so anxious to con-
ceal the ownership of the weapon cannot
be determined
II seems that the only reason the muir
der theory was listened to by county Of
hcials was respect for Mrs, Shirks opinion
and her grief She is convinced that her
all circumstances point to death by his own
hand Thus.
He had been i'll and respondent on ac-
count of his poor health. Mr. Becker, who
was closer to him than any one outside
his family. is authority for that. He also
had been in the Pennsylvania Hospital on
account of his rundown condition only a
year ago and has not been well since
The shooting took place on landing of
the third floor of his Office building 1t is in
fun sight of any one who enters the build
ing and woGd hardly be chosen for a muir
der.
Miss Lut2. a stcnographer on the second
floor. who was greeted on the stairs by
Shirk, heard "A sound like shot and then
another sound like body falling to the
floor. She heard no one come downstairs,
as murderer would have had to. The
shooting happened at | y. IN.
Everything about the shooting makes it
| look like suicide, except the doubts of
| physicians who examined him and who said
| the first wound would have caused death
| Immediately. one bullet entered the right
| ear by the canal and hattened itself against
| the skull. The other entered beneath the
ear and worked downward to the base of
| the brain. The doctors say the first wound
| would have made it impossible to cock
| the gun and shoot again. But A. j. Aulen-
! bach, gunsmth, who examined the
| weapon, said it was easy to cock provided
! a man ndu any strength at All, anu NOulu
! take hardly moment, II was very old
| style. made in 1872 by Hopkins q Allen,
| Norwich. Conn, and of Al calber,
| Mr.. Becker, while not saying so outright
does not believe Mr.. ShTrk was murdered
| He says absolutely that he was not
murdered by a former Lebanon business
man who was known to hate the dead man
! and District Attorney Adams has said that
| if this suspect is eliminated, there is nc
reason to subscribe to the murder theory
| any longer
| AS far as can be learned there was nc
! financial or domestic reason for Mr.
Shrks dependency, only i'll health due tC
| overwork.
1t is likely there will he a formal an
| nouncement by county officials soon tina
the death was due to suicide, and thus enc
| the speculation which has been the che
| topic of conversation all day,
| Coroner Light has not believed in the
murder theory from its beginning. Neither
| have most other Lebanon people.