Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-05
Slayer Of College Head
Pyemedltuted SulC1de;;
Lettery ReUeaI Intent

| SYRACUSE, n. Y, April S.-Dr.
Holmes Beckwith. educator. former
United States army lieutenant and
california bank examiner, who shot
and killed Dean John Herman Whar-
ton, at Syracuse university Saturday
morning before committing suicide,
probably was insance as result of
chagrin over losing his position here,
| according to statements made by
the authorities and Chancellor James
r. Day, of the university.
That Beckwfth had premeditated
suicide has been clearly established,
the instructor having left several let
! tiers showing his intention in that re-
spect. AT first it was believed that
DR.. Wharton had been killed in an
unsuccessful attempt to prevent
IBeckwith's suicide but this theory
has now been cast aside.
Coroner Sells Crane, District At
torney Frank Malpass and Chancel-
lor Day are all agreed in the belief
that DR.. Wharton was shot follow
ing an argument when Beckwlth
presented a letter in answer to Whar-
toms notification that the university
would have no need Of Beckwith's
services after the close of college in
June.
Five bullets were found in DR..
Wharton's body, indicating that
BeckWith had made sure his superior
was dead before he turned the revol-
yer upon himself.
Brunt of Jokes
Dean Wharton was in his thirty
second year and had been an instruc-
tor at Syracuse university since his
Or
leight years ago. He was made dean
of the college of business admins
tration two years ago and Beckwith
was one of the instructors under him.
Beckwith had been the brunt of
several jokes by the student body
lished the practice of locking the
doors of the class room at the time
| the class was due to begin and he
would not permit tardy pupils to
ENTER.
He was strict in discipline and in
the matter of time devoted to his
classes and he had some peculiari-
tiles which made him more or less
victim for students FRANKS and he
was decidedly unpopular with them.
1t is claimed they circulated a petit
assignment next fall.
University authorities had con-
WINGED themselves that Beckwith was
| a liability rather than an asset and
last Monday he received his notltica-
! ton to look elsewhere for a teaching
assignment next fall.
! He protested, but his arguments
were without avail. Friday night, it
has been established, he spent hours
| in his room writing letters, one OF
which was addressed to Dean Whar-
ton. 1t was a lengthy document,
ISaying among other things: "A cor
Inered rat will fight"
Story of Life
| He asked that his uncle, George
Holmes, of Montclair, n. j., be mott
fed and that his action be kept from
an aunt who is i'll
That he had a rather turbulent
career and regarded at least two per-
sons, outside of Syracuse who had
Figured in his troubles in the educa-
tional world, as being worthy sub
jects for murder. is shown in the
of March 80, and turned over, ac-
cording to his written wishes. to Pro-
fessor John o. Simmons, faculty
member here.
Discussing his discharge at Colo
RADIO college, DR.. Beckwith speaks
of a Mr.. Howbert, bank president,
apparently one of the board of gov
errors, and writes:
Mr.. Howbert's anger knew no
bounds. / have never met him. /
think a man to take the action he did
is so unjust he should be shot"
In his written story of his life, he
discussed troubles he had at Grin
nell college, in Iowa, which evident
| ly eliminated while he was serving
in the army. He wrote:
| II would have murdered Mr.. Main,
who certainly deserves this end in
| having treacherously betrayed one in
| his country's service. Then I would
| have shot myself"
Son Of Minister
| The story of Beckwith's life shows
he was born October 5, 1884 in HAIKU
Island of Maui. then of the Hawaiian
kingdom. His father and GRANDPA
| Their were Congregational ministers
and his one sister, Ruth Beckwith
Bullock, is a missionary in Slang
Tan, China.
Beckwith attended the Pacific
Theological School at Berkeley, Cal.
but did not complete the course. In
1911 he was graduated from Column
bia, TO which university he transfer
red in 1908. He married Helen
Frances Robinson in California, be-
fore entering Columbia. They had
separated some time ago.
After graduation he spent a short
time in Germany and returned to
America as a techer at Dartmouth.
He condemned Dartmouth as the
toughest college in America; all men,
the dominant element of whom de-
there, blaming his trouble on Pro-
fessor George r. Wicker, of whom
he says: This human cur, Wicker,
has since died"
His story tells of engagements in
california, Colorado and Iowa, finally