The Coconino sun., 1927-01-28
DEAREST IS GONE ALL
THATIHAD TOLIVE FOR
]. ROBERTSON WROTE IN
EXPLANATION OF SUICIDE


Inconsolable since the death of his
wife four days before, j. Robertson
shot himself in the temple with rifle
Thursday evening about six-thirty,
the same hour as his wife passed
away, at his cabin home on the old
San Francisco mountain trail.
The little old man had been pa
thetic figure those few days of his
loneliness.
II am all broken up; | don't know
what to do with myself" he would
say to sympathetic ones who sought
to ease his sorrow by asking him to
their homes.
'1Oh, that dinning in my ears
that / have had for years. No
one to help. Dearest is gone-all
that / had to live for"
So read the note the berc1 -od hus-
band wrote before he ended the life
that had become futile. So far as is
known he had no living relative.
For the last few years of his wife's
life she had been so incapacitated
from rheumatism that upon the little
old man had fallen the burden of the
work of their little home besides the
care of the wife. With her gone it
seemed to him there was nothing left
for him to do.
After her death Mr. Robertson had
been staying at the Mcmillan ranch a
few miles nearer town. Thursday
morning he left on one of his horses
for his cabin, the first time he had
been there since his wife's death He
did not return for lunch and when he
4 81 n
Tommy Mcmillan and G. G. Retts
drove won't to see If he had fallen off
his horse and was hurt. They found
his body still warm in the little cabin
and it is thought that he had shot
himself about 6:30.
The hour of $50 seemed to be upon
his mind, it is remembered that he
was heard to murmur it several
times. 1t is believed he planned TO go
at the same hour as did his compan-
ion of a2 years Of married life. Co
ing to the Pioneers Home at Prescott
lad been suggested to him but he
gave it scant heed; merely murmured
something about mot bothering," that
he would mot be here long"
Evidence shows that he calmly went
about the business Of ending his life;
he spent the day setting his house in
order; the little three roomed cabin
was in perfect shape He even spread
gunny sack upon the kitchen floor
before he placed himself upon it,
placed the muzzle of the rifle at his
temple and pulled the trigger.
The sheriff's office was notified
and q coroner's jury drove out that
night and returned a verdict of sui
eide. Besides several county officers
and Tommy Mcmillan and c. G. Belts,
there were Justice of the Peace Harry
Richwine, B. G. Black, and Joe Moritz.
Gentle, kindly, honest as the dav is
long, conscientious, quiet and unob-
trusive-these are some of the terms
applied to him. For many years he
gathered wood and sold it in town.
Always his loads were a little larger
than you expected, the wood was Sc
lected a little more carefully than
/ seemed necessary. If you were nearly
out or a storm was coming on always
he surprised you by bringing it lit
tie before you had begun to worry.
Mr.. and Mrs. Robertson came to
this section of the country from the
Verde valley. They came there from
Utah 30 years ago. They lived on
the Spring Greek ranch in Oak Geek
When they first came to Flagstaff
they farmed and raised chickens on
| the Merritt Craig place near Elder
mountain, later on the Daugherty
ranch north of town. For several
years their home was on a timber
lease on the old San. Francisco noun
| tain trail back of the Fry ranch or
| the Fort Valley road.
Robertson. When asked his full name
he always replied, "Just j."
He was buried Saturday Afternoon
/ in grave beside that of his wife.