Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
Claude Harris Body Found
With Farewell Notes in
Downtown Hotel.
GASSED WAR VICTIM
SUFFERED ILL HEALTH
Missed From Edgemoor, Md, Home
Often and Tried Recently to
Jump From Window Here.

Frustrated several weeks ago when
he threatened to jump from an upper
story of the Washington Hotel, Claude
Harris, At, Of Edgemoor, Md, a gassed
World War veteran, committed suicide
yesterday by shooting himself In q
room at the Raleigh Hotel.
Harris, at one time Eastern sales
manager for seafood concern, had
been in i'll health since the war and
had been reported missing repeatedly
the last few months.
Tells Plans In Letters.
Coroner J. Ramsay hewitt issued a
certificate of suicide after viewing the
body, which lay across bed in third
floor guest room. There was a bullet
wound in the right temple and a re-
volver lay on the floor beside the bed
Half a dozen letters, addressed to his
wife, relatives and others, were on
dresser near the door, alongside a
weighted sheet OF stationery bearing
the name and address Of the dead man
The letters. read by the coroner, told
Of the mans intention of ending his
life and gave detailed instructions re-
garding disposition Of his insurance,
personal effects and body
The veteran referred in one of the
letters to his military service in France
and requested burial In Arlington Ma
tional Cemetery.
Writes Hines and Brisbane.
The letters were somewhat rambling
ana incoherent In addition to the
notes to his family. there was a letter
addressed to Brig. Gen. Frank r. Hines,
administrator of veterans affairs, and
one to Arthur Brisbane, newspaper
columniSt
On the pillow of the bed was local
newspaper containing the Brisbane
column, Of which Harris wrote that he
was frequent reader. The column
featured discussion Of the unemploy-
ment problem.
was discovered at 2:45 o'clock yester-
day afternoon by a representative of
the hotel management, who opened the
door after house employees had failed to
obtain a response to their knocks dur
ing the morning. The position of the
body indicated Harris had stood in
front of mirror to aim the revolver
and had collapsed across the bed after
firing the shot. The report of the gun
was not heard by any of the guests or
employees.
Fails to Return Home.
Harris registered at the hotel Fri
day evening and he is believed to have
taken his life early yesterday morning
His wife, Mrs. Ethel Harris, had asked
police to search for her husband after
he failed TO return home last night.
Harris threatened to Jump from a
thtrd-door room of the Washington
Hotel on July % last. At that time,
he was blocked in his attempt by the
arrival of the Fire Rescue Squad, which
spread a net in the street below to
catch him If he leaped from window
sill on which he had perched himself.
When he saw he could not carry out
his plan, Harris finally unlocked the
door OF his room and admitted his wife,
who took him TO his home He lived
at 1912 MiddleSeX lane. Edgemoor.
Shortly before the Washington Hotel
incident, Harris had been reported
missing from the Washington SAM
tarium In Takoma Park, where he was
a patient Prior to that he, had been
the. object of a wide search, following
his disappearance from Harrisburg, Pa,
on visit. Later he was located in a
Harrisburg hospital, suffering from
bronchitis and asthma