The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-03-24

Raymond W. Stevens, the
elder brother, elected death
as the easiest way to take the
onus from his dying father
and his younger brother.
He shot himself to death in his
North Shore home Thursday. A
coroner's jury returned a verdict of
suicide today.
1t was stout fellow between
Raymond Stevens and Ernie"
Theey carried on the boyhood 10y
atty, although the man who put a
pistol to his head as he sat in front
of his fireplace in Highland Park
was So and Ernie" only two years
younger.
In a stone Fashioned mansion on
Lake Shore drive, James w. Stevens,
their father, lay at the point of
death. He had not been told that
his older son had taken his life.
Slated for Court Monday
The three had been scheduled to
appear in Judge Philip Sullivan's
court Monday to face charges of
embezzling the 100000 from the
insurance company to keep open the
Stevens and La Sale hotels, which
they also owned.
Il think the district attorneys
office will agree to a continuance
of week, in view of the circum-
Stances said attaches there. THE
hearing was to have been on a mo-
ton to quash the indictment against
the father and his sons"
Possibility of federal action, which
may include others besides the
younger Stevens son, was mentioned
by Dwight F. Green, United States
district attorney. It was likely that
action would await moves Of the
states attorney.
The Stevens, which was built by
the family. was called the largest
hosiery in the world.
Raymond w. Stevens Jr. issued
the following statement regarding
his fathers death:
1.-THE death apparently was sui
eide due to dependency over the
receivership of the insurance COM
pany and over the illness Of his
father"
Funeral Services Saturday
Funeral services will be held Sat-
urday afternoon, the family an
nounced.
After luncheon Thursday, Mrs.
Stevens, a son and daughter, Mrs.
Katherine Stafford, prepared to
leave the estate residence for their
town home. A shot resounded.
The three rushed into the sun
room to find Stevens bleeding. An
encyclopedia lay open to a chap
ter on birds. He was an amateur
ornithologist.
He was rushed to the Highland
Park hospital where he died an
hour after the shooting.
ToppIed Like insult
The long-cherished dream of Chi
cagos otel-and-insurance dynasty
to have the worlds largest hotel
stand in Michigan avenue as its
monument thus comes to a tragic
climax.
The $33,OOo,0OO Stevens hotel
stands today not as a Stevens fam
lily monument but as the symbol Of
a financial pyramid that toppled
like Samuel insults two billion dol
lar power securities structure.
There is much similarity in the
insult worlds greatest failure) and
the Stevens worlds greatest hoteD
careers.
Samuel insult and James w. Ste
vens rode to riches on Chicago's
great growth.
Both built well up TO the point of
their greatest achievements.
Both, old men now, find them
selves crushed in the wreckage of
their financial careers, shorn of per-
sonal fortunes, facing prison.
Known as Strong Figures"
Chicago had known the Stevenses,
father and sons, as strong business
men, conservative builders, sue
cessful insurance operators, until
the 3,000-room hotel crash revealed
they had staked all on the mon
ument, had, 1t is charged, illegally
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