Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1912 — GEORGE NEWMAN COMMITS SUICIDE [ARTICLE]

GEORGE NEWMAN COMMITS SUICIDE

By Shooting Himself In the Head With Revolver Saturday Night GAUSE OF RASH ACT UNKNOWN Unfortunate Man Was Soon to Have Been Married.—Fourth Suicide In County In Past Four Months. George Newman, unmarried, aged 39 years, a carpenter, shot himself Saturday night at about 10:30 o’clock with what is believed to have been suicidal! intent, at the home jf Bert Hopper, on South Weston street, where he boarded. J What prompted the rash act, if suicide it was, is unknown. He had been about town during the evening and nothing unusual was noted in his appearance or actions. He went to his boarding place at about ten o’clock and up to his room. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hopper had retired, but the latter heard *him come in and shut the door of his room quite forcibly, making considerable noise. The door does not close easily, and it h'ad been his custom not to close it tightly, but this time he took considerable time in closing it tight. The windows were also lowered, despite the warm night, and the shades pulled down.

About half an hour after he had gone to his room Mrs. Hopper, who had remained awake, heard a muffled sound like a revolver shot, and she awakened Mr. Hopper who went to Newman’s room and pushed open the door. Newman’s body lay stretched on the floor. Hopper ran down stairs and found Critiser, the nightwatch, and Harry Eger and a couple of other men and two doctors and they hurried to the house, where it was found that the man was still alive, but had bled considerably from a wound on the left side of the nose near the cheek bone, and ranging upward, the bullet passing out the top of the head and striking the ceiling, then falling tp the floor. The revolver, a 32-cailiber Colts automatic, lay on the floor. The doctors saw at once that the wound was a fatal one, and at 2 a. m. he died without regaining consciousness. The body was removed to the Wright undertaking establishment and will be buried today, the funeral to be held at 10 a. m., from the Christian church. v

While Coroner Wright has rendered no finding as yet, he states that all the circumstantial evidence points to suicide, and it is practically certain that such will be the verdict, although many friends of the unfortunate man think he was accidently shot while handling the revolver, either taking it from or putting It back in his trunk. He purchaesd the weapon in Oklahoma City, it is said, from which place he returned to this county about six' months ago. He was also known to carry the revolver when on the streets at night. He was soon to have been married to a young lady here, and it is said that there had been no trouble between them to have caused him to take his life. He was a man of good habits, although 'peculiar in some ways. He was a native of the state of Ohio, but his family had moved about considerably, had lived in the south, and located in Rensselaer about twelve years ago, coming here from Demotte, the father having died in the meantime and itlhe mother and one sister died here, and. later George went to Oklahoma, remaining there for a few years and returned to Rensselaer last March. At the time of his death he was working for Mr. Hopper on the, G. E. Murray residence and had drawn his pay Saturday night as usual, most of which was found on his person. He also had an account at one pf the banks. The stMcide of Mr. Newman makes four suicides in and about Rensselaer in the past four months.