Frank A. Brooks Dies by His Own Hand
Goaded to
despair by financial troubles and despondent over the loss of his position,
Frank A. Brooks took his life about noon today by shooting himself through the
heart according to the family’s history he had complained of feeling unwell
shortly after breakfast and went up stairs to his room. While his wife was in
the coal shed getting a pail of coal about 11:20 she heard a revolver shot and
hurried to the house. As she entered the hall way she smelled powder, smoke and
fearing the worst she ran to the sidewalk screaming for her neighbor, Mrs.
Jacob Brown, who lives just west of the Brooks home. Together the women ran
upstairs and into the bedroom and there on the bed lay the unfortunate man
gasping his last, with blood streaming from a bullet wound in his left breast.
A revolver on the bed at his side with one chamber empty told the story. The
dead man was only in his underwear, had lain down on the bed. Grasping the
weapon with one hand he had pulled up his shirt with the other one and
deliberately placing the weapon over his heart and pulled the trigger. Death
followed within a few seconds.
The only
reason that could be given over the suicide is financial troubles Brooks had
lately being employed by Severance Bros., of the Queen City market, and meat
deliverer. About a month ago his employers found it necessary to get a man to
help the butcher as well as deliver meat, and this being something Brooks could
not do, he was compelled to give up his position.
The loss
of his job and his inability to secure other employment weighed heavily on his
mind. To add to his troubles he had been gambling lately and was losing heavily.
What money he had at hand was soon lost at the cards and Saturday he succeeded
in borrowing a small sum. He got in a poker game with hopes of winning his lost
money like so many times before, he played a game and his last cent was gone.
He kept the matter quiet from his wife that night; they attended service at the
Methodist Church. He complained at church of feeling bad, and seemed very
despondent. This morning he got up early and did the usual chores but went to
bed without breakfast. His wife took up a lunch to his room but he ate little.
This was the last she saw him alive.
The
bullet passed through the lower part of his heart, and death was almost
instant.
Brooks
had always maintained an excellent reputation, and although known to addict to
gambling occasionally, no one suspected that he was in such desperate straits.
He was not a drinking man, and his employers say he was a very faithful and
steady workman. His sad affair is a shock to his acquaintances and especially
so to his family.
He leaves
a wife and two daughter, Miss Edith Brooks, a stenographer, and Miss Hattie,
who is present in Galena. He was about 48 years of age.
Mr.
Brooks came to Hutchinson in 1887 and was engaged in the grocery business with
E. Edwards in the firm of Edwards and Brooks. Later he opened up a feed
business under the name of Brooks & Co. After the dissolving of this firm
he secured employment with Severance Bros.
He had
been very unsuccessful in business, and he leaves his family little besides the
insurance he carried in the Modern Woodmen order.
Death Date: July 31, 1899
Hutchinson Daily News
July 31, 1899
Submitted by Kathleen
Dankanyin
........................................................
Lot 130
