Dallas Morning News
August 20, 1899
FATALLY SHOT HIMSELF
Denison, Tex., Aug 19 - The city has not
been so terribly shocked
in many a day as it was this afternoon by the news of the death of
Edward
(mistake in paper, Edwin is the name) B. Benjamin, who committed
suicide
about 3 o'clock by shooting himself with a 32-caliber revolver.
The deed was committed at the home of his
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
C.L. Benjamin, No. 800 West Owing street. Deceased has been
ill for
a long time and of late has been very despondent. The story
as near
as can be learned from his family is that he was downstairs on a lounge
reading a book. His mother was upstairs asleep, and there was
no
one in the room at the time. His sister, a little girl about
14 years
of age, had seen him with a pistol a few moments before, but thought
nothing
of it at the time. A few moments afterward the household was
startled
by a pistol shot, and deceased's little nephew ran into the room and
found
him sitting upon the lounge with the pistol grasped in his right hand,
while the blood flowed from a wound in his right temple, where the
bullet
had entered.
The boy screamed and the other members of
the household came running
into the room. He was dead when they reached his side, the
bullet
having entered his brain and death no doubt was
instantaneous. A
physician was summoned as soon as possible, but nothing could be
done.
His father, who is chief clerk in the car shop department of the
Missouri,
Kansas and Texas, and his brother, who is employed in the National Bank
of Denison, were notified and were soon on the scene. The
family
is completely prostrated by the terrible tragedy and were unable to
tell
the particulars of the case. There can be no cause for the
deed except
that stated above.
Deceased was a young man who had been
almost reared in the city,
quite popular in social circles, and his sudden death has come as a
terrible
shock, not only to his family but to his many friends and acquaintances.
He was a member of the old Denison rifles
and enlisted here when
the war broke out with Spain and served until mustered out.
He worked
at the Missouri, Kansas and Texas car shops for several years, but of
late
has been unable to do anything on account of illness. The
funeral
will be held at the home, 800 West Owing street, tomorrow afternoon at
4 o'clock.
