The Man Who Couldn't Be Named: A Mysterious Suicide on Pike Street

MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE. One Man Made His Life With Morphine.

A Key to the Railroad Mail. Shortly before 6 o'clock yesterday morning, Barkeeper Henry of the 'Snoqualmie' boarding house, located on the south side of Main Street at its intersection with Railroad Avenue, discovered that one of the guests, who had registered as M. Murphy, was dead in Room No. 17.

A goblet on the stand, in which could be found traces of morphine, along with other signs, revealed that death had been caused by an overdose.

From Barkeeper Henry the following statement was obtained:

"The man who committed suicide came here at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon and asked for a bed. I told him it was unusual to settle down so early in the day, and he answered that he felt very tired and must have a rest. Then I informed him that the beds were not yet made up, and he replied that he did not care for that, as he was willing to make up the bed he was to sleep in himself. Then he paid 50 cents, registered his name as M. Murphy, and was assigned to Room No. 17.

Murphy was perfectly sober at the time. One of the lodgers, a Mr. Patton, showed him the room. Murphy insisted on having a glass of water before taking several from down stairs. While Patton was getting one of the keys to the door of Murphy's room he noticed that Murphy went to the tap and drank several glasses of water. He also took into the room a goblet filled with water. The bottom of the goblet was broken off, and Patton thought that Murphy could not make it stand up. Murphy answered that he would contrive in some way to keep it upright, so that the water would not spill.

A short time after he came down stairs and got a pencil and paper.

"At 10 o'clock on Tuesday evening I went upstairs and knocked at the door as hard as I could, so as to arouse Murphy. No response was made, but I could hear him breathing heavily, and I did not further try to disturb him.

Shortly before 12 o'clock last night the chambermaid told me to awaken the lodgers who had not yet got up. I awoke two or three, and then she informed me that the man in No. 17 had not yet left his room. I knocked loudly at the door and there was no response. Suspecting that all was not right, I went into Room No. 8 and got over the transom into Room No. 17. Before I touched Murphy for the purpose of throwing him, I opened the door, as it was quite dark in the room. I then caught hold of Murphy by the shoulder, as he was lying on his face, and shook him. He did not move, and then I looked at his face and saw that froth had gathered around his mouth. After a short time I realized that Murphy was dead. On the table was a goblet with a little water in it, and under the top of the table is a small shelf. On this was the empty bottle which had contained the morphine. I believe that he pounded the morphine into the glass and drank it soon after he entered the room, as the crystals could be still seen adhering to the sides of the glass. Then he filled the glass with water to take the taste of the morphine out of his mouth.

"His clothes, which were of good material, were hung up carefully. Sticking out of the pistol pocket of the trousers was a piece of paper on which was scrawled the following which was almost undecipherable:

'Mr. Joseph Hopps [illegible] Friend, I am going to kill myself with morphine. Send word to my folks. The reason that is the cause of this. Good by, Johnny Barnes. Direct to William McCarr good by Johney, S.A. Boons.'

"I notified the chief of police and the coroner came and took charge of the body. I have seen the dead man before, but know nothing about him or what his business was but think that he was a laboring man and about 30 years of age. He seemed to be a strong and healthy sort of a man."

MUCH OF THE PROCESS. Coroner J.A.M. Smart took charge of the remains, and after a brief investigation locked up the room. At 4:30 p.m. yesterday he impaneled the following jury to hold an inquest on the remains: G.M. Hottoo, Stewart Leidle, Philip Sullivan, William Davies, J.M. Huff and William Brackett. After hearing the testimony, which was substantially the same as the statement of Barkeeper Schultze [Henry], as given above, the Jury returned the following verdict:

"We, the jury in this case, decide that the man's name is M.M. Murphy, and that he came to his death by an overdose of morphine taken with suicidal intent."

After the inquest Murphy's remains were taken to the undertaking establishment of Cross & Co. The body will be kept to await identification. If not identified the deceased will be buried by the county.

The most singular feature of the case is that no one knows who the suicide is. It is more than probable that Murphy is not his right name. There were no letters or money found in the man's pockets. Altogether the case seems to be a mysterious one.