WILLIAM H. ELLIS

ELLIS

Posted By: Judy Kelley (email)
Date: 10/4/2015 at 16:20:51

WILLIAM H. ELLIS COMMITS SUICIDE

WELL KNOWN FORMER RESIDENT OF LETTS SUICIDES.

Despondency Over Family Troubles Causes William H. Ellis to Blow Out His Brain in Moline.

Lying faced downwards with his head in a pool of blood and a revolver tightly clasped in his hand, W. H. Ellis, a former resident of Letts, was found dead in a Moline hotel by one of the chamber maids. Mr. Ellis moved from Letts about a year ago to Watertown, where he was residing at the time of his death. On Friday afternoon he left his home, saying that he was going to Silvis to see a man on business and that he would not be gone longer than two hours.

Sunday afternoon he rented a room at the Arlington hotel in Moline about 4 o'clock. He was not seen again until Monday morning when one of the chamber maids went into the room to change the linen. He was found lying dead on the floor, and in the room was a new package of envelopes and paper and a box of cartridges, which indicate that he had prepared everything for committing suicide. No one heard the shot fired, as there were only two rooms on the same floor that were occupied at that time.

LEFT HOME FRIDAY.

It was learned yesterday that he had stayed all of Saturday night at the St. James hotel in Davenport, but his whereabouts the rest of the time cannot be ascertained. His son, Bruce testified that his father had no business troubles that he knew of and that his father had never said anything about committing suicide. Mr. Ellis went to Watertown a year ago last August and in the time had built up a large trade in the grocery line and had made many friends who are deeply shocked at this occurrence.

Source: Newspaper clipping with handwritten date of March 1, 1908