“The remains of George B. Anderson were brought to this city Tuesday night on the N. & W. Attorneys Walter and Frank Warwick, of Cincinnati, and their mother, accompanied the remains.”
“The body was taken to the Anderson homestead on Gallia Street, and from there the funeral was held this afternoon at half-past two o’clock.”
“No death for some time has so shocked the people of this community as did that of George Anderson. A man of pleasing personality, cheery, clever, and companionable at all times, he was a man whose friendship was prized by all so fortunate as to know him. For some years past Mr. Anderson was a member of Portsmouth Lodge No. 154, B.P.O.E. Taking a deep interest in the lodge, he was regarded as one of the most faithful and honorable members, and no one was more popular or better liked than he.”
“His death, doubly sad under the circumstances, has aroused the sincere sympathy of the citizens of this community, where he had spent the greater part of his life.”
“George Beaufort Anderson was the son of Mrs. Annie and the late George W. Anderson. He was born at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky., in 1864. His parents came to this city when he was quite young, and this city was always his home. He was in the Anderson Dry Goods store for a number of years, and for a long time was on the road for Lilly, Brackett & Co., of Brockton, Mass. In 1892 he and his brother Charles engaged in the shoe business. They conducted two stores, one on Chillicothe near Sixth, and one on West Second. Later, when the Anderson department store was opened in the Crawford building, the two stores were consolidated and moved there.”
“He was married in 1894 at Decatur, Ill., to Mrs. Anna Glover, who survives him. No children were born of this union.”
“In addition to his mother and wife, Mr. Anderson left eight brothers, as follows: W. B.; Eugene; Charles; Warwick; Preston; Crawford; Nelson; and Frank; and one sister, Mrs. J. N. Crawford, now in New Haven, Conn. A sister, Mrs. Frank M. Williams, died only recently.”
“The Cincinnati Enquirer gives details of the tragedy as follows:”
“Anderson was a frequent visitor to this city, and always stopped at the Palace. He arrived there Monday evening, and after registering, retired to his room about 10:30 o’clock. From the appearance of the room he must have taken his life shortly after this, as the bed had not been disturbed and the gas was still burning. His overcoat had been hung over the back of a chair, his hat was lying on the dresser, his umbrella on the mantelpiece, while his valise was found open upon a table in the room.”
“It was shortly after 12 o’clock on Tuesday that a chambermaid notified Manager Maxwell that the occupant of No. 431 had not left his room, and as is the custom, Houseman Pat Shannon was sent to investigate. The door was found to be securely locked on the inside, but Shannon secured a step ladder and peered over the top of the door, through the transom. He saw the occupant of the room lying on the floor, with his feet toward the mantel. He was fully dressed and lying in such a manner that the wound in his head could not be seen from the doorway.”
“Shannon climbed through the transom and unlocked the door. Manager Maxwell then entered, and examining the body found a jagged hole in the head, just back of the right ear, from which the coagulated blood was slowly pouring down upon the carpet, where a pool had formed. From the position of the body it was plain he had stood before the mirror over the mantel so as to be able to see himself and make sure that the revolver was pointed properly. He then placed the weapon to his head, just back of the right ear, and pulled the trigger. So close was the revolver that the ear and hair were burned by the flash. The weapon used was a comparatively new one of .38-caliber, and the heavy bullet caused instant death.”
“No preparation was made for the deed, save that the wash stand showed that the dead man had performed his ablutions before taking the fatal step. No word of explanation was left, save simply the following words, which were written upon one of the hotel letterheads, which was found thrust into a large envelope containing his address and lying on the table in the room:”
“Notify W. W. Warwick, Cincinnati. Office Atlas Building; Cincinnati Office Atlas National Bank Building; residence Brittany Building.”
“The Commercial Tribune, among other things, said:”
““What was the cause of his act is a mystery, and the only explanation that can be offered at present is he killed himself while in a spell of temporary insanity. No letter or note of any kind was left explaining the reasons.””
““In opposition to the insanity theory is the fact that a few words written in a slip of paper giving instructions to notify Attorney Walter Warwick, Atlas Bank building, was possibly one of his last acts. This bloodstained note leads to the thought that he was in the full possession of his faculties when he committed suicide.””
“”Abounding in health, an athlete in bodily vigor, successful in business, with plenty of money and perfect happiness in his home life, and a beautiful and loving wife, George Anderson’s suicide is unexplainable.””
Walter Warwick said yesterday:
““George Anderson was my first cousin. We had known each other since childhood. His mother and my father were sister and brother.””
““I met George a week ago Monday when he came down here from Portsmouth and stopped off in the morning to talk with myself and brother Frank. He was on his way to Oklahoma City, he said, and I suppose he left on the noon train, as he intended.””
“His wife’s relatives lived there. He for some time had an idea to start up a shoe business in Oklahoma City, and went there, I suppose, to look over the ground. That was the last I saw of him until this morning. From what I learned from Manager Maxwell, George Anderson had arrived at the hotel at about ten o’clock Monday night. He evidently had just come back from Oklahoma. His grip contained some Indian curios. George was 36 years old. He was the second of nine brothers. He has one sister living. The other, the wife of Dr. F. M. Williams, died in this city some time ago, where she had come to undergo an operation.”
He had been married about seven years. He was born in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky., and he met his present wife in Illinois, during one of his trips as a traveling salesman. I can think of no reason for his committing suicide.”1
