Galey - Clarence
CLARENCE GALEY
Source: Crawfordsville Review 5 January 1889 p1
The startling intelligence was telegraphed here on Thursday night of the death of Clarence S. Galey in Chicago by his own hand with a revolver. At the time of this writing no particulars of the cause of this sad tragedy have been received. Charles N. Williams was dispatched to Chicago and returned on Friday night with the remains. The blow comes with crushing force on his parents and a brother and the sympathy of a large circle of friends will be extended to them. Mr. Galey, who was a partner in the Review, sold out his interest in March last and removed to Seattle, Washington territory but not being satisfied returned to Chicago some four months since. Since that time he had been doing some newspaper work in that city but only a few weeks ago invested his means in a paper in the interest of the barber fraternity of Chicago in conjunction with a gentleman named Davis, and the first issue was to appear today. The exact cause of his suicide is, as stated, not yet known but is supposed to have been caused by financial troubles of some kind but of what nature is not known.
Clarence was born and raised in Crawfordsville, his parents, residing on east College street. He was in his 25th year of his age. He was a bright business young man, ambitious and energetic, and no one would have supposed for a moment that self destruction would have ever entered his mind or have been entertained. Chicago papers of yesterday contained complete accounts of the suicide from which we take the following extracts: Clarence S. Galey, a boarder at 244 E. Ohio street committed suicide last evening at 5:45 o’clock by shooting himself through the head with a revolver. The bullet entered the right temple and crashing through, lodged at right angles immediately under the skin the left side of the head. The suicide was 24 years old, single and his parents reside near Crawfordsville, Ind. He lived but a few hours after the fatal shot. Galey was absent during the entire afternoon and when he came home none of the inmates is aware of it. It was his custom, however, to enter quietly and pass up the stairs to his room. This was on the second floor front. At about the time the shooting took place, James Kelsey, a fellow boarder heard a sound as if something heavy might have fallen upon the floor. He proceeded to investigate and on pushing the door of Galey’s room open discovered it full of smoke. Through it he saw the sole occupant lying on his face on the floor with his feet toward and immediately in front of a mirrors, as if he had stood before it when the desperate deed was performed. Under his head had already accumulated a pool of blood and the weapon lay upon the carpet by his right hand. The police were notified and a search was made for something that would lead to the cause of the tragedy. On the bureau, under the mirror and bespattered with blood was the following written on a Western Union telegraph blank: Chicago Ill Jan 3, 1889 – To Miss Emma Stearns 2726 Dickson St, St. Louis, Mo – I will send you. Here the writer broke off. On another slip of paper was written the apparent model for a dispatch: Emma, won’t you please send me one of y ---" St. Louis, Mo Jan 3 – Special – Miss Emma Stearns was found at No. 2726 Dickson street and shown the telegram from the Tribune. She was much agitated and for a few moments was almost unable to speak but finally said: “Yes, I know Clarence Galey and have known him for two years. He was from Crawfordsville, Ind, where I first met him.” Do you know of any cause for Mrs. Galey’s action? “None in the world. He was a bright young man. “ Miss Stearns, was not Mr. Galey in love with you? Asked the reporter. The young lady hesitated, but finally said: “Yes, he was.” Had he ever made love to your or asked you to marry him? “Yes, several times; in fact, I have refused him often.” Do you suppose this had anything to do with his shooting himself? “Oh, no, no,” was the quick reply. “I am sure it did not.”
Cincinnati, O Jan 3 – Special – Miss Emma A. Stearns is a handsome girl about 23 years old. She came here from Indianapolis about three years ago and has worked in various stores. Her last employment was in a jewelry establishment.
A dispatch from Crawfordsville, Ind says: “Clarence S. Galey was born in this city 25 years ago. He commenced work on the newspapers of the city in the capacity of reporter at an early age, being for some time on the Journal. He afterward in company with S. M. Coffman established the Daily News. He sold out his interest therein in 1885 and having won favor with AP Luse of Chicago was enabled to purchase a half interest in the Review, the democratic organ of Montgomery County, Mr. Luses’s brother being the partner. He continued to attend to business here until about 10 months since when he sold out and removed to Seattle, Wash T. and remaining there but a short time drifted to Chicago. He was a young man, well liked, stood well and had bright prospects. He was at one time quite a favorite in society. It is thought here that hard luck had caused him to become despondent and end it all by taking his own life. The remains will be brought here for burial.”
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Source: Crawfordsville Review 5 January 1889 p1
The funeral of Clarence S. Galey will take place on Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock p.m. from the residence of his parents on east College street. Interment in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
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Source: Crawfordsville Review 26 Jan 1889
The following trash article was recently published in the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette and we publish it, first saying that such talk is an injustice to the dead, as Clarence Galey was not in love with Miss Stearns nor do we or any of his friends, think that her charms and refusal to marry him caused his sad death. It is in our opinion only a case where in a woman tries to gain a conquest. Read it: “A year ago last September a stylishly dressed young woman of superb figure and graceful carriage alighted from a cab in front of a well known and fashionable boarding house on east Fourth Street. She came from Crawfordsville, Ind and gave her name as Miss Emma Stearns. She had not been long domiciled there before she had a large circle of acquaintances calling upon her, many of them being leading society gentlemen.
People in the house commented somewhat on her numerous social engagements at the opera, musicales and other similar pastimes but nothing really derogatory burdened the table gossip until the fair Emma was ascertained to have a husband living. Farther investigation proved she was the divorced wife of Chas. Reynolds, a baggage master on the Big Four road at Indianapolis. Upon being censured by the landlady for failing to make this known, she disclosed a portion of her early history. She claimed that her mother insisted upon her marrying Reynolds, when she was but 17 years of age, and she finally consented. They did not live happily together, and after four years of married life she applied for a divorce, which was granted two years ago, she charging her husband with drunkenness.
The vivacious boarder occasioned further gossip when one evening Miss Emma invited two young gentlemen, fellow boarders, who, by the way, were rejoining in the thought that they were looked upon as rivals for a place in her affections – up into her boudoir, saying it was cooler up there. The occupants of the rooms adjacent heard the clinking of glassware, mingled with the sounds of laughter, and an indignation meeting was held on the stairs. The rapping at the door was unheeded or unheard, and so the door was opened. In the morning the landlady demanded an explanation.
With affected innocence Miss Emma declared that she did not regard the matter as indicating any harm, but this occasioned coolness to arise between the gas festive grass widow and the lady boarders at the house. The young woman finally obtained a position as cash register with a firm in the Burnet House. Frequently she failed to come to dinner, and, upon being questioned, the ready reply always was that she had dined with a gentlemen friend. Among Miss Emma’s numerous suitors was Clarence S Galey, the young Chicago newspaper man, who suicided in that city some time since. The young man came to the city on several occasions to visit the woman and is described as tall, handsome fellow. He was very devoted in his attentions and as she claimed, he insisted upon marrying her. Finally things became so unpleasant that Miss Stearns took up her abode at the house of a married woman in this neighborhood – a friend of hers.
While at the latter house, Miss Emma received several letters from Clarence Galey, and he also came down from Chicago once or twice. He became so persistent in his suit that she finally refused to see him and his letters were returned unopened. Galey threatened on one or two occasions, so Miss Stearns told friends in this city to take his life unless she would consent to marry him. - kbz