Johnson - William-1890-suicide - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Danville Commercial: Quite a lengthy account of the suicide of William Johnson in the Hotel Portland, Portland, Oregon, Saturday night last, is published in the papers of that city. The suicide came to Danville about a year and a half ago, and after an acquaintance of six or seven weeks, married the widow of Wm J. Mitchell, deceased, who at the time of his death kept a merchant tailoring establishment in the plant block on East Main Street. Johnson was 48 years of age at the time of his death, and was a grading contractor and lived with his wife on Myrtle and Thirteenth Streets, Portland Heights. He was the fourth husband of Mrs. Mitchell, all dead we understand but one. Mrs. Mitchell sold off all her property, amounting to about $3000, when she married Johnson, and soon after the marriage left for Portland where they have since resided. He made his appearance at the hotel at midnight under the influence of liquor and was assigned a room, and at 4:30 o’clock two pistol shots were heard and on going to Johnson’s room he was found dead upon his bed with a 38 calibre revolver, with two empty chambers, clutched in his right hand. One ball lodged in the jaw and the other penetrated the brain. He was seen last at a well known billiard room where he had gone with a nephew who lost sight of him while there and did not see him again until he was shown the body at the morgue.

The newspapers state that he had always lived happily with his wife and had a nice home on Portland Heights. Mrs. Johnson was prostrated with grief and so great was the shock to her nervous system that a physician had to be called to attend her.