RUDOLPH LECHNER
Arizona Republican Newspaper
March 6, 1905
J.W. Maison was arrested yesterday by a deputy U.S. Marshall
on a complaint of an employee of the Phoenix post office and
a warrant issued by the U.S. Court Commissioner C.W. Johnstone.
He is charged with having forged the name of Rudolph Lechner to
post office money order #8601 for twenty dollars, issued at
Station No. 1 of the Chicago post office on the 13th of
February 1905 and the warrant was issued under section 5463
of the U.S. statutes describing the crime of offering,
uttering or passing a counterfeit money order or forging
the same, or knowingly and willingly assisting anyone to
commit these crimes. Under the latter provision it is
expected that an accomplice of Maison will be arrested this
morning unless he was taken into custody during the night.
His offense is that of having identified Maison at the post
office as Rudolph Lechner to whom the order was made payable.
The crime is more heinous for the reason that Lechner was a
patient at the County Poor Farm who died on Saturday of
tuberculosis and was buried yesterday by the members of
Phoenix Typographical union, the dead man having been a
member of a Chicago union which instructed the local union
to take charge of his effects, give him a proper burial and
send the expense bill to them. It is therefore a charge of
robbing the dead.
Maison was also an inmate of the County Poor Farm and claims
he is a printer but has lost his union card and has never
made himself known to the Phoenix members of the craft.
During the illness of Lechner, Maison was more or less intimate
with him and showed him considerable attention. He waited
upon him at times and when Lechner became too ill to write,
Maison did some corresponding for him. In this way he became
a most trusted associate of the sick man and probably knows
more of his affairs than anyone else here. The other day he
came to town and offered the money order in question at the
post office but the clerk told him he would have to be
identified. He walked down the street to the Adams Hotel
corner where he met a friend whose name has not been made
public but who can be identified by the money order clerk
at the post office. He told this man that he was "up
against it," having a money order he could not cash for
want of identification, whereupon the other volunteered
to go with him and did so.
Another incident that looks very suspicious concerns other
property of the dead man. He had $60 in money, a couple of
suits of clothes, a diamond ring, a gold watch, and a silver
handled cane. On the death of Lechner, William Push, another
inmate of the hospital took possession of these effects and
when the proper authorities asked him to give them up he
flashed a will bearing the alleged signature of Lechner,
bequeathing him practically all of his earthly effects.
This looks curious in view of the fact that Lechner was
unable to write for some time before his death and Maison
was doing all his correspondence.
JOHN PHILLIPS LEEBRICK
January 7, 1905
John Phillips Leebrick was born in Burlington Iowa,
November 26, 1837 and died in Mesa Arizona, January
1, 1905, aged 67 years, 1 month and 5 days.
He was marreid to Eliza Ann Candy, July 26, 1864 to
whom were born three children, two of whom still live,
a son in Chicago and a daughter in Burlington. On the
7th day of July he was married to Mary D. Rosenberger,
to whom six children were given, all of whom live and
with the mother mourn the loss of a husband and father.
The greater part of Mr. Leebrick's life was spent in
Burlington, his birthplace. About fifteen years ago
he moved to Extra Iowa, where he spent three years,
after which he came to Mesa where he spent the last
twelve years of his life.
Pete Leroy
October 6, 1905
Arizona Republican Newspaper
Pete Leroy, an old resident of Phoenix, one who in fact
had lived here all his life, died yesterday morning of a
hemorrhage. On account of his massive build he might
have been the last man in Phoneix to die of tuberculosis.
The disease is said to have been induced by his excessive
use of cigarettes. For weeks he has been unable to speak
above a whisper and though he had several hemorrhages he
had lost none of his appearance of robust health. He was
thirty seven and leaves a wife and four children.
S.O. Lewis
Arizona Republican Newspaper
August 1, 1905
The neighboring town of Tempe was horrified shortly after
noon yesterday by the news that Professor S.O. Lewis, the
principal of the city schools, had committed suicide in
the school building some time after the preceding Friday
evening.
The discovery was made by F.S. Burgess of the firm of
Burgess and Sterret of that place, painters and
paperhangers. They had contracted to paint the
public school building on the interior and began
the work yesterday morning. When the door was opened
a very bad stench was noticed but the work was continued
until noon when it became almost unbearable and Mr.
Burgess started to investigate. He looked all over
the lower floor but found nothing. Noticing a few
pigeon feathers in the building, he supposed that a
bird had died on the upper floor. He went upstairs
and traced the smell to a small room used for storing
things just across from the principal's office. He
pushed the door open a little and saw a man, or what
was left of him, reclined in a chair. He did not stop
but came downtown, giving the information. Justice
Neilson was away at the time, and the marshal could
not be found, but in a moment a number of people
were at the scene of the tragedy. W.T. Cummings
and a reporter for the Republican were the first on
the scene after the discovery.
The body was easily identified by a peculiar style of
low cut shoe worn and by his watch, chain and clothes.
Apparently Mr. Lewis had walked from his office, which
was left open, seated himself in an ordinary chair and
blown his brains out with a revolver.
It could not be learned when Mr. Lewis was last seen
Friday evening, but as he had announced that he intended
leaving town the next day there was no comment when he
was not seen again. That evening there was a party just
across the street, at the Gage residence, where Mr. and
Mrs. Theo Dickinson are staying for the summer. The
party broke up about midnight and shortly after Mr. and
Mrs. Dickinson had retired they were aroused by a shot.
At the time Mrs. Dickinson remarked that she wondered if
that was a case of murder or suicide. Mr. Schmidt, who
lives a distance of a couple of hundred yards from the
schoolhouse, also remembers hearing a shot that night,
but like the others gave it no further thought. They
figure that the fatal shot must have been fired between
the hours of 12 and 1.
Justice Neilson was in Phoenix and was called up by
telephone. Undertaker Moore drove over, arriving at
Tempe about 4 o'clock. A jury was impaneled by the
justice with the following members: J.R. Birchett, H.S.
Simms, I.V. Stewart, J.T. Parry, W.T. Cummings and J.C.
Goodwin. They examined the body and found in the pockets
a ring of keys, a watch and a purse but nothing that would
throw any light on the motive for committing the deed.
The undertaker took charge of the remains and were taken
to Double Butte Cemetery.
There are various theories as to what prompted Professor
Lewis to take his own life, but the most probably one
advanced was that he was temporarily demented. At the
residence of James Goodwin, where he had lodged for
several weeks past, it had been noticed that his actions
were strange but there was not evidence of insanity to
warrant a report to the authorities, although Mr. Goodwin
did ask Mr. Lewis to find another place to stay. Mr.
Goodwin says that a week ago Sunday Mr. Lewis took a
large quantity of medicine and took a large drink of
whiskey. He is confident now that it was taken in an
attempt at suicide.
A message from Tempe last night said there had developed a
motive of Mr. Lewis' suicide. His health had not been
good and seemed to be gradually worse. He had a financial
worry that would not have embarrassed him in good health
but under the conditions it preyed upon his mind. He had
borrowed $175 for which he had given his note, endorsed
by Dr. B.B. Meour. Last evening W.J. Kingsbury found a
letter lying on a trunk in Mr. Lewis' room. It's date
shows that he had been contemplating a sudden
disappearance and lends color to the belief that the
two incidents as recited above were attempts at suicide.
Mr. Lewis' room was at the Casa Loma Hotel and the letter
was written on the hotel stationary. The letter was
addressed to B.B. Moeur and said 'I ask to be forgiven
for the wrong I am doing you as well as others. I should
like to stay and pay what I owe but I feel sure that my
health and mind are both gone. Appreciating your
kindness and that of other people, I bid you goodbye."
Professor Lewis was very well and favorably known in Tempe
where he has resided since he came to take charge of the
public school last September. He was an efficient teacher
and his work last year was rewarded by his employment for
the coming year. He was about thirty two years old and
previous to coming to Tempe was a resident of Corsicana,
Texas. It is known that he has a mother living somewhere
in Illinois and she will be notified.
