SWANK, William David

Prescott Evening Courier, Prescott, Arizona Tuesday, January 13, 1925, page 2, column 1 W. Swank Dies From Attempt To Kill Self With the shadow of death hanging over him for more than seven hours after he had shot himself through the head with a .45 caliber revolver in an attempt to commit suicide, William B. Swank, who had been the care taker of different cattle outfits in the Verde Valley for the last 10 or 12 years, died at the county hospital yesterday afternoon. An ugly hole was torn into the man's head by the bullet which entered his right temple, coming out at the other side of his skull. Despite the fact that the wound was of such a nature as would cause death at once, Swank lingered for seven hours. Despondency over financial matters is believed to have been the cause of his rash act. he left a note to Joe Lane, a cattleman of the Camp Verde district, in which he is said to have begged him not to believe assertions he had made about stock he owned. No inquest was held, the case being one of plain suicide. The authorities have been making an attempt to determine whether he has any relatives, but so far their search has been unavailing. It is believed that he has no close kin. No funeral arrangements have been made. Transcriber's note: Mr. Swank is buried in an unmarked grave at the Citizens Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona.