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Kansas City papers contained lengthy articles concerning the mysterious death of Dr. J. B. Kelly. Dr. Kelly, for many years, was a resident of Stockton, and his death was a great surprise to our citizens. Being reared and educated in Stockton schools, he was generally known by all, and the accounts of his death, which are shrouded in mystery, gave vent to various opinions. Possibilities of a suicide planned carefully and clearly, or of a murder surrounded by dark mystery are offered in the finding of the body of Dr. Kelly. A baffling element is added to the theory of a suicide plot by the family to discover a strong motive for insurance. The murder clue leads back to his past when he was a good record in the Army under an assumed name. Four hotel towels, wet with chloroform, were wrapped around his face. Around the towels was a blanket wrapped loosely. On the dresser was a pint bottle, one-third full of chloroform. Dr. Kelly was fully clothed except that his coat had been removed. A billfold in the pocket of the coat bore his name. He was lying in the bathroom. The bed in the room was undisturbed, and there was no evidence of a struggle. The door was closed and unlocked when the hotel detective went to the room. Dr. Kelly’s wife confirmed the identification. A man who gave his name as Pat Henderson of El Paso had rented the room in which Dr. Kelly was found. Mrs. Kelly said Dr. Kelly had recently received a letter from Pat Henderson, postmarked from Kansas City. He said Pat Henderson was a man he knew in the Army. The next day, a man called the apartment and asked for Dr. Kelly. He didn’t give his name, but he gave the number of a room in the Hotel Baltimore for Kelly to call. Before he left to go to the hotel, Dr. Kelly handed his wife a government check for $50.00. Her husband had endorsed the check. It was explained it was regular compensation from the government. Dr. Harvey E. Moss, coroner, said Dr. Kelly had been dead about ten hours when he was found. Dr. C. S Nelson, deputy coroner, had established that Dr. Kelly had $7,000.00 life insurance, noting that Dr. Kelly had only carried $2,000.00 life insurance with Modern Woodmen for several years. Mrs. Kelly said her husband had done reasonably well in business but sometimes seemed a little discouraged at the lull in business, but always laughed it off. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly were married for three years.