Iberia County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....Moss, Cornay P. - July 10, 1917 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mary K. Creamer marykcreamer@yahoo.com December 22, 2018, 11:52 pm source: The Weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, January 13, 1917, Image 3 C. P. Moss. Died, at New Orleans, on Wednesday, January 10th, 1917, at 7 o'clock A. M., Cornay P. Moss, a native of Lafayette, La., born April 21, 1866. The remains were brought here from New Orleans on the Wednesday afternoon 4 o'clock train. The funeral took place from the residence, 126 West St. Peters Streets, this city, at eleven o'clock a. m. Thursday, under the direction of the New Iberia Lodge, B. P. O. Elks, No 554, and was largely attended by the citizens of this city and else where. Mr. Moss registered at the Cosmopolitan hotel, New Orleans, some four days before his death and it is claimed that he was apparently in good health and in good spirits at the time. So far as is known he gave no intimation to anyone that he contemplated ending his life and on Wednesday morning the news came as a great shock to his friends and acquaintances here. He left two letters, one addressed to Mr. Jas. Lynch, the proprietor of the hotel, which read in part as follows: - "I am sorry for any trouble this may cause you. Please phone my wife at New Iberia and do what you can to assist on this end. Any expense incurred or damage done will be promptly paid. I wish you would give the press copy of my letter to Mrs. Moss so that the public will not have to do any guessing. Gratefully yours, "C. P. Moss." "I am an Elk." The other letter read as follows: Mrs. C. P. Moss, New Iberia, La My Dear "Pug" - I have learned to know this world of hypocrisy so well, that I do not care to continue to live in it. I hate to do this on account of you and our boys, but life on this planet has grown intolerable to me. As you are familiar with every detail of our business and eminently qualified to handle things, you are to make such business or other investments as in your judgment seems best in the future. I have no fear for the future of my soul because I know that I am a better man at heart and in fact than 90 per cent of them all, and I do not believe that over 90 per cent of them are going to the worst place in the hereafter. it is my one wish that our two boys stick together through this life, and if practicable that you always be near, if not with them. I leave all the love I possess with you and our boys and may God be with you all. Good-bye. Note - I wish my corpse to be interred in the Catholic Cemetery fronting the R. R. at New Iberia and I want our "Green Heart," to which I devoted years of my best energies, to be conspicuously displayed on my tomb - preferably made of stone - a stone slab. P.S. - When in need of advice, confer with Rannie and in the event of the successful developments of your patents, reward him generously." The active pallbearers were: Frank Moss, Gordon A. Sandoz, Ed. T. Weeks, A. Daigre, J. Robert Perry, W. D. Bland, A. A. Dauterive and C. W. Outhwaite. Interment was according to Mr. Moss' expressed wish in St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery. Mr. Moss leaves his wife and two sons, Ashton Moss and Creighton Moss; three brothers, Dr. N. P. Moss and Frank Moss, of Lafayette, and Captain James A. Moss, U. S. A., Panama, and one sister, Mrs. Rennis Parkerson, of Lafayette. source: New Iberia Enterprise and Independent Observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, January 13, 1917, Image 4 DEATH OF CORNAY P. MOSS. The sudden and tragic death in the city of New Orleans last Tuesday morning of our fellow-citizen Mr. Cornay P. Moss, president of the Green Heart Co. of New Iberia was indeed a great shock, not only to his family, but to all of our citizens who knew him for his sterling qualities since he took up his residence in New Iberia. Mr. Moss was a native of Lafayette and settled in our City when quite a young man and always took an active interest in everything appertaining to the future of our municipality. Deceased was an active member of the B. P. O. Elks Lodge and also the Attakapas Club. The services were conducted from his residence on Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock by the Elk Lodge and was largely attended by sympathizing friends. Mr. Moss leaves to mourn his death his wife and two sons, Messrs. Ashton and Creighton, three brothers, Dr. N. P. Moss and Frank Moss of Lafayette and Capt. James A. Moss, U. S. A., stationed at Panama and one sister, Mrs. Renni Parkerson of Lafayette. The Enterprise extends its condolences to the bereaved family. source: New Iberia Enterprise and Independent Observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, January 13, 1917, Image 8 C. P. MOSS KILLS HIMSELF AT NEW ORLEANS. C. P. Moss, manufacturer of a famous tabasco sauce, at New Iberia, La., committed suicide in his room on the seventh floor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel shortly before 8 o'clock Wednesday morning by shooting himself in the head with a 38-caliber revolver. Although in a note addressed to James Lynch, proprietor of the hotel, he expressed a wish that his letter written to his wife before committing his act, should be made public so that the people should not be "Kept guessing" as to the cause, the suicide says nothing in that letter that might suggest a reason for his act except that there is "too much hyprocracy" in the world. Perhaps one of the oldest requests made by a person contemplating suicide, is contained in a paragraph in the letter Moss addressed to his wife. In it, he expressed a wish that a stone slab, heartshaped and designating the trade mark of his sauce patent, be placed on his tomb. Laurent Rodeillet, the house detective, heard the shot and calling Frank Roques, the night clerk, they used a pass key to open the door of the room. They found Mr. Moss lying across his bed with a bullet wound in his left temple and the smoking revolver still clutched in the fingers of his right hand. On a table near the bed were found the note addressed to Mr. Lynch and the letter to his wife. For some time before Mr. Moss shot himself to death, it was learned his wife, at New Iberia, was trying to reach him over long distance. The night clerk, believing Mr. Moss asleep when he failed to answer the telephone call in his room requested long distance operator to ring later. The suicide evidently was writing the letters to Mr. Lynch and his wife when the long distance calls came in and did not bother to answer the telephone. The note to Mr. Lynch read: "Advise Dr. Swords and ask him to confer with my wife." My Dear Mr. Lynch - I am sorry for any trouble this may cause you. Please phone my wife at Mew Iberia and do what you can to assist on this end. Any expense incurred or damage done will be promptly paid. I wish you would give the press copy of my letter to Mrs. Moss so that the public will not have to do any guessing. - Gratefully your, C. P. MOSS I am an Elk. The letter left by the suicide and addressed to his wife reads: "I simply quit." Mrs. C. P. Moss, New Iberia, La.: My Dear "Pug." - I have learned to know, this world of hypocracy so well, that I do not care to continue to live in it. I hate to do this on account of you and our boys, but life on this planet has grown intolerable to me. As you are familiar with every detail of our business and eminently qualified to handle things you are to make such business or other investments as in your judgment seems best in the future. I have no fear for the future of my soul because I know that I am a better man at heart and in fact than 90 per cent of them are, and I do not believe that over 90 per cent of them are going to the worse place in the hereafter. It is my one wish that our two boys stick together through this life and if practicable that you always be near, if not with them. I leave all the love I possess with you and our boys and may God be with you all. Good-bye. (Signed) Your Old Topsy. Note - I wish my corpse to be interred in the Catholic cemetery fronting the Railroad at New Iberia and I want our "Green Heart," to which I devoted years of my best energies, to be conspicuously displayed on my tomb - preferably made of stone - a stone slab. P. S. - When in need of advice, confer with Rannie and in the event of the successful developments of your patents, reward him generously. Mr. Moss' suicide recalls the celebrated legal battle that was waged between the Mosses and McIlhennys, from Louisiana to Washington and back again, through a series of years, which for which they paid a large sum, finally resulted in forcing the McIlhennys into buying out the tabasco end of the Moss business, one of the rumors at the time placing the figure well up to the quarter million mark. This battle over the word "Tabasco" was a sensation in Washington, John A. McIlhenny, United States civil service commissioner, appointed by Roosevelt, is one of the brothers who developed the tabsaco plant in Iberia and adopted the words "Tabasco Sauce" as their trade mark. Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Moss also began producing green heart tabasco plants and manufactured the sauce product. The McIlhennys brought suit against the Mosses charging infrinement of patent rights. Mrs. Moss never gave up and carried the fight to the patent office in Washington where she endeavored to prove that the McIlhenny had no exclusive right to the label. It was charged that "Tabasco" was geographical and therefore could not proved that a State in Mexico was named Tabasco. It was a clever point and won. Then the McIlhennys fell back on the point that after a trade mark is used for 30 years that it becomes fixed as an asset of the concern using it. Attorneys for the McIlhenny brothers made affidavit to this effect in Washington. The Mosses attacked these affidavits charging false statements. Appeal was made to the President of the United States demanding the moval of Civil Service Commissioner McIlhenny on the ground that he had sworn to a false statement. But he was not removed. C. P. Moss amd his wife then entered suit against the McIlhennys for damages to their business and secured a judgment in the Louisiana courts for some $5,000. The contest continued and as a finality the McIlhenny company purchased the tabsaco end of the Moss business, thereby establishing their unqualified right to the sale of Tabasco Sauce. The Moss company, however, continued raising peppers and pickling them by the barrel. They sold carload lots to large wholesale houses all over the country. This was the business being conducted at New Iberia when Mr. Moss ended his life. It is said they were making a fortune out of pickled peppers. - Daily States. Additional Comments: NOTE: www.findagrave.com memorial # 105829669 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/iberia/obits/m/moss7590gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 5.1 Kb