Hsu Sent Suicide Note Before Skipping Town

Fugitive fundraiser Norman Hsu sent out a suicide note to acquaintances and charities he had supported before he hopped a train to Colorado last week, skipping out on a Bay Area court appearance. On the train, Hsu locked himself in a tiny cabin. When he  failed to come out the next day, Amtrak workers used a crowbar to pry open the door, the Wall Street Journal reports. They found a bare-chested, disoriented Hsu on the floor, surrounded by prescription pills.

Hsu's note "very explicitly said he intended to commit suicide," one of the recipients told the Journal. He expressed dismay over questions raised about his political fund-raising and business activities, and apologized for putting people "through inconvenience or trouble." Hsu was released from St. Mary's hospital yesterday and transferred to Mesa County Jail in Colorado. (More Norman Hsu stories.)