Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-01-08
A MOST DISTRESSING EVENT

A MOST DiSrRES SING EVENT.
Our heart bleeds TO announce the following
awful circumstances as detailed in The Baltimore
Sun. We have Tor many years known The I'M
fortunate gentleman, whose erd has thrown
gloom over our city, ana We have admired and
loved him Tor his nuhie, generous impulses. he
possessed sifong and cultivated mind, a chcc
lul disposition, ami most attractive manners.
The giief ii his irien> is he more heightened,
from The lac' that So fa;al IN end comporicd not
in the least win lhr usual y buoyant temper II
their lamentcd associate. We have heard u"
.g,,ai.e as 10 The moving cause Of The awful
decd.
The lac;s SET io!'h by Tic Suns correspondent
are, we doubt MOI, in the main correct. A private
leuer Informs Us that DR.. Wickhan lived abou,
an hour after the fatal shot, bu, lid not seem sem
sible to pain On his body were fund one u
two papers indicative OF pnrpose entertained
for some day, 10 destroy himself. These papers
were taken charge Ct r. the Hon. w. ). Archer
who will retain them Tor his friends. This gen.
,.cman undertook he Painful TASK 81 announcing
this most distressing event 10 the father OF Dr.
Wickham We Lsarn that Mr.. Archer and Mr..
Seldom most kindly and teelinely paid every p'o-
per attention 10 lie remains while in Washing
ton, and oinied nothing which coulI alleviate 10
his friends his heavy misfortune. Under their
superinlcndance, the body was 10 be placed in
charge OF most respectable citizen OF Han
over aud is 10 be conveyed 10 Tay!orsve by The
care from I'm, North Ibis morning
Correspondence Of the Baltimore Sur
WA.ulNdToS. January 5, 1917.
MELANCHOLY SulClDE--GagAT Ex-
| clTsMsxT.-About half pas! II o'clock, 10 day,
| DR.. John Wickham aged about 20 years, Il
member Of one Of The most respectable and m
nuenal families Of Hanover county Virginia,
entered The pistol gallery of Mr. Hudson, on
! Louisiana avcnnc. The youth who generally
attends he gallery being al dinner, upon inquiry
| Of Dr. Wickham, he was 50 informed, an. MI.
Moses Copp, proprietor OF The Bowling Saloon
above, expressed willingness 10 attend 10 hla'.
Accordingly Mr.. Copp and DR.. Wickham walked
into The apartment where The exercises oil illins
are conducted Dr. Wickham deliberately fred
Ten shots within the sracc oi a mans hanf-upon
which Mr. Corp congratulated him. The doc
Tor observed he conM fire better Than MG,-and
asked MIR. Copp 10 "rnb ont The marks" ami
that he would fire by The word"
Mr. Copp loaded pistol and sci il down near
the Doctor, and proceeded TO rub ont the marks,
when he was startled b. report similar TO thaI
OF an explosion of a cap; he turned quickly
round and found that The Doctor had shot nm
self in the head, on the right side, about Nv"
inches from the eye. He fell instantly and never
spoke. Some fragments Of his brain were scat
| tered on The fl 'or.
Mr.. Copp Instantly called tor ASSISTANCE rom
| IL. - h.n nd TlF
Wick6am was removed 10 he office Of his partlcu-
lar friend and old classmale, DR.. Tvier.-Every
attention was paid him, but in a short time he ex-
PRED. Al o'clock Coroner woodward called
| a Jury Of inquest, consisting Of the following
gentleman: S. S. Coleman, E. G.. Handy. :.
| Siettinius. T. II. Bur- Joseph Eldridge, James
Laurenson, F. a. Tucker, z. *. Morsell, /. Z.
Dom, Benjamin F. Middleton, L. Mohun, and
James Marshall.
During The examination, me Hon. Mcssrs.
Archer, BcGneer, Seldom, and Messrs johnson,
Postmaster H. r. Dade, and many other friends
of the deceased visited The room and listened WIN
| deep attention to The evidence, the substance OIL
I which | have related.
DR.. TYLER stated that Immediately on me cca'h
of Or. Wickham, he proceeded 10 his room, al
Co,eman's National Hotel, where he lound a
sealed letter endorsed 10 one his relatives, ana
sheet OF paper unoidei, upon which was written
| without, date:
"Gen,emen According 10 the promise
made you, lake up my pen 10 give you few OF
The news liens of the city. All The transactions
Of Congress you get, otcourse, as regularly IL noI
sooner than We have"
By request OF Inc jury, the Hon. Mr.. Archie!
opened ne letter, and having first persnet rs con-
tents, read certain points 10 Them. The letter ap
reared 10 have been written on the day alter lhe
| funeral OF the Hon. Mr.. Barrow-sialed that DR.
w. (the wri,erl had, one night before, taken large
ouanlies of laudanum, with viewto seli-des
/ ,ruclion, but had failed.
I His friends here were very numerous-not one
could form any idea tor the execution OF The rash
/ act; he was beloved b; all who kacw him, ana
all united in expressions of heartfelt sympathy
/ for his afflicted family.
The Jury rendered verdict, that in supposed
unhappy state Of mind, the deceased had come 10
his death By pistol ball from his own band.
We are gralifed 10 announce, that The Com
mon Council last evening voted eight Swords, IL
cost $50 each } one 10 Zach Of me officers q
| Inc Two Richmond companies Of Volunteers, IN