The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-09-24
Civ Intelligence.

who died in 1885
City Intelligence.
AWFUL SuIcIpE.-About half past 10 O'clock yester-
day morning. Jesse Oakley ESQ., Clerk Of the Superior
Court committed suicide by shooting himself through
the head with pistol. The unfortunate gentleman
70 his Office at o. half past o'clock and trans
acted business usual. He appeared, however to be
much agtated, and lsboripg under great depression
Of spirits About half an hour after his arrival, he
went into small room, which led from his Office
to the water closet and there committed the
fatal act. Mr.. Taylor the keeper Of the City
Hall, happening to be in the Park at the rear
Of the building, heard the report Of . pistol, and
directly heard the sound Of broken glass the stoop
He hurried up stairs, and gave the alarm that
one had shot himself He next went to the DOOR
and attempted push it In; but in consequence Of
the deceased having fallen against it, he unable
to it, He then went into deceased's Office, and
brought of the clerks with him who got in through
the window and found the deceased lying his back
with his head against the door, pistol grasped in
his hand He then moved him. and the door was open
ed Upon examination it found that the ball had
entered behind his ear nearly SCATTERING the right side
Of head to atoms The whole Of his brains protruded
through the wound, and lay on his beast NO cause
has as yet been assigned for this except that some
persons who have been terms Of intimacy with him.
observed the last ten days. that he In very de-
spending state and they therefore concluded that he
committed suicide while labsring under temporary
alienation of mind. 1t that he wrote letter
in the morning. and read it attentively few min
ues before he shot himself then folded it up and put
it in his pocket went out, and not afterwards
until his body was found. The contents Of the letter
have not as yet transpred. About O'Clock Coroner
Walters called jury together, and held inquest
the body, when the following testimony was taken
]. PREscoTr HALL being sworn, says that he has
the deceased several times since the LIST OF July
last: on Wednesday last saw the deceased after my
to the city, the deceased appeared to be labor
ing under strong mental depression; for twenty
years have been well acquainted with him. and have
been in the habit Of holding friendly and ocose con-
versation with lin; saw the deceased on Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday Of this week such occasions
attempted to draw tim into Of usual
yersations, especially IN the subject of politics. upon
which the 11ecsasHd wac fond Of convsrsng; could
| draw from DECEASED but q gen..-a remark ,omr.
MED by melancholy smile; noticed an entire
change in his manner and seemed to ne co be labor.
ing under strong mental anxiety Am satisfied that
INC "n0 Oh nc not in ss usual ;s-ts
| CEoR9r r.. E. LYNCH being sworn, says that he Is
.erk in the Office Of the deceased the deceased came
to the Office little after O'Clock this morning met
the deceased as came to the office, going towards
chatham street little before 10 O'Clock the
came to the Office and sat down upon the chair after
and ent out in a few minutes he came into the Of
fee again, and set down; said nothing in little
while put on his hat again and went out came into
the Office again and walked up and down the floor I'M
til about Ii o'clock then went out of the office
in again, with his hat off he then went out heard
! a noise which thought a slamming of the door ;
the report Of the pistol in about ten minutes
afterwards the deceased found dead in the vest
bue leadn to the water closet his head against
the door the upper art of the head was blown off
and the brains Of the deceased were scattered the
floor in the right hand Of the deceased was pistol
perforated by four holes which had evidently been
done by bullets from the pistol there also marks
ed was entirely dead For time past the
ed seemed TO be disturbed in his mind ar was melan
chOy and would hardly peak when spoken yNcH
The above two afidavits oil the testimony ia
ken before the Coroner On the person Of the de-
ceased the Coroner found about ounce Of powder,
together with percussion caps and several bullets tied
up in piece of paper The instrument Of dest ucton
email horse pistol, with an iron ramrod attached
quite new, about or 10 inches long. On his person
was likewise found several letters directed to HIMSELF
and the letter above alluded to, written by the de-
did it deliberately" he then stopped it appeared
to contain some private meters, which the Coroner
considered Of moment to the public and therefore
the letter together with other papers, were enveloped
and sent to Judge Oakley the brother Of the deceased
The Judge, it seems was in Chambers at the time Of
the fatal affair, and when notified of his brether'c
death, went to see him, when viewing the horrible
spectacle his feelings much overpowered that
he tainted and was conveyed home in a carriage. The
deceased it seems born in Duchess county, and
was So years OF as", and man Of no family. The
jury rendered verdict that tie deceased, Jesse Oak
lev to his death by suicide by gun shot wound
on the head inflicted while laboring under melan
choly state Of mind
The wKAruER-Thc weather continues cold; yes
terday the coolest day Of the fall, and coal wa
most freely used, and with great comfort The streets
filed with dust. The sky was clear, and there
was every indication of q continuation of the presen
state Of the weather
THy STREETS. AND THE ConrRAcroRs.-Some two
months passed since the contracts for clean
ing the streets entered into. Those contractt
made 1t obligatory upon those who took them TO have
the streets swept vice every week Has that part
the contract been obeyed Instead OF sweeping twice
q week, many streets have not had broom upon them
and probably they will not, and those which have re-
ceiyed the attention Of the contractors possibly
have been swept twice since the contracts made
No has look beyond the street in front Of his
own door to that such utter dsrespect has
before been paid to ordinance which was thought to
int nd plisnce with the contracts. One or two
poor persons have been presented and fined for throw
ing garbage into the Streets and 1t Is said they
widows who destitute Of the means to keep
vessel the sidewalk for that purpose 1.-THE contract
who by their proceedings are making clear
ne-,v ell they receive from the Corporation for keeping
streets in boh they reside, they would soon find that
eight out Of ten houses has daily coal ashes gar
ever, '-op,, -r- 30 -sive. and contrary to
bage, OK Ppn'vvniDB equeny do,iers co.
law as the poor widow, who was fined three io'
throwing tie FIND OF watermelon in the gutter in
front OF the basement in which shc lived, They can
not corlan Of foul weather. for never since the
alton Of the world has there beer finer opportunity
for the work than of late ard yet comparatively mo-
thing has been done Upon whom should the blame
Of this base dsrection Of duty resr The Corporation
Al IT.