Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-12-23
Suicide.


Square Wednesday, by the intelligence passed
quickly from one to another, that man had
hung himself in one of the Stables of the
American Hotel. Those who repaired to the
spot found that it was 80. The body of u
man apparently about 40 years of age, well
dressed and of respectable appearance, was
hanging by the neck, by a cord attached to a
rafter, directly in the middle of the open
space between the stalls. One Of Fairbank'
platform scales stood beneath him. on the tor
evidently mounted in order to accomplish
his purpose. The body hung straight and
stark, the fingers slightly contracted but no
other evidence of struggling, the eyes glazed
and staring fxedly through the half opened
lids. A magistrate, Mr.. Weston, immediate-
ly summoned a coroner's jury Of Is citizens,
who viewed the body, after which it was cut
down, and an inquest was held over it in the
Hotel. The evidence before the jury, dis
closed the following facts.
His name was Amos p. French, heretofore
Of Woodstock in this State, and proprietor of
the stage line between Essex and Johnson,
which he bought out some two weeks since Of
the former proprietor. lie drove the stage
down from johnson yesterday, spent II portion
Of the evening at the American, conversed
with several persons, got shaved, and passed
the night there in the room which he has
customarily occupied three nights week.
! tb, 10 Il II al,
break fast hour, o'clock. was notified that
breakfast was ready. He got up to pass into
the breakfast room, which was the last accn
Of him alive. About fifteen minutes past ten
clock, in the forenoon, one of the employees
in the Hotel having occasion to 90 into an I'M
occupied stable, found him hanging notion
less, and to all appearance dead. Something
like an hour elapsed before he was cut down,
when on examination Of his body by Doctors
llickok and Barber, the chest was found
quite warm, and the limbs still flexible. They
testified that his neck was not broken and that
he came to his death by simple stransolation.
On his person was found his gold watch and
cham, money in bills and change, his way
/
marked " $640, j, II, Bostwick Jericho, -
doubtless given him to deliver, as he was ex-
pccted to drive back to Johnson to-day.
No evidence Of montal arrangement, excess
sive depression, or a prcmcditatcd purpose to
destroy himself was adduccd nor any reason
assiS ncd for the act. He was Il single man,
and represented to be of atill and rt7 wed
disposition.
The verdict Of the coroner Jury was to the
effect, that the person committed suicide by
hanging ,-thcre being no apparent cause for
the act.
We cannot avoid a remark upon the alb
surdity of the very common opinion, that
those who find 4 dcad ur supposed dead
body under unusual circumstances, have no
legal right to move the corpse from its lace
unless by order of magistrate. Whether
or not it was from notion Of this kind that
nothing was done in this case, we do not
know. Those who discovered the body, I'M
doubtcdly SUI posed that the man was quite
dead, and ali attempts to resUs itatc him con-
s'qu'ntIy Us $. i D,.tprs, however, are
Vi piIlii III, Judging rom the "nrr tH'
,ull,s, that ho had not b,,r .~1g..- ..n..
and That il cut down wher. first DISC, cred .o..
might possibly have hcnn restored to life.
There is of course no law which prouii r.
prompt endeavors to restore animation in
cases like this. Immediate action for that
end, is on the contrary, in all such cases, the
first thing called for.