The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-08-20
4 DouRLE TRAGEDY IN CINCINNATI.
A Man Sheets his Wife In the Pnblic Stree
..Atsempted SalcIde..Affectinx Letter.

On Tuesday night occurred In Cincinnati
one of those terrible tragedies in real life
which. for fearfnIness of intensity, snrpasses
the conceptions Of the dramatisf. and reveal
the terrible earnestness which often exists be-
meath an exterior the most frivolous and
abandoned. The "Press,' Of that city, has the
following particnlarsof the tragedy:
About 1lIs O'Clock al night two reports of a
pistol were heard in quick succession coming
from the corner of Eighth and Plum streets.
The ofIicers at the Ninth street station -house
ran quickly to the spot, and there found man
and woman, very genteelly dressed. living on
the side wall, ,wel1ering in their blood. BY the
man was a couple Of empty pistols. Upon ex-
animation it was discovered that the woman
was shot through the left breast, near the re-
gion of the heart, and that the man was shot
in the right ear.
They were taken at once to the station.
house, where the man stated that his name
was Thomas Eugene DE Marbais, and that he
had first shot his wife Blanche and then him.
self. He said that 1t was mutual agreement
between them that they should die in that
manner; that they were tired Of life. consd
not live happily together, and had tn hus son0ht
death. He further said that he had been deem
ly wronged by q clerk in a Fourth street drug
store The wife corroborated her b usband,s =
statement, and said that death was still desi
rabie to her. She said she thought her hus
band would blow her brains out but that he
did not. =
threw up much blood, and appeared in great
agony; physician in attendance, however.
expressed some hopes of her recovery but oil
DE Marbais there is little or none. While ly-
ing in the station-house, he exclaimed: ssIf
live want you to hang me for this damnable
deed-for shooting the wife love so well =,
They were removed to the hospital where
ne said that before they came out of the house
they had taken 30 grains of morphine. divided
1t into two portions, dissolved it in water, and
drank it.
The Gazette has the following version of the
affair: - :.
A number of letters were found on the per-
son OF DE Marbals, who is quite a yonng man
We thlnk we have never seen any letter be-
longing to the literature of suicide and death
we give first:
CINCINNATI, OHto, August lG 1889
My Dear WUe-Should you survive what is
intended as your death blow, 1 trust you will
forgive me for not being a better shot To say
have loved you would be only TO corroborate
what all who know me, know full we'll That
L now love you better than ever this fearful
step give as proof. Death in preference to
you are leading. We were happy until it was
marred by lntermeddling woud-be friends.
both in Philadelphia and this city particularly
do not wish it to be understood that this let
ter Is In any manner to exonerate me in the
dreadful tragedy attempt. 1t is simply to en-
tighten the few thousands who are ready
To condemn, unheard and untried, the uHfor-
tunate ones of this cold world. 1t is unnecessa-
J
how we met and were married as the certifi-
cate among our papers will certify to- l will
simply say we knew and understood the i'm
poriance OF what we We're about. When I
could get work. worked, and it was my great
pleasure to give you all my earnings Iitt-e us
they were. True, in the early days of our mar
rage you were true to me, and like angel
you never deserted me, through greater mis-
fortunes than want. Now, the public of this
cold-hearted city refuses me employment and
we are comparati yely destitute.
You prefer, There follows the words 'No
matter,' with a mark of erasure through
them-RepJ My dear, dear Blanche. God
forgive me. But death is now more preferable
to me than life. Had means, we could and
would have lived happily together. do love
you, nay, adore and wor ship you even now, one
two, three, four or tive hours previous to at
tempting this last hope) fearful act OF my
lie. My God. would that was able to take
you from where you are. l would do it even
now. There is one man holding prominent
(poor specimen of MANI position who has pre-
tended TO be my friend, "a long flourish fol-
lows-Rep.l
The principal cause of my misfortunes in
this city is now clerk in the fhere follows the
words with the mark OF erasure through
them, principal store Drug on Fourth
street. His brains ought l have blown out
first. leave him and the balance of my ene-
mics to the rTfnbrse o9cohscieuce which every
true man feels when conscious of 4 mean ac-
tion. Mean actions, their acts towards me-
are, and have been, dastardiy, mean and con-
temptiSie. lis not because an individual has
erred III early DAYS that he should be made to
snfier ever after. So goes the people OF Gin
elnnati. Ii Il man does wrong once--not like
The good Samaritan help him up again. No,
they trample him down, down, and never give
nm a chance 10 get 4 monthfui
"lf l succeed, our baggage w i'll amply de-
fray all funeral expenses. My wife's child is
IN good hands-unneeessary To mention where
she Is. Good bye. dear mother Forgive me,
sisters dear. Sisters Clara and Ella forgive
me tor taking Blanche away in this manner,
but am so jealous of her that PREFER HER
DEAD. [Another long floursh.-Rep.]
"THoS. +. DE MARBAIs.
"All my family papers, dating back to the
year 1854, my mothers marriage certificate and
to ali.'
From another letter, signed by both De Mar
bais and his wife, dated August 18th, we quote
the following:
'Dear and Afectioaate Sisters Clara and El{a-
Ere this reaches you we will have ceased to
exist. Dear wife as well as myself have be-
ome-tlred--completely disgusted with this
world. We therefore adopt these means of rid
ding ourselves Of OUR ENEMIES, and our friends
of a burden.
ITO Mr.. Edward Scanlan, my wife and self
ofer our best thanks for his many acts of
Kindness, which, from time to time, kept me in
the vain hope OF one day being able to sur
mount our difficulty, instead of which find
my troubles daily increasing, and no prospect
of ever getting up again We coolly deiibe-
rately, and without any liquor aboard, we re-
solve to take that fearful step-suicide n
n / seek death, because it is preferable
to being subject to the scorn and contempt
that 1alien greatness generally is. I do not
wish to appear vain when / apply the word
great TO myself. / wish it simply TO be under
stood in regard to the commercial world, in
whlch once stood A No. /. Again, death at
THIS moment will be sweet because I will be
Joined on the road to that bourne from whence
no traveller returns, by my most affectionate and
good Wife, Blanche. Oh, Blanche, may God
forgive us as we forgive those who have Of
Tended u.s. F@9@&
There Were several other letters, all breath
ing the deepest affection for his wife.
DE Marbais is Frenchman. His wife is a
NAIVE OF Texas They are both young and in
teiiigent and the wife a handsome and inter-
esting woman.
The parties came here from the East. and
Dr. Marbais obtained a situation as prescrip-
tion clerk in drug store, at 81 300 a year He
was regular medical graduate. He proved a
very efficient clerk, and gave entire satisfac-
ton. 1t also appears that he had been banish-
ed from France for some crime not yet known
TO the public here; bnt a clerk in another store
| learned something of his history at the East.
and told 1t to his employers here, which led to
his discharge. Being unable to support his
| wife, and his prosecutor following him with
the story of his antecedents wherever he
| sought employment, he became depressed. He
subsequently discovered his wife to be untrue
| This made him still more desperate and he
resolved TO kill her and himself. lie sought
her at an assignation house. They went out
| together, and she expressed a desire that they
should die together. and according to an agree
ment thus made she barred her breast and he
shot her, the bali entering over the left nipple
| he then shot himself in the head He has com
| municated In confidence to his physician full
history OF his life. The parties were warmly
attached to each other, and business disup-
pointments led to the sad occurrence Much
| sympathy is felt for the unfortunate couple,
| and great indignation towards the individual
who has prosecuted them. The person occu-
pied . prominent position in leading drug