Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-02-04
Extraordinary Suicide In New Orleans
A Mar Buries Himself Alive-He takes
poinoS in n Tomb

a NAV Buries Himself Alive-He tskes
The New Orleans Crescent of tho 24th gives the
following remarkable story Of . suicide:
| Sylvester Rupert, 81 years Of age, an English
BY BIRTH and by trade shipcarpsnter. lived
with his wife and two children in q house on Per.
! dido street Ia October last the yellow fever,
| then prevailing counted among its victims tho
| Youngest child of the Rupcrts-their little girl
Lizzie about four years old, and the particular
! ibe father never recovered. Not able to buy
tomb, he haI the child buried in the ground in
| Greenwood Cemetery. The grief proved heavily
upon him. 1t was his only thought; and, being
on, Of his regular employment, he found employ.
ment in his grief.
other ma, erial, and with his own hands, aud all
alone in the cemetery, built him a brick tomb
lie had not tho means to make the tomb stylish
one: so, in its mouth or entrance, he fitted u
wooden frame, and on this frame he fitted n piece
If board, and secured it with screws in its four
corners On this bonrd. with which he enclosed
tho vault lin lieu Of the usual brick and mortar
or marble slab,) he had carved nicely with his
knife the burial inscription Of his child. The tomb
finished he disintcrred the child's body, and
placed il there. lie fastened tho board with
screws, in order that he might afterward have no
trouble in removing it when he felt like gazing
upon the decaying remains Of his child.
This employment finished, it was his habit to
visit the cemetery, open the tomb and look at his
pet He always carried a screw driver in his
pocket with which to remove and replace the
board AMI also to remove and replace tho lid Of
the coffin Neither the haggard aspect of the
shrinking little corpse, tho foul odor OF its de-
cay, could rcpel him in his morbid grief His
visits frequent, and sometimes his wife went
with him. lie frequently complained to her that
hr could not get work; and this inability doubtless
fostercl the dependency which was drawing him
to death. lie frequently spoke of having no faith
in the future, aud of death Us IL desirable thing
On Wednesday lac went TO the cemetery with two
shrubs which he had purchased. aud planted them
in front If the tomb. On Thursday. when he left
home. he told his wife that il he had no better
luck in finding work. she would never see him
again, He also said something about having
place in which to rest.
That evening or that night--for one saw him
in his el1omy proceedings-he visited tho cemete-
ry; taking with him his screw driver. an iron trunk
handle n small rod OF iron, piece If WIRE some
new screws aud large vial oi laudanum. Tn
,trewlag the board of the tomb, he threw away
til" scteN. and flied the screw holes in the board
with clny
With his new screws he Thea occurred the trunk
handle - the INSIDE of the board. This work Of
COURSE Id la lac done outside tho tomb Pushing
lis Ella coffin aside, he got IN 10y i,a side taking
with Ian his poison and the other articles with
which lie had provided himself His hn. he placed
upon the refn; his coat. which he had taken III.
he wrapped around brick for u pillow. lie shut
himself in with the board by means of the handle
lac had screwed to it, the board fitting outside the
wooden frame The iron bar, which was of the
proper length, he placed across the frame inside
Tho thickness of the frame would not allow the
bar to Lass through the trunk handle the inside
of the board; ~ he secured the handle and the
bar by means of his wire, coling it through the
and aronnd the other. lie did not succeed in
Gttns the board squarcy upon the frame. One
corner "t it caught upon the brckwork outside
the frame; this he did not discover; probably ow-
ing 10 HE darkness ct the sht; and but for this
little circumstance his fate would probably have
never been discovered not Mt least for many
years Having thus hid himself away az he fan
cicd, beyond mortal discovery, he drained off the
contents of tho Iaudnum.bottlc. composed himself
his back, placed the brick and coat beneath his
head aud went to sleep, and of into the unknown
region 81 the suicides.
As he did not return home on Thursday night
his wife feared the worst. remembering we'll the
tendcncy OF his late conduct and the tenor of his
parting words. On Friday morning she rose car
lv anl went out to the cemetery. She looked all
arouhl and failed to find her husband She went
and Looked at the tomb and was about to leave.
when she happened to notice that tho board did
not fiji snuylv into the frame as usual Looking
close she discovered the mud in the screw holes
and putting her hand on the board, found it was
standing loosely. She pulled it out little, and
the first saw the dead face of her husband
She tainted away, and laid in the grass she could
not tell how long She recovered ut last got up
and wcut aud informed the sexton, Mr., Mcrritof
her discovery The latter went and looked ut things
and nnt word to the coroner and the inquest was
held as we have stated, on Saturday.
The c roners verdict was in accordance with the
facts so plainly aoparent-suicde by laudanum.
nrArn OF AN AGED LADY.-Mrs. Elizabeth
Ewcll, mother Of the President of William and
Mary College, and daurhter of thetrst American