Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1859-02-12
extraordinary Suicide in New Orleans.

lbleHueu tne lpliOWlUg IeiudtkdOlt. SUI A., /
from the New Orleans Crescent of the
24th ulIimo, TO have appeared in the
Clipper yesterday, bul had no room for
it Our usual course, in such cases,is 10 ,'et
all snch matter slide, but The present Incl
dent being so extraordinarily singular, lis
publication now, though liule late, will
be gratifying. We are sure, TO every one
of our readers. The Crescent says:
"Sylvesler Rapelt, 81 years Of age, an
,Ehglshman by birth, and by trade ship
carpenter. lived with his wife and two
children in house on Perdido street.
In October last. the yellow fever, then
prevailing. counted among its, victims the
younges, child Of the Ruperls--their lii
lie girl Lizzie. about four years old, and
the particular pet Of the father. This
was Blow from which the father never
recovered. Not able to buy a tomb, he
had the child buried in the ground in
Greenwood Cemetery. The grief prey
ed heavily upon him. 1t was his only
thought and, being out Of his regular
employ ment, he found employment in his
grief. ......."
He bought burial lot and some
bricks and other material, and with his
own hands and all alone in the cemetery,
built him brick tomb. He had not the
means 10 make the tomb stylish one :;
so in its mouth or entrance he fitted a
wooden frame, and on this frame ne fitted
piece OF board and secured it with
screws in its four corners. On this
board with which he inclosed the vault,
! I'm 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 disnterred
The childs body and placed 1t there. lie
fastened the boards with screws, in order
that ne might sfterward 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 the corpse oil bis pet. lie al
ways carried a screw driver in his pocket
with which TO remove and replace the
board, and also TO remove and replace The
lid of the coffin. Neither the Aaggsrd as
pecl of the shrinking little corpse, nor the
foul odor of its decay, could repel him in
his morbid grief. His visits were fire.
auent, and sometimes his wife went with
him. He frequently complained TO her
that he could not get work and this ina
biliiy doubtless fosered the dependency
which was drawing him to death. He
frequently spoke of having no faith 10
the falure, and of death as desirable
thing.
On Wednesday he went to the cemete-
ry with two shrubs which he had pur-
chased, and planted them in front of the
tomb. On Thursday, when he eft home,
he told his wife that if 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 no one
saw him IN his gloomy proceedings-he
visited the cemetery taking with him
his screw driver. an iron trunk handle. a
small rod OF iron, piece of wire, some
new screws, and large vial of laudnum.
Unscrewing the board OF the tomb, he
threw away the screws and filled the
screw holes in the board with clay.
With his new screws he then secured the
trunk handle 10 the inside of the board.
This work, of course, had 10 be done
outside the tomb. Pushing his child's
coffin aside he got in by lis side, taking
with him his poison and the other articles
with which he had provided himself.
His hat he placed upon the coffin; bis
coat, which lie had taken off, he wrapped
around brick for a pillow. He shut
himself in with the board, by means Of
the handle he had screwed 10 II; the.
board fitting outside the wooden frame.
The iron bar, hich was Of the proper
length, be placed across the frame INSIDE.
iThe thickness of the frame would not al
low the bar TO pass through the trunk han
die on the inside of the board so lie Sc
cured the handle and the bar by means of
his wire, coiling through the one and
around the other. He did not succeed in
fitting the board squareIy 3 upon The frame.
One corner Off. caugh. upon the brick
work outside the frame this he did not
discover, probably, owing TO The darkness
of the night !; and but for This liItle cir
cumstance his fate would probably never
have been discovered. or no, at least for
many years. Having thus bid himself
away, as he fancied, beyond mortal dis
coyery, he drank off the contents of his
laudnum bottle composed himself on his
back, placed The brick and coat beneath
his head and went to sleep. and into the
unknown, region OF the suicides. '' = = y,
y As he did not return home on Thurs
day night, his wife feared the worst, re-