Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1859-02-12
no 81
a TlhriIIing ihcident.

Inc n ew Orleans Crescent of the oath
gives the following renarkablee story Of a
suicide:
Sylvester Rupeft, 81 years of age, AN Eng,
lishman BY BIRTH and by trade shipscar-
penter, lived with his wife and two childFen
IN a house on Perdido street. In Oetoberslast
tie yellow fever, then prevailing, counted
among its victims the youns sest chilli of the
Ruperts-their little girl Lizzie, about four
years s-old, and the particuiar pet of the faith
er. This was q blow from which the father
never recovered. Not able to buy tomb, he
had the child buried in the ground in Greens
wood gemetery. The grief preyed heavily
upon him. q. II was his only, thought; aud,
beng out OF his regular employment. he found
employmentinr his gtief II 255 8
lie bought burial lot, aud some bricks
and other material, and with his owe hands
and all alone m the cemetery, built him a
brick tomb. He had not the means to make
entrance, he fitted a wooden frame, aud on
this frame lie fitted piece of board, aud se>
cured it with screws.in its four corners. On
this boa,d, with which he enclosed the yauIt.
Tin lieu of the usual brick and mortar or mars
ble slsb.l he had carved nicely with his knife
the burial inscription of his child. The tomb
finished, he disinterred the Guilds BODY. and
placed it there. He fastened the board with
sc,ews. in order that he might afterward have
no trouble in removing it when he felt like
gazing upon the decayiug remains of his
child. ss
This employment finished, it was habit to
visit the cemetery, open the tomb aud look
at bis pet. He always carried a screw driver
in his pocket with wbiGh 10 remove and re-
place the board, and also to remove aud re-
place the lid of the coffin. Neither the haD.
gard aspect of the shrinking IiltIeccrpse, nor
the foul odOr of its decay, could repel him in
his morbid grief. HIS visits were frequent,
and sometimes his wife went with him. He
frequently com lined 10 her IT, al he could
not get work; and his inability doubtless fos>
tered the despondency which was drawing
him to death. lie frequently, spoke of having
no faith IN the future, and of death as a de.
sirabe thing.
On Wednesday lie went to the cemetery
with two shrubs which he had purchased.
and planted them in front of the tomb. On
Thursday, when be left home, lie told his wife
that il he had no better luck in finding work,
she would never see him again. lie also
said something about having place in which
to rest. - aI
That evening, or that night-for no one
saw him in his gloomy proceedings-he vis.
ted the cemetery taking With him his screw
driver, an iron trunk handle, small rod of
iron, piece OF wire, some new screws, and a
large vial of laudsnIm. U0screwing the
board OF the tomb, hs threw away the screws
and filled the screw>h oles in the board with
clay.
With his new screws he then secured the
trunk handle to the inside of the board. This
work Of course, had to be done outside til.
tomb. Pnshiag his, ch;ld's eoffi a. aside, he
got in by its side, taking with him his poison
and the other articles with which he had rro-
yiled himself. His hat he placed upon the
cofiin his. coat, which hs had taken off. he
wrapped around brick for pillow. lie
shut himself in with the board by means of
the handle he 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. The thickness of the
tho trunk handle on the inside of the board:
SO he secured the handle and the bar 6y means
of his wire, coiliDg it through the one and
around the other. He did not succeed in fit.
ting the board squarely upon the Frame.
One corner Of it caught upon the brickwork
outside the (ra,no; this be did not discover,
probably owing to the darkness of the night
and but for this little circumstance his fate
would probably have never been discovered,
or not at least for many years. Having thus
hid himself away, as be iaDcied, beyond NOR
tai discovery, he drained off tue contents of
the laudaDum>botue, composed himseFon bis
back, pls ced the brick aud coat beneath his
head, and went to sleep, and off into the uu>
known region of the suicides.
AS he did not return home on Thursday
night his wife feared the worst, remembering
we'll the tendency of his late conduct aud the
tenor of bis parting words. On Friday morn.
ing she rose early and went ont TO the Gems
e;ery. She looked all around and failed to
find her husband. She went and looked at
the tomb and was about to leave, when she
noticed that the board did not fit sungIy into
the frame as usual. Looking closer, she dis
covered the mud in the screw holes; and
putting her band on the board, found it was
standing loosely. She pulled it out little,
and the first thing she saw was the dead face
of her husband. She tainted away, and laid
in the grass she could not tell how. long. :
She recovered at last, got up and went and
informed the sexton, Mr. Merritt, of her dis
coVery. The latter went and looked at things
and sent word to the coroner; and the inquest
was held, as we have stated. ou Saturday.
The coroner's verdict was in acco dance
with the facts SO plainly apparent-snicide
by laudanum.