The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-02-04
EXTRAORDINARY sUICIpE-TAKING POISON
IN A TOMB.

| In Green wood Cemetery, New Orleans, on tL
Gath uit- Z tomb WAS found open, and in Il tn
dead body Of Sylvester Rupert, a shipscsrpentsr
who had taken poison there the night before
The unhappy suicide in October last, lost litsl,
| daughter four years old from yellow fever, ant
| sorrow had preyed heavily upon him. The New
| Orleans Crescent, says:
| He bought. burial lot, and some bricks apt
other material, aud with his own hands, and al
alone in the cemetery, built him brick tomb -
lie had not the means to make the tomb q stylish
| one; so, in its mouth or entrance, he fitted q
wooden frame, and on this frame he fitted pieee
of board, and secured it with screws iu its fou,
corners. On this board, with which he enclosed
| the vault, lin lieu Of the usual brick aud mortar
or mar BILE slabD he had carved nicely with hit
| knife the burial inscription of his child. The
tomb finished, he disiuterred the chids body
and placed it there. He fastened the board with
screws, in order that be might forwards have no
trouble in removing Ii when he felt like gazing
upon the decaying remains of his child.
This employ yment finished, it was his habit TO
visit the cemetery, open the tomb, and look at
the corpse of bis pet. He always carried a screw
driver in his pocket with which to remove and
replace the board, and aiso to remove and res
place the lid of the coffin. Neither the haggard
aspect OF the shrinking little corpse 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
planned to her that he could not get work: aud
this inability doubtless fostered the despondency
which was drawing him to death. lie frequently
spoke Of having no faith in tho future and OF
death q desirable thing.
On Wednesday he went to the cemetery with
two shrubs which be had purchased, and planted
tsem in front of the tomb. On Thursday, when
he left home, he told his wife that If he had no
better luck in finding work, she would never see
him again. lie also said something abou. having
place In which to rest.
That evening, or that night-for no one saw
him in his gloomy proceediDgs-he visited the
cemetery: taking with him his screw driver, an
iron trunk handle, small rod Of iron, a piece of
wire, soE1o new screws. and large vial of laud-
auum Unscrewiug the board of the tomb he
threw away the screws aud filed the screw holes
In the board with clay.
With his ne screws he then secured the trunk.
handle to the inside Of the board This work of
course, bad to be done outside the tomb. Pushing
his chiids coffin aside lie got in by its side taking
with him his poison and the other articles with
which he had provided himself His hat he placed
upon the cotfln; his coat which he had taken off,
he wrapped around brick for pillow lie shut
himsel: 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 vas of the
proper length, he placed across the frame inside
The thickness cf the frame would not allow the
bar TO pass through the trunk handle on the inside
of the board; so he seCgred the handle aud the bar
by means of his wire, coiliog it through the one
GuG around the other. He did not succeed liz fit.
ner Of il caCght upon the brickwork outside the
frame; this be did not discover, probably owing o
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 bid himself away, as he fsncied; be.
yond mortal discovery, he drained off the content.
of the laudanum-bottle, composed himself ca his
back, placed the brick aud coat beneath bis head,
and went to sleep, an off iRto the unknown re-.
gion Of the suicides.
As he did not return home on Thursday night
his VI lie feared the worst, remembering well the
tendency of his late conduct and the tenor OF his
parting words On Friday morning che rose early
aud went out to the cemetery. She looked all
around and failed to find her husband She went
and looked at heic tomb, and was about 10 leave.
when she happened to notice that the beard did
nos III Rnugiy into the frame as usual. Locking
closer she discovered the mud ia the screw holes,
ana putting her hand on the board, found that il:
gas standing loosely. She pulled it cut q little,
ard the first thing she saw was the dead face of
her husband. She tainted away, and laid n the
grass she ceuid not tell how long. She recovered
at last, got up and went and informed the sexton,
Mr.. Merritt, CT her discovery. The latter went
aud looked at things and sent word to the coro-
ner. and the inquest was held as We have stated,
on Saturday.