Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-01-26
SHOCKING AFFAIR.
An OpuIent New York Merchant Cuts
his Throat while Lying in his Bath
-Fhe RaseaIIi1y Ofa Business Part.
ner the Cause. .r...

The New York Times of Thursday gives
the following details Of this shocking sui
eide;
One OF our most respectable citizens, Mr..
Melvin s. Whitney, an opulent vine mer-
chant, of No. 25 Broadway street, com
mltted suicide by cutting his throat with
razor, yesterday morning, at his resideice,
in West Thirty-Second street near Broad
way.
Mr.. Whitney was native of HalloweI,
Maine. He came hither from that State,
and engaged in commercial pursuits in this
city about twenty-five years ago; and
from that time onward his career was one
Of uninterrupted success, until quite re-
Gently, when, with a view of retiring from
active business, and devoting his energies
thencetorth to the Presidency of
the Saginaw Salt Company and to his
membership Of the Boards Of Directors of
the PARK Bank, Germanis Life Insurance
Company, Metropolitan Gaslight Company
and Germania Fire Insurance Company,
ne made change in his business at No.
70 Broad street, which his friends believe
to have led to the painfully disastrous re-
suit which we have recorded sbOve. The
business change to which we sllude was the
taking Of partner, in the person of a
clerk who has long been in Mr.. Whitney's
mouse The partnership, it appears, en-
dured but for short period, the junior
partner, it is said, having made many haz-
ardous ventures, and thus incurred his
seniors displeasure, and led the
latter to believe it to be to his interest
to demand dissolution. It is, moreover.
asserted that the junior partner, having
become involved in certain Wall street on
erstlCns, had oVerdraWn the firm account
OF the Phenix Bank to amount of SIOs 900 :;
and that, to clear himself from liability for
this sum, Mr.. Whitney had commenced an
action, through Wall street lawyer, but
that, at length, Mr.. W. conceived that
both his counsel and his partner were seek
ing to ruin him financially; and this i'm
preston Is believed to have weighed hesv-
lily on his mind. Yet to his associates and
friends on Wall street, he seemed cheerful
snd OF perfectly sane mind down to his
last appearance on Change; but at home
1t was observed, more than six weeks ago,
tnst he was lsboring under uncommon
mental depression, and to his wife he made
known his business perplexities, and dwelt
upon them as he might have dvelt upon
impending and irrstrievabIe ruin. But
still no hint ever escaped from his lips
leading any member of his household to
dream that he contemplated suicide; and
yesterday morning, when he bade his wife
go down TO breakfast, saying that he would
lie until a late hour. Mrs. Whitney OBJ
served nothing unusual in his demeanor.
Immediately after his wife had gone down
to breakfast, Mr.. Whitney appears to have
risen and gone to the bath, which adioined
his sleeping chamber, and there, lying in
the bath tub, cut his throat. The fearful
cash is deep, and evidently must have been
almost instantly fatal, the razor having
entered to the bone, and then been broken
by the force Of the stroke. The corps was
first discovered by a servant, who went with
food to Mr.. Whitney's room at about 8
o'clock, or 10 minutes subsequent to the
time when Mrs. Whitney left him. It was
then warm, and had not become rigid in
death. Coroner Wildey empanneled a
jury yesterday afternoon, and the jury re-
turned verdict of "death by cutting the
throat with q razor" Mr.. Whitney was
widely and well known, and everywhere
respected and beloved. He leaves g wife
and two adopted children. He was 81
yesrs Of age.