Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-05-22
From the Cincinnati Commercial, May III
A Remarkable Suicide.
The Pretended Assassin of Secretary Seward
Starycs himself to Death.

. Pt|rIcS Himself TO Death.
Sterling King, known throughout the war
as rebel spy aud bearer Of dispatches. with
the rank OF Colonel, was born in ENGLAND in
1881, and while yet boy came with his par
ents to this country, and found permanent
home near lichmOnd, Va. He received a
very good collegiate education, studied law.
and practlsed in Richmond, Va. Upon the in
augUration of the rebellion he was amone, The
very first to enlist us private under StonewolI
jackson. Badly wounded in an engagement
IN the first year, and distinguished for reckless
corrage, he was soon promoted to a ColoneIcv
and detailed to act as spy, under orders from
the rebel Executive. In this capacity he ira
veIed all through the North, managing, as he
brought experience to the aid of natural abili-
ties to work successfully in procuring passes,
passing the lines, and procuring information
useful to the rebel cause. He made trims
through all the Northern and Eastern States.
to Cuba, Canada, and even to Europe. He
several times had business in this city, and on
one occasion occupied a small Office near the
Soldiers Home, on Third street, where. un
Ger the guise of claim agent, he occuDicd
himself, during several weeks, in collectin0
from the inmates Of the Home statistics as to
the strength aud location OF all the regiments
represented by them.
He was fully acquainted with all the busi>
ness Of the rebel mail service, and was at one
time employed i'll selecting men and routes
for that business. \ couple of wears since
he was captured here, and imprisoned as
spy. Propositions were made to release him
in the event cf his giving information that
would lead to the arrest of certain rebel agents
in this vicinity; but he stubbornly refused.
stating that he intended to make his escape
with his hands, and this promise he made
good by working his way out one night. and
passing the guard, despite bayonct thrust
i'll the thigh.
Having thus given the main points in Kings
history as rebel Colonel and spy, We come
now to his operations as a horsc-thicf. Pre-
tending to the honor and punctillio Of gen
tIcman Of the first class of clivalrv, while in
the rebel service i'll which he continued until
the war closed, he nevertheless turned a bros
tess!oaal thief upon again being thrown up
on his own rcscourcs. Coming to this CITY
about three months since, he planned, and Tor
a time successfully executed, Lhclts of YaIua-
bic horses and vehicles from three livery Sta
bles-Eays Biglcrs, and Hicrman's. He
would make himself familiar with the p1onric-
tors-onc after anothcr-hirc and return a
few times, talk Of purchasing fine horse, and
when ready for the theft, hire the most valua-
bic "turn out Of the stable as if to 90 a few
miles out, and then take the whole cstablisb>
ment, horse, buggy, and harness, to Bowling
Green or Louisville, and sell it,
On the l2ch Of March last he was recor-
uIzed as horse-thief in the Louisville Hotel.
at Louisville, Immediately arrested and
placed IN jail, to await the necessary reUuisi.
tion from Governor Cox Then it was that
he invented the lie as to the assassination of
President Lincoln, declaring that he was the
assassin, and that John Wilkes Booth had
nothing further to do with it than to hold
his Ching's) horse while he entered the
theater, fired the pistolshot, made his escape.
and remountcd. His object in telling this
story was to induce the author tiles to take
linn to Washington, where he would be liber-
ated, and SO escape both charges.
Failing in this, and being reduced to the
extreme OF despondency aud modification at
the position to which he had degraded him
self, he resolved to put an end to his wretched
and apparently uncomfortable existence. At
about IL o'clock one night, when all save
himself In the jail were in bed, he cut an
artery OF the left arm, and allowed the blood
to gush out unimpeded. The loss of blood
produced sickness Of the stomach and violent
vomiting, which awakened a fellow prisoner
who was sleeping in the same cell. This
man gave the alarm, and assistance came in
time to save the lie that the would be suicide
had sought to thus cast off.
But tie resolution to die was not to he
thus conquered. Sterling King was man
Of infexble will. He ceased to eat Of anv-
thing that would feed the fire Of life. which
soon began to wane; and then, day by dav.
grew more feeble In forty days this man
tasted but i've times Of food, and all that he
ate III that entire time did not amount to
his flesh began TO disappear, and the bones Of
limbs that could be easily sPanned with the
hand grew horribly prominent He ceased
to walk or stand; he only rcclined, breathed,
and refused to eat. They told him that the
requisition from the Governor Of Ohio would
reach him at 4 certain time. He wanted to
dle-not in the jail of Louisville. but out
somewhere where he could breathe the pure
AIR and see nature once more And so this
living skeleton coolly calculated the length
OF time he had yet to live, aud finding that
if he did not eat he would die too soon. he
took some soup, bread, and prescrves-fye
times, as already mentioned.
Day before. yesterday Detective Larry
Hazen, Of this city, reached his prison. pro-
duced the requisition, took King up as
though he were child, and conveyed him to
the carriage, and thence to berth On the
mail boat. He then endeavored to induce
him to eat; and, said King, in Il voice scarcoIv
audible: Mr.. .Hazen, you will promise me
to make such arrangement as will enable mo
to compromise this matter. will commence
eating to-day" Mr. Hazen could not
promise this. and the dying man shook his
head and refused the food. He calculated
that he had three days to live, which would
enable him to reach Cincinnati and settle
up his little affairs; but, at about ? o'clock of
yesterday morning, little after the boat
reached the landing here, the death rattle
: sounded ia bis throat. and the detective found
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