The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-02-09
SUICIDE.
A Man Makes His Own Coffin and
Dresses Himself for the Grave.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
BY suppressing names and location,
we violate no confidence in giving pub
]icity to'some strange facts, that acct
dehtaliy came into our possession yes
trday. The occurrence. which we
shall relate, happened in n hamlet not
one hundred miles from this city, and
was, we imagine, an anomaly in sensa-
ton annals: 1t seems that Mr.. b. set
tied in --, some ten years ago, upon
a small farm. lie was Il man of INTEL
gcncc and energy, and, from time to
time, purchased adjoining pieces OF
land and added them to his farm until
the latter numbered within its bounds
between two and three hundred acres.
SO superior was his Intelligence, and
SO upright his character, that he even
tualIy became one Of the most inilucn
tial men in his community. Mr.. b..
had q family Of three daughters and
two sous. All Of his family were afior-
died. extra advantages in the way OF
acquiring fashionable cducations. One
Or; the sons graduated at an Eastern
college. and the other holds Il respon-
sible position in q Cincinnati mercan
tile house.
Trouble was lurking near, however.
Some two years since, Mr.. b. indorsed
q brothers note to thc amount Of $l0,-
coo. His better Judgment opposed the
act: but his brother was deep in iinan-
cial trouble, and no other way could he
be relieved. The note fell Cue, nc cX-
tension would be granted, the brother
could not pay the amount, and Mr.. Il.
was obliged to mortgage his farm to
satisfy the demands upon him as in
dorser of the note. So sudden and
unexpected q reverse in his hitherto
prosperous career caused him to be-
come moody and detected. This grew
more intense Us the feeling crept on
him that he could never lift the mort
gage, and that his family and himself
would probably have to descend from
their proud position in society, and be
subject to want and ponury. In vain
his family tried TO give the future 4
cheerful look; in vain the sons prom
ised to lend their entire energies TO the
work Of clearing the dcht--tho father
crew more and more detected, and was
evidently sinking into q settled despair
that must berclt him Of life or reason.
About q month since, his family be
came aware that some mysterious task
WAS claiming his attention, in q tool
and work house nCar one OF his barns.
To ali inquiries as to the nature Of bis
work. he returned IN eyasi, answer,
but kept steadily on. A good deal Of
curiosity was excited by these actions,
but no thought that anything Of an
mtoward character WAS TRANSPORTING, or
that Mr.. 3. contemplated any harm to
himself. ever occurred to the Family.
Thus matters passed on. Sometimes
Mr.. b. would occasionally allow two or
three days to pass by without visiting
the shop; but during such times he
would be more than usually vacant and
cast down.
On Friday last he suddenly appeared
before his family, dressed with moro
than usual care, and stated that he in
tended paying a business visit to his
brother--tO be absent two or the
days. He would listen to nc suggcs-
lions that some Of the family should
accompany him, and went away. The
next morning, curiosity prompted a
peer into the tool house to see what
had made Mr.. Il. 50 busy. The moth
or, accompanied by u Of her daugh-
tiers and the hired man accordingly
forced open the door, when, horror OF
horrors! what was the sight that met
their eyes? Mr.. b., Stone-dcad, and
laid out in Il colin! The mother fell
to the floor in q swoOn, and the daugh-
ter and the hired nan ran terrified from
the spot. y speedy investigation
brought to light q note on the shop
bench, which stated that the deceased
had taken his own life by swallowing
prussic acid, and that the coffin was
the work Of bis WI hands. Trouble
had rendered his life uncomfortable, and
hence the rash act. Death must have
been very speedy, for the body could
hardly have been laid OUT with more
precision. Such methodical GOODNESS
in the work Of self destruction was
never before ~rccordcd--a man con.
structing his own coffin, and dressing
himself for the grave!
An effort was made to keep the man.
ncr Of his death secret, but it soon got
misunderstanding, Of course, q great
sensation.