New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-05-09

INQUEST ON THE BODY OF Mr.. BINGHAM
Coroner Bradford took the following testi-
mony in the inquest held on the body OF
Mr.. Rufus L. Bingham at the City Hotel!
Aurelia Tena-Resides at No. "A Magazine
street; have known the deceased for a year;
have seen him frequently, almost every
night; was with him at the sacred concert
at the Cathedral, and after it was over he
came home with me; it was about eleven
O'Clock when he left our house; his conyer.
sation was then what it ordinarily was.
We were to have been married on the
twenty-ftth of the present MONTH nothing
that knew of had ever occurred to change
his purpose; he had been urging our union
ever since our acquaintance. and always
said the sooner the better; we had no quar-.
rel or misunderstanding on the night we
parted it was the last thing | would have
thought of that he should have committed
| suicide; think he once told NE he took
morphine when he could not sleep; |. can
not believe that he Intended to commit
suicide; if he did take ANYTHING it must
have been by accident, because two or three
times the evening before he remarked that
the twenty-fifth would be happy day for
| him; his manner was very amlable at the
concert; there was to be picnic on the
| twenty Fifth; he urged me to go, when
hesitated, and stated that he would be there
himself; we parted at night the best of
| friends; he never upon any occasion limited
| to me that he iAteSded to commit suicide;
the shock is so great to me that were it not
for my friends would feel like dying
myself; his name vas Rufus Lawrence
| Bingham.
Caroline Young-Is twenty.eght years
| old; the name of the deceased was Rufus
Bingham; he bought me when | was thir-
| teen years old: he brought me from Ken
| tuckY ten years ago, and have been living
| with him as his mistress ever since; he mar
ried a lady in Kentucky when was three
months eRCeiHte, andWho died two or three
months after; / have been living in the
| country, and abeuta month ago received
word from him to be ready to go back to
| Kentucky, where my two children are; the
deceased frequently told me that he was a
graduate of West Point; at the breaking out
of the war and at the death of his 1rst wife,
who had been kihedby being thrown from
horse, he converted his property, amount.
ing in value to $lt0, 600 into money, and
started with me for Mexico: he did not make
any money by. thisexpedition, but on the
contrary lost; he was poor at the time OF
his death, though he had been liberal
enough with witness so long as he had
money; ] came 70 the city last night, and
then for the first time heard of his death
he had been inethe habit of taking NOR
phine, and wasealso hard drinker.
| r. W. Gillespie4fhe deceased, with
whom was rooming. had been in the habit
OF drinking good deal. Never knew Of ms
taxing opium or mofphines had on tht
night of the death, retired previous TO thS
| deceased, and was not awakened until L
o'clock, which was done by the fire bells
The breathing Of the deceased was theI
remarked to be very heavy. Attempts Eer'
made to resuseitate him, but without effect
The doctor had not arrived at 6 o'clock, a
which time it wassnecessary for me to 60 t.
| my business.
The verdict OF the jury was Academia
death.