The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-03-14
LOCAL DEPARTMENT.

DISTRESSING ATTEMPT AT SuIciDE.-Thc COM
munity on Fifth street west between q and II
streets north, were Mortified yesterday morning
on hearing that an old and highly.respected
neighbor, Mr.. John W. Wells, No. $50 Fifth
street, had made, at about 2 O'Clock YESTERDAY
morning, desperate attempt to- commit suicide
by shooting himself in the head. On Thursday
evening Mr.. Wells ate hearty supper, and re-
tired to the front room up stairs, where he sleeps
and where he was wont to go to write and read
Al the usual hour the family retired to rest,
Mrs. Wells and two daughters occupying n room
adjoining that of Mr.. Wells: At about two
Ing noise In the room of her husband and sup
posed he had built n fire, and the burning pro-
I'VE Inc to e
TO strike light and see II anything was wrong.
Receiving no reply she and her daughters entered
the room and found him in bed. They soon dis
covered blood trcklng from the right side of his
bed. His son, sleeping In another portion Of the
house, was aroused, ana soon he summoned the
"A ANAL seven-shooter Smith X wesson re.
volver was found on the bed, and with this weapon
Professor Eliot probod the wound and pro.
nounced that the ball had entered the base Of
the brain In the back OF the head through the
right ear, and, that In his opinion, the wound
would prove fatal. lie could remove the ball,
but no doubt the unfortunate man would sink
under the operation, his left side being psralyzed
Mr. Wells was for years a clerk In the Interior
Department. His health becoming, much i'm
paired about year ago, he received the appoint
in December last, with a son, returned from that
Territory, greatly improved In health, to renew
nrsyios n rcturniur 10 I've
duties. He Md renewed the bond, and, as we
are infor med by General Mix, would have left
which he was to have disburscd TO the Flat Head
ssinF already PGspsrsa ,oF h lie
two sons, and three daughters, ali grown. lie
was a strict member Of the Assembly Prcsby-
terian Church, and highly respected by his many
His accounts have all been fully settled up to
this date at the Indian Bureau, and his new bond
Of ~ 900 accepted and II reEisterSd No agent of
He has always been In the most affect Tomato
relationship with his family, and was strictly
abstemious. Since his return from Montana he
has been melancholy and at times much alb
stracted, so much SO that it led to serious mis-
givings by his wife and children.
He was In no pecunisry difficulties for man
of his age, his health was excellent, while his
family are all that a man could hope or wish
That he had prcmeditated the deed is bcyond
doubt, from the fact that the pistol with which
he shot himself had been hid away in bureau
drawer by his son some weeks since, carefully
wrapped up and covered, twithout the knowi-
edge Of the father,) and By the unfortunate man
instrument OF his evident act OF temporary In
Al 10 O'Clock yesterday morning we found the
family In the deepest aiiiction, and awaiting the
arrival OF their family physcian,
We called again at about 10 o'clock last night,
when the Dreaming OF the unfortunate man was
scarcely perceptible, and 1t was thought he
could last bnt a few minutes, or hours, at the
farthest. .
ARREST OF SUPPOSED HousE-BREAKERs AND
AccoNPLICEs,-On ThuTslry night the grocery
store OF Mr., i. NJ. Ormc, corner OF Twelfth and
d streets, was entered and robbed of between 400
and us In greenba0ks, currency and small coin
lot of backing, cigars, lamp, and other articles.
Yesterday Detectives MGDeyitt and Blgley ar
rested two young men named John Mortimer and
VIM. p Hendlcy eha;ged with committing the
robbery. These officers found on Mortimer a
coat believed to belong to MT Penield, stopping
at the National, In the pookpt OF VIII ch was n
handkerchief belonging to his son also, green
backs and postal currency amounting to 49,.
Hendley had In his pockets a lot OF brass Gin
destructiblen pens, (Which he said he got at
Raohe Bolster's) and small amount OF coin
The officers then proceeded to the house of
Matilda Light, No. $50 Twelfth street. After.
to the house and found a lot of cigars three
boxes Of blacklng, &c, and arrested and brought
away Matilda Light and woman named Rosa
Powell The parties had hearing last night at
Bolster testified that he never saw the pens that
Hendley alleged he received of him.
Parker IL. sweet, IT,, clerk In Mr.. Ormc's
store, Identified the pens as exactly similar TO
those stolen. The party are held for a further
Another OF "Slim Jim's" friends, who gives
his name as Pat Shay, was cooped at the Central
by Lieut.. Kelly and MoDeWitt yesterday. He
says he stopped at the house of Mortimer's wife
In Qeorgetown. He 10 held for hearing.
TAKEN TO THE AsyLUM-Mr. Thomas Robey,
boat-builder, who resides on Maryland avenue,
near Thirteenth street, was on Thursday last
taken to the LunAtic Asylum. lie Is laborlng
being an incendiary, as stated In the RgPUBLI-
n day two since,