The Portland daily press., 1870-10-03
SAD TRAGEDY.
A YOUNG MAN COMMITS SUICIDE AT nts HOTEL

On Friday the 81 Of last September, a well
| appearing gentleman about thirty five years of
| age arrived in this city, took a room at the
| Preble House and remained there until Monday
| the 9Th. when he took passage in the steamer
| for St. John. He returned to this city from
| st. John on Saturday last and again went to
| the Preble House where he registered his name
as Henry Gething of Quebec, and was assign
| ed room No. 81, which ia in one of the rear
wings of the hotel. About half past eleven in
the evening he appeared in the office, which
was occupied by the porter, John, and told him
that mani was trying TO murder him in his
room, but John did not think much OF the
matter and induced him to return ABOUT
three o'clock on Sunday morning MRS. Ae"'s'
the wife of the proprietor of the hotel, VINO &C.
cupied room in the other wing, directly OPP
posite to the one assigned to Gething was
awakened from her sleep by hearing report
like a pistol shot followed by a sort of crash
and thought it proceeded from the apothecary
sbop. She however arose went out in the hall,
looked around, but could discover nothing to
excite her suspicion that anything was wrong.
In the afternoon about four o'clock the
chamber. maid who had charge of room No. 81,
and who had tried to get in several times du7-
ing the day, went to the Office and said she
wanted TO get into the room to clear it up. One
of Mr.. Lewis clerks then went up and finding
he could not get in looked over the ventilator
and saw the man lying on the bed covered
with blood. He Immediately went down and
informed Mr.. Lewis who notified Marshal
Clark and Coroner Hall. and the three, accom-
panied by Capt Joseph Perry went up to the
room. A boy was put through the ventilator
who pushed the bed away from the door(against
which it had been placed by the unfortunate
MANI unlocked the door and let the officers in.
Gething was lying between the mattresses
across the bed, his feet touching the floor,
wound above the temple showing where the
ball had entered, and a small revolver by bis
side of which three barrels had been discharg-
ed. 1t was then ascertained that the first shot,
which had missed, had gone through the win
dow in bis room, broken the glass in the up
per part Of the window in Mrs. Lewis room
and struck against the blind and fallen to the
ground. The other shot, or shots, were evil
IDENTITY fred between the mattresses deadening
the sound. A letter was found pinned between
his vest and under-shirt Of three pages which
we refrain from printing as it might give pain
to his family and was simply very incoher-
ent affair showing conclusively that he was
insane. There were no signs that be had been
drinking and his brain was probably turned by
o'her causes altogether. Coroner Hall sum-
moned a jury who began an inquest in the after
noon. A lady in town called at the hotel be-
fore tea who had heard the name of the suicide
and thought he might be a relative. She gave
some information relative to deceased and
despatch announcing the tragedy, was sent to
Quebec, but no reply had been received at
late hour last night. The coroner's jury then
adjourned to await further information.