The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-10
A SAD CASE OF SUICIDE.
A MOTHER OF SIX CHILDREN CUTS HER
OWN THROAT AND BLEEDS
TO DEATH.
DISTRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES OF TIE
TRAGEDY

DISTRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE
TRAGEDY.
On Saturday morning at about o'clock
John Nj. Schmidt, German, living on
Main street, between 23d and 24th, was
called from his bed by the cries of his niece,
who resided with her mother. Mrs. Mary
Bishop, on the same block. The poor girl
was in Il state Of intense excitement, and
astounded her uncle by the statement that
her mother was bleeding to death. Dress
ing hurriedly, Schmidt ran to his step.
sisters house, No. 2311 Main street, and,
pushing through the cluster of little ones
his nicces-about the chamber door, saw a
sight that made his blood run cold.
Mary Bishop, with but single garment
hiding her nakedness, had fallen upon n
pile of bedding on the floor, and lay there
just breathing her last. The head thrown
back revealed a ghaStly hole in the neck,
through which the blood was still gushing,
while the floor was covered with gore. The
truth was apparent at a glance to the man,
if not to the shuddering children. The
woman had cut her own throat.
Physicians were sent for, but failed to
come until late in the morning. In the mean
time the body lay where it fell in the agony
of death-an object of morbid curiosity to
the promiscuous crowd thronging the little
chamber, while in the room below the six
motherless children-the two eldest twins
of fourteen and the youngest still babe in
arms-awaited in pitiful silence the arrival
of their father, who, at work two hundred
miles from Richmond, had Of course not
yet heard of the terrible calamity which
had suddenly befallcn his little household.
| At half-paSt II O'Clock an inquest was
held over the body by Coroner Trent, and
IL Jury composed of the following gentle
mcn: Samuel d. Hicks, Chas. F. TAYLOR,
K. &. Turner, NJ. J. Rosendorf, j. is. NAL
10y, VIM. Gay, Geo. Hirsh, Geo. Turner,
a. l.. Jacob, Daniel Ryan, NJ. Kaufman,
and Il. III. NJ. Harrison.
Several witnesses were examined, and
| from their testimony we hafe cleaned the
| following statement of the circumstances
attending the suicide:
VIM. Bishop, the husband of Mary, is a
German citizen of good character, and a
tailor by trade. He has kept tailor shop
! at No. 23O3 Main street, ana bar-room in
the adjoining tenement tor many months
| past, but with such poor success in buS-
ness that OF late he has been pecu-
niarily embarrassed to Il considerable extent.
could not make living for his family of
eight in Richmond, and, accordingly, with
| out notifying his wife of his intention, went
to Baltimore last Friday q week ago i'm
search of work, intending if successful to
have his family join him rs soon as possible.
Mrs. Bishop did not understand this move
ment, although it was fully explained to
her by the man attending the bar, to whom
her husband mad contded his plans. Dis.
turbed at his sudden and to her ineXplca-
BILE departure, she was worried still more
by the duns OF her husbands creditors, nor
was she apparently relieved of anxiety us
she should have been when on We'd
ncsday there came a most atlectionate
letter from Bishop. IN this letter he
explained his leaving without bidding
her goodbye, assigning as the reason that
he knew she would attempt to dissuade him
from what he believed the best way out of
trouble. He said he had already got work
at his trade, at good wages, and wished her
to get ready to join him just as soon as he
could scrape up money enough to pay the
cost of taking the family to Baltimore. He
added that he thought he could get the two
eldest girls situations at service at seven OF
eight dollars Il month. There was enclosed
q ten-dollar note.
On Thursday Mrs. Bishop seemed more
composed, but OH Friday meddlesomc
woman came in, and in the course of con-
yersation several times threw out the insin-
uation that her husband had abandoned
her. TO make matters worse, the owner Of
the house came and ordered the poor wo-
man to move out in five days. The house
was to be rented on the 1st OF August to
some courtesans.
Mrs. Bishop was now almost beside her
self-worried not so much with the pros
pect of being turned out OF house and
home as with the idea that possibly she was
a deserted wife. That night she applied to
her brother-in.law to take her and her little
ones under bis roof, but he being poor
man, and not having room for more than
his own family, was compelled TO decline.
At the same time he tried to persuade her
that if the idea Of deserting her had entered
the husbands mind he would not have
written so soon or so atfectionately, and
would not have sent her the money. w hen
he left her she seemed to be in a calmer
frame of mind. This was on Friday night,
as we have said. At about 3 O'Clock
the next morning one OF the three children
sleeping Ia q bed together, was awakened
by peculiar noise, and starting up she saw
her mother with her head leaning over q
bucket, and the blood streaming, with q
gurgling sound, from a hole In the neck.
L
eager questions of the children, who sprang
to her relief, and in moment more stag
gered and fell upon the floor, where she
Ily and bled to death.
Subsequently an examination of the
bucket brought to light the instrument of
seIf.destructiOn. 1t was a small penkniie,
with four blades. The woman must have
had great deal of nerve. With the point
of the blade an incision was easily made,
but it must have required persistent effort
to force the dull edge through the flesh, sew
ering as it did the external carotid artery
and The internal jugular vein, cutting the
pharynX in twain and stopping just short
of the surface on the opposite side. With
such q wound death could not but come
speedily.
The verdict of the jury Of course was that
the deceased, Mary Bishop, came to her
death by her own hands. The body Will
be decently cared for until the arrival OF
the husband and father.
Mrs. Bishop was woman OF line form
and comely features. She was about thirty
three wears of age, and came to this country
with her step-brother, Schmidt, when about
fourteen years OF age. She was naIl'e
of Wirtemberg. Germany, and her maiden
name was Mike. She was always believed
to be faithful and industrious wife, ana
her husband Is spoken OF by all his NC.
quaintances as an honest man and deYotea
husband. -g1' s~s
The falsity of the tale OF dcsertton
poured into the ear OF the deceased by
thoughtless, if not malicious, busybody, Is
further proved by the suhjoined letter from