The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-19
From the Alexandria Gazette.
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Preacher Em Sortoi.> afsI AlcxaIs-
ssriu.'
From the Alexandria Gazette.
SUICIDE Of Or. EkAEDT.
Many OF the readers OF the Gazette will
rccollrrt DR.. Brandt. who oiliciaed here,
until his real character WAS discovered. a.
the pastor OF the Lutheran church, and OF
whose reported suicide since then they have
frequently heard. From the annexed &C.
count it is reasonable to suppose that the cry
of "wGlf" is ut last true. y Rome (Ga.)
correspondent of the &Abbevillc 6. CO. Ne
di,tnt gives the following account of the
| tragic affair:
One Of the qucercSt. and, in its end. one of
the slddcst chapters Of biography ever met
with has been concluded in olT city to-day
About six months ago llc people of Rome
! learned through their morning papers that
| the Rev. j. f.. Lawrence, ID. d., late OF West
Mary land College, had arrived in the city for
the purposes Of building up Il college, having
learned that there was IL necessity for an i'll
| stitution of that kind here; that the Doctor
| could be found 1T the Choice Hotel ut certain
| hours in the day, and would receive Subscrip.
| tons to the necessary capital. Who the Doc
| tor was, whence he was, or what he was, liz
| one knew nor has Time, the great developer
fully or satisfactorily illustrated that point
vet. The number and amount Of the sub
script:ons to his laudable enterprise is mat
ter OF equal ubscllrity; the "colitge' how
ever is tonight sleeping in the grave of its
protector.
After some little time the Doctor rented q
school building and opened an academy fol
boys and young men, giving certain refer
cnceS in North Carolina and elsewhere.
| \ gentleman here, lmppeningto lie acquainted
with Presbyterian clergyman at one of the
places referred to, wrote to him with III i'll
tcntion OF patronizing the newcomer il
flyolslby recommended. The minister re-
Piled that 40 one answering to the name
given had ever been known in that locality
II transpired, however, that the description
giycn corrcSpondcd closely with certain
Brandt who had lived there, and was more
or less indebted to various parties at the time
of his departur1. The Doctor preserved the
even tenor of his way, concluded his trst
session in Il very cleditable manner, and
formed IN alliance with gentleman OF some
standing here. but whose success in the aFo-
cation OF teaching hid been rather lndliier-
eut. The prospects of the new firm were
very good. Some of the best people In the
city patronizcd them, and the number III at
tendance WAS Il very respectable one.
In Il short lllne, however, tileS dlsaSFeea'
Doctor Lawrence being unable to discharge
the amount due his assistant, the latter
withdrew, taking Il mortgage upon the
school furniture. Not satisfied with this, he
wrote to West Maryland College inqulrlns
after the character of Dr.. j. L. Lawrence,
forserly professor Of Hebrew and Greek
Literature. He received i'll reply letter
stating that nothing whatever was known
concerning DIR. Lawrence; but that the de-
Scription correspondent very closely with one
Brandt, who had voluntarily given one or
two lectures there, having lad, however, no
connection with the college. About this
time the Mayor Of the city received y
letter from that of Charlotte, \. c., stating
that the latter had received q letter
from DR.. Lawrence, inquiring into the
character of certain Rosenbaun, a
jew claiming to have come from Charlotte,
and who hud defrauded quite number OF
merchants OF Rome, the handwriting OF
which letter had been recognized as that OF
a man named Brandt, who had come to Char;
lotte MS Lutheran minister, Ind been mr.:
rested for board, lad been allowed one
weeks indulgence through the kindness ofn