The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-12-29
Especial dispatcht to the Baltimore Suh,l
Suicide OF n Presbyterian Minister
Shocking Effect OF HRllucfnatiOgs-
Particulars or the Affair. $3.50 iSs-ss'

which he presided Is one Of the most -four.
ishing in the western portion Of the city. BE
was expected to preach as usual this morn.
ing, but as he had not arrived at some min.
utes past the usual time come Of the mem.
bers Of the congregation went to his resi-.
de1,ce, on 81 near Nineteenth street, and learn
ed shat he was in bis chamber. Upon going
to the door 1t was found to be locked, and as
no sign was given after repeated knocking
it was burst open and the minister was found
lying upon the bed Ia his own blood, dead.
A razor near at hand showed the instrument
with which the fatal deed was done.
Of late he has been known to be restless
and apparently troubled In mind. His wife
has been for some time insane, and Is now q
resident at the insane asy lum on the other
side, of the Eastern Branch, where she, has,
been for twenty years. Brooding upon his
troubles and her sad condition Is supposed
to have affected the reason Of the deceased,
and it is said. too, that statement In the
Sunday Herald of this city tended to lead to
his sad death. This publication stated that
q minister of one of the leading churches Of
the city bud been detected in stealing trst
one book and then another from one of the
bookstores; that the bookseller had taxed
him with the theft, and that he had con.
fessed, expressed great penitence, and begged
that he should not be exposed, and that for
that reason his name was withheld from the
public. ,s;,I I.f.,1.t.y
II is thought that he has long been labor.
ing under some subtle form Of mental dis
ease, and that he believed himself to be the
person referred TO, and took bis life under
the fears engendered by such an hallnclna.
ton. He was man of mature age, good
preacher, and most popular In all the circles
of his acquaintance AT several late meet
ngs of the presbytery to which he was at
tachcd he has been the moderator. Soon
upon his remains, and the jury returned
verdict that he came to. his death by suicide
while laboring under alteration of mind.
Mrs. Cathcart, who resides at No. 722
Eighteenth street, and where for long time
Mr.. Coombs boarded, states that he arose as
usual this morning, and after dressing
walked down stairs to the parlor, where he
read over the sermon that he had prepared
for to- day. 1t was on the proper observance
of the holidays. Then, shortly before 8
O'Clock, he again retired to his room, and
during this time he might have read the
article in the Sunday paper referred to, but
Of this no one in the house speaks positively.
The paper was found on table with his SER
mon. Shortly before the first bell rang for
service, about 1915, she noticed that he did
not come down as usual, but paid no par
tcular attention to the delay, but when the
second bell rang, which Immediately pre-
cedes the services, she went up to his room
to inform him of the fact, thinking possibly
that he bad not heard the bell in his room.
She found the door locked, which, too, was
something unusual. Then summoning DR..
Swcetman, who had come from the church
to inuuire the reason for the minister's delay
in not being in church, the door was forced
open to find that he was dead. The inquest
developed no further facts, and this evening
the remains were turned over to Mr.. CAV
Ter, an undertaken, for preparation for
burial, though as yet no time has been fixed
for the funeral.
Mr. Coombs has been minister in this
city for twenty years, first having had charge
Of the Union chapel, on Twentieth street.
He was first ordained member of the Me-
thodist Episcopal Church, and was member
of the Baltimore Conference. Afterwards
he became a minister of the Presbyterian
Church. Only three nights since be was in
stalled @. grand master Of the Royal Arch
Chapter of Masons, to which position he
was but recently elected. He was born In
Virginia was about sixty-fve years of age;
and was married near Leesburg, Va, about
thirty.tbree years since. The members OF
his church scout the idea that he took book
from any bookstore unless done under hal
lucination. The news of the tragedy was
announced to his congregation by Chlef.Jus-
tice Drake, of the Court Of Claims, they
having remained waiting, expecting the
arrival of the pastor. Great sorrow was
expressed, and the shock was intensely felt
by all.
Robert Beall, book.dealer under the Ma.
tional Hotel, is the dealer referred to in the
Sunday Herald. "
THE FATAL PARAGRAPH.
The following is the paragraph in the Sum
day Herald referred to above. 1t is headed,
" A Clerical kleptomaniac-A Washington
Clergyman Caught Stealing Books from an
Avenue Stationer":
"For many months past the store of one
of our prominent booksellers and stationers
on PENNSYLVANIA avenue has been visited by
man well on in years, and neatly dressed
after the fashion of minister Of the gospel.
He would, on all his visits, walk around the
store examining books, sometimes lingering
for an hour or 80, reading passages OF this OF
that book, but never making purchase.
Lately our stationer friend has been missing
many of his books, and all attempts to lind
how they were taken failed until yesterday,
when the lerical.looking gentleman was dis
covered to be the kleptomaniac. He was
standing in the store, as was his wont, quiz
city reading book he had taken from the
shelves, when customer entered, upon
| whom the proprietor turned to wait. Tbe
| instant his back was turned the gospel gen.
1 -. lact thn CnHHpnIu
Cured to the proprietor that this man in
yariably did the same thing on all of his
visits. and he might be the person who
| was robbing him of his property. So he
went TO the bookshelf, and to his surprise he
found the book the reverend gentleman had
| been reading was gone. He Immediately fol.
lowed him up the street, and coming up to
him asked him what he did with that book
be had been reading in the store. The re-
yerend gentleman's face turned pale, and
| with the exclamation of For Gods sake
don't xpose me pu> licly brought forth the
stolen book from under his coat. The booE.
merchant asked him his name, and be gave it
| as the Rev. -, pastor of - church, in
this city. Thinking probably this was q
thief,s blind, he insisted on him having him.
self identified, which he did through a
merchant from the neighborhood. The
book.merchant said it was thing
most painful to him to find q man who
ia a minister of the gospel committing q
theft. and he would neither prosecute him
nor give his name to the newspapers, but be
honed it would be q lesson to him to reform
at once. This, indeed, was most gracious
net. and Herald reporter, in an interview
with the book-merchant, asked him how ne
cat;e to be so lenIent. He remarked that
sIthough not q church.member himself no.
thing made him so sick at heart as these
lo.x as,rvbf In a %