Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-07-16
A TRAGIC AFFAIR.
A BANKER LOSES HIS wIrh KILLS HIS
DAuGHTER, AND Go,nffrs SUICIDE
80 4 10 t.. Il. rz.-----
HIS DYING, LETrER.s:.r :.

A BANKER EosRs HIS WIrh KILLS HIS
DAueHrER,- AND goNafrs SUICIDE
It's DYING L,ETfERss:.r
&c. sc. 81 &c.
On Sunday afternoon, Joseph S
Sprague, a well-known banker of Wesj
Medford Mass, left his residence witt
his little daughter, Maria, ostensibl,
for an evening walk. He had been il
depressed spirits for some two months
on account of the death of his wife
AS he was late returning, his friends
began to apprehend some i'll. The
Boston Post says:
MIR. Thomas L, Sprague; the brother
Of Joseph S. .Sprague, who has beer
living with him since the death of his
wife, together with his mother, went
to Joseph's room to see if he was there
or if anything was left to indicate what
his intentions were In going away. In
searching his desk they found a letter
directed to them, which left no room
for doubt as to his motive and the fate
Of himself and little girl The letter
was written in plain hand upon a
sheet OF common note paper, and read
as follows: 80 ~.
My Dear Mother, Ether, Brother.
and Sister you must forgive me
for inficting upon you such terrible
shock as know this will be, but |
l have been trying to resist it ever
since my dear Julia died, and can re-
sist no longer. cannot live any long
er without Julia, and / am only taking
the dear little girl from world Of
trouble and sorrow to one Of happiness,
where she will be with her dear moth
err, who wants us and is waiting to
meet us. think l am doing right
and what will be best for all concerned,
and think you will see upon reflection
after the first shock has passed away.
If l should live great while longer
should be insane, aud l think it best to
go before that time comes. l am not
afraid to meet my Creator, as my mo-
tive is good and | think l am doing
right. If am wrong, l know he will
forgive me. You will find us in the
woods back of the Poor House. Fol
low the road ss far as you can until
You come to the woods" JOSEPH
The police were Immediately noti
fed and search was instituted, but Sun
day night passed and no trace of the
missing ones could be found. Early
yesterday morning the searching party
augmented by large number of citi>
zens, went again to the woods, and be-
tween and 9 o'clock the dead bodies
Of both Mr.. Sprague and his little pirl
were discovered by Mr.. w. c. Freder
lick, who was accompanied by his two
sons, in the town Of Winchester, near
the Medford line, about mile and a
half in the rear of the Medford Aims
house. Mr.. Sprague was lying on his
left side with seven barrel Allen &
Wheelock pistol under him and a haod
kerchiet under his head. Five of the
seven barrels of his revolver were
loaded and sour of the cartridges bore
the iudentation made by the hammer
though but two of them were dis
charged. There was a small, irregular
hole over the left eye of the father
showing where the fatal bullet had en-
tered the brain, and the left side of the
head was considerably discolored. At
her fathers feet lay the little girl Maria,
dressed in her Sunday attire, and with
a handkerchief bound about her head
She had been shot in the right temple,
and the ball had passed nearly through
to the other side of her head. Mr.
Sprague's coat lay few feet awav, and
near it were half pint rose water bot
tie empty, and four ounce bottle con-
tanning about an ounce of what was
supposed to be whisky and ether, a
two ounce vial with small quantity OF
a preparation Of morphine, a small
syringe for simultaneous injection, a
paper Of white sugar, small wine
glass, and a tablespoon. The glass.
spoon and syringe had evidently been
used, and the sugar was very moist, as
if it had been accidently wet. In the
pockets Of MIR. Sprague's clothing were
found lead pencil, penknife, a box
of five morphine pills, and a sheet of
note paper on the first page of which
were written in these, words:
l have grown crazy so fast to- dav
that l should be entirely so before to-
morrow night if I lived.
On the third page, written appar-
emily after the efforts to destroy the
child by the use OF the morphine and
ether had proved mavaling, were writ.
ten these words:
cit was hard to shoot her, but the
morphine did not take any effect"
The company gathered about the
pitiful sight, a bier was constructed and
the bodies were placed side by side on
a bed in all upper chamber.
MIR. Sprague was considered by his
employer, and by those with whom he
was associated, as man whose charac
ter was above reproach, and in whom
there was nothing to distrust. His
residence was beautifully situated, his
home, till the death of his wife, was
an exceptionally happy one, and he
was in every respect a true gentleman.
His suicide and the murder of his
child constitute a tragedy which mer-
its more than ordinary pity and regret.