The New York herald., 1874-09-13
A SINGULAR SUICIDE.
A Repn.ted Son Of MendelsSohn, the Great
Composer, Takes Poison.
Master Of Eleven Living and Four Dead Ian
guages-A Letter Telling OF the Suicide y
Written Two Days Before the Lct.


Written Two Days Before the Lct
In the Court OF General Sessions on Friday last
q man named Jesus L0esser MenielssOhn was
convicted OF false pretences and sentenced to FIVE
years In the State Prison by Judge sutherland.
The prisoner was a small man with saow COM
plexion and black hair. On the witness stand ne
claimed that he was q son of Felix Mendelssohn
Barthody, the great musical composer. and sought
to prove TO the Court that he was the limo.
cent victim OF sharpers. After his corvic.
ton he seemed very much downcast, and
his counsel, Mr.. william F. KntZng,
tried to cheer him with the assurance that ne
would be able to obtain new trial on the excep-
tOns that had been taken in his case. Men,
delssohn went to the Tombs, and was transferred
from the cell he had been occupying during the
trial TO condemned cell No. IA, on the first tier OF
the male prison. After supper which he refused
to eat, had been given TO him he asked for some
extra iood, which he was told he could not have
without paying for it, Shortly after this refusal
he asked young Templeton, who shot his wife on
Sixth avenue some time since, to lend him So, but
Templeton would not or could not give 1t TO him.
Shortly after this 1t was time to
PUT OUT THE LIGHTS
and Mendelssohn was locked up. Nothing rore
was thought of the occupant Of No. IA until seven
O'Clock yesterday morning. when Keeper Finn, on
his regular rounds shook the heavy iron door and
called out, "Get upl" He waited to see the caA
ODeyed, but as the sleeper on the bed gave no in.
dcation of getting up Finn shook the door again
and called louder, The second call eliciting no re-
sponse he became alarmed, and, unlocking the
door, entered and shook Mcndessohn, whose pro-
found sleep was not at all disturbed by the viO-
lence OF the shaking. The body was warm and
respiration had not ceased, so the latelyconvcted
prisoner removed out into the lobby ana
DR.. Hall sent for When the Doctor arrived Men,
dessohn was still alive, but the Doctor said there
was no hope of his recovery, as the OPIUM which
he had taken was already completing its deadly
work At twenty minutes past nine the selistyled
son OF MendessOhn breathed his last, and was put
into deal CONN such as Is used for paupers who
die in the Of the Commissioners of Charities.
The box. which is painted dull brick coored red.
was placed aside to await the coming OF Coroner
Croker, who arrived about two hours later, aud
THE BODY REMOVED TO THE MoRGUE
where it now lies awaiting pauper's grave
several letters-one to lhe Coroner. one 20 Mr.
Quinn, the Warden OF the Tomps, one to the
Stats Zeitung and one TO the HERALD. These
letters were found IN cell No. IA by Warden
Quinn. The one addressed to the Warden was
written a dirty piece OF paper and ran tnus:-
ToxBs, Friday Night Sept II, 1874.
DEAR sm-Innocently convicted through perjury shall
commit suicide these three enclosed letters
rgnt way the different directions, and oblise
''"s AnAA JESUS L. MENDELssOHN BARThOLDY.
ON the same piece OF paper was the following.
written to the Coroner:-
To THE CoR0NER-Thc New York Stats Zeitung will
give you the necessary facts me. shall die con-
tented YOU JESUS nsIef L. MNDELsohS H. % l. BAKTHoLDY
The following, which was not written in Men:
dessohn's hand, was found ou slip OF paper, and
proves that the latter part OF the letter to The
HERALD Is not original.
Every one = his own destiny, and yet no one can say
actions thoughts. and feelings not from himself
a6 BY Of M a 3py n
the beggar who dies in the street could have been rich
ns sos sye ps 3 e he SeV 9
destiny.
from Its date, was written August ., but 1t Is
probable tnat the month meant is september In
any event 1t VIII appear tnat HENDERSON, con tenn.
plated suicide before he was convicted and while
he was IN cell No. o6:-
NEW YORK, August O. 1874
To- the RnDAcrEuR or THE NEW Yonx HERALD, corner
Br.ny BBroadyway and and Ann street -
have The Of Sending @ ts this yea
Ia your honorable paper and 10 give you
am the only son Of the well-known and celebrated
eSmos FsI Mendes;Ohn ssrhHdy from Berlin
tour ton" sesG s s aaa % ss ys.ls az: e:
left my family and nave married @ an an actress without
fn ws whas snd
Yapansse ansuase China or Japan in this position
q vn, ny ms qsnd % me
grammes aaoetis Of morphine over, to this country
f Euross t. n SaSs s ssrpe:s
rascas or scoundrels aud have received TOR goods
tie 81 s sn gx plot
S pes hs as %
go they know am innocent & 6ut was 5esoiute to sf
the s to be- is
s1s the STATE Prison Business Tepa. Of
married Wnou @ h tar not Of my family and let me
ASer ray my death my family VIII my affair personally %
rfe ns y IN hand e
enough in this country, but not Justice II you want to
which got my dead re19rt ony e my family tue direction
Berlin. Jagersrasse. ss,
thai he can AN himself sape y his own destiny W for his
y higher he acts
WIN The laws ,hsTsoSs
been IA rich man had he Wished it. or The unhappy and
20 fsd ss So ey could ah"RSy RS s hsS
]. diS coaiened and have make report to The New
tried three times TO poison me here ln
With De- best l.
TntS letter, as wen as Cne one 10 the StUUCS-
Zeitun0, which the writer has seen, proves that
German and English are not included In the eleven
living languages which he claims to speak and
write. II Mendessohn is thrty.eight years OF age,
he was born the year before Felix Mendelssohn
BarthOldy was married.
The HERALD reporter, in his search for some one
who knew something about either the suicide or
the family OF the great composer, found several
persons who knew the latter. They all say that
Mendelssohn had but two sons, and neither Of
these was named Julius or Jesus 1t Is
thou hit by many that the suicide ts q quOndam
clerk OF The MendelssOhns, named L0sser who
lett Germany, he himself states, with an act
ress, without consulting either his family or his
creditors.
MELANCHOLY INCIDENT