The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-01-04
SUICIDE or A SPIRITUALIST.
Too Mich In Love with the Other
World TO Live In this.
From The Brooklyn Engle

| TIoN inc bTOOkiIn IlSic
For about twenty years past an eccen-
trio old man has been working for q irm
new consisting Of Willctt l.. Washburno
and Robert Drawn, manufacturers of en- i.
blomatic sigma and weather vanes, on tho
third and fourth floors of No. Cortland
street, New York. Ito was employed as
sign painter, and was good workman.
lie said that his name was De la Platte
Wriley, and that no was born in Hart
ford, Connecticut, sixty-nve years ago.
lie acted in n singular manner, and woro
fantastic garments. For years past he has
been almost insane on the subjec. of spir-
itualism; one manifestation Of his state
OF mind being his belief that no wa,
very III, during which periods he swal-
lowed quantities of drugs. His insane
freaks became so ex.rAyagant recently
that he was discharged for neglecting his
| work. This action on the part of his en-
| ployers had often been adopted before,
but he had always been taken back
again.
Wriloy was a medium aud wrote SOW
oral curious books under spiritual iLnu-
cncc, his las. work being revision Of the
Constitution Of The United States, tao
manuscript of which is written upon over
1.-Two hundred scraps OF paper. While a,
his work painting signs, he would fro
quen,ly throw down his tools, siege hi,
pen, aud write fow pages ct his book
under "insprAtion,' Us he believed, aud
BIO always said that when ,his -
worb --..s nnisuvi thos, uyul1 DO nothing
more to 1.-Two for, and he would destroy
himself lie slept on a oot-bed on the
fourth floor Of tho building. in thu work !
shop, and frequently sat UP nearly nil |
night, debating chapters OF this TO his !
private secretary a peddler Of spocta-
clos, named McEwen. Ilo recently sue.
ceeded IN finishing the work mentioned:
ana repeated his assertion Of his deter.
mlnation to commit suicide, but ls he had
MADE three previous attempts 10 end his
NE, all OF which had failed, OWING TO his
lack of courage, little attention was raid
TO what he said.
yesterday morning about o'clock,
Angus Robertson and another workman,
Doth sign painters, employed By wash
ourne " Brown, entered the shop 10 begin
work for the day. To their horror they
ound Wrley lying doad on hi, side.
which was covered with blood that had |
lowed from q deep wound in his. LEFT
reast, inflicted by tho blade Of woapon
hat had gone directly through tho heart.
here was little blood about tho room
uge piles of manuscripts were arranged
order upon table, and no weapon was Il
DO seen. Down, stairs, on the third s
DOR, in the Office Of tho frm, everything 7
vas spattercd with blood. Upon the aoor v
hero was found small ron-kniio, open. s.
nd with tho blade covered with blood. il
evealing the fact that Wriioy had a
rounded himself upon the spot, aud had "
ono up stairs TO die. There wss also D
case Of rGzors on table ana two 81
otties Of poison, bu. the small knife y
'as evidently tho only means of selr.de- q
.ruot'on which he had used. Among the Il
apers found in Wrileys room were mem. %
rands showing that no wished hia BODY "
DO sent fret to one wise sage Of Brook hi
IN, and finally to DR. G.. G.. Atwood. His Ii
eau, however, he ordered to be given 10 ii
lessrs. Fowler * Wells, tho phrenolo. al
SITS. One bundle of papors were nd. Il
'essed to Mrs. Mary vowner, of No. Q -
reat Jones street. magnetic physician. 1t :
as inscribed "Suicide papers death bus !
esq., To Mr.. Townsend, sign painter y
ID Spiri,ualist, Whitley left his "reyi-
On OF the constitution and n singular
'cumen. called his viii To his employer e
left letter explaining business. mat %
re-, and asserting that he committed ruiz ~
10 because he was sick and out of work. -