The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-07-01
.KrTCn The DEN EAsED.

r.n,r,,,inners of the Sinking Fund, COM
..,.., suicide in The pasor Of bis residence,
,ir north sixth street. yesterday morn.
.,,,,r f.ii O'Clock. He got up. a. usual,
.'.,. ,uur,>c. slipped OH his pants, and.
.,.,n, M. shoes. went to the front porch. Us
,,,. .l,u.hr. to gel the morning paper. MIS-.
i,,,y.,. and one servant had sriseu--all the
',,,.,...,pnrr. of tue household were abed.
~. IrWju was in the bathroom, when
~, ,a. alarmed by The sound Of tire-arm
inrl. rtror. She immed'ately sent fahnae
I'.,-n..r IN, colorcd servant, to find out
v;a, had occurred.
iIrr,b urou entering the parlor, saw
,,l,oI icWitt seated in chair In & corner
mar, .,,,rh ,7.,C A smalI Smith & Nesson
.,..~,irs..rfl 4. vas between h!s Leg and blood
49,. ,r,,hlp. from his bead and streaming
,usg ni, lace. An alarm VAS g!'eu, and
,n... ,,r, OF the family and neighnors were
en-. ia and Il phy ,!c4u summoned, but TO
, ys.,ras,, "a if" w4- wholly extinct,
NOW IT WAS DONE,
=. s,.r,l ,ha. C"louei Dewitt bad been
,...u, ,., porch STEPS. luG hence gone into
r..g,u.r d. L... rs wrr damp. He hsd
-.. .@ f'!,h - :G,r.
l#E .iN riF ttiAs'' ~ ''N ''NF~ "Nh
-. ,r,ri toe. Whether or rot lie fred II IN
f.asyuN ~ known. Thc :aIzzIe had,
..,...-. 4r.ru ,,t,ra ictw cen his teeth, aud
..l' '~f H-e -. In'a'c of he
III. tn snd cam, out ut the crown "f bis
hal. nlrklrc a hole a. large n silver dol.
lar. III, ball lodged in the ceiling, and
lIau- were freely bc.patcred around II {;
auu .cvrfal small pieces o the skull fell upon
tn, ,Auo aud iIor. The body did not drop
from the chair. but toppled 10 the right,
whore il vas held III position within an az.
ye ;o.m,d by the chair aud liorary-clse.
cuRoSER's INQUEST.
Coroner Taylor held an inquest upon the
BODY yesterday evening, with a. :. Johpson
ryr,maul, Mycr Newman, J. b. Kidd, d. A.
Brown. Jr., q. +. Gerhardt, aud Z. L.
liollch Is jurors. The bo ly having been
viewed the following evidence (maInly in an.
Sa.rio que>tion,l was taken:
ilunah Robinson (coloredl: l am q SER
y,ut in the house. vas in Colonel De.
Wit, room this morning and Mrs. Dewitt
Va. IN In" bathroom, when we beard the
report of gun, and Mrs. Dewitt sent me
10 -" what was the matter. | then went
iItp ihc pariur, and saw deceased sitting dead
I'D . CHAIR in q corner, q gun lying on the
4 ,uf. There was no one else in the room
II. h4d on his night-Shrt and pants. HIS
bedroom adjoined the parlor, and he was in
thr habit Of coming into the passage and par
lur partly dressed 10 read his newspaper.
Nryrr heard that there was anything the
Mailer with his mind. Don't believe he ever
Attempted to Kill hiiuscf before. [rhe rifle
Vas here shown and dcnltied.l The gun
WAS usually kept in the corDcr near where
Colonel Dewitt killed himself. 1t bad been
there long time: can't say whether it was
Usually kept loaded. Alter | informed Mrs.
levitt what Was the matter she told me to
20 .r Mr.. Meade.
Nj. l., f"ntainc Dewitt (son of deceased)
Grpo>rI: | was awakened 10y the screams OF
the family, aud my mother called to me 10
come down into the pa1lor. hurried on a
Il" clothes and came down, and found my
. ta'hrr dead in his chair. laid him on the
h'DI aud felt his pulse, and found that it had
"@.>rd to beat. Did not hear the report OF
"a" NIL. Dun't think the rife is habitually
iond"d. Ny father bought 1t two or three
HrIr- a~V bought it to carry to the country
but never used ii much. Ny father has been
! depressed and melancholy for some months
NOR" a' some times than at others: but was
srr"raliy rather depressed since he had an
HACK Gi sickness (about February, which
tur doctor, said vas from bis liver. Never
made any threat 10 Kill himself that l know
oi: had no reason 10 think he would kil
himself. | know nohing except from his
genera. actions to indicate that he was oul
CT his mind. His trouble took the forn
i""f" Ct melancholy than anything else
H.ow "i no reason 10 induce him 10 commit
s.'riGc.
Nr. L. II. Meade testified: I am neigh
''T. and connected by marriage with de-
'"I-Cd. Got into the room ten or fifteen
l1'nulr> 9itc: the fatal occurrence. The foo,
"n> S'turat. d with blood. Colonel Dewitt,
t.h'd wi,A ne frequently Of late. His
i-'.hrAoly caused him to believe that b.
I'A> II drtt- Ills depression was very great
u" o,iG not tel, ne hiiASell that financial EN-
bAi!a'>mtnt caused the melancholy.
4 ..I'Gru mat from my wife aud Others. Hi:
4 -tio>ru financial embarrassment was alto
T"e' -FounGr9-, Is he could not possibly
go" owed mo:e than three or four hundred
"5..'in, and b. was III comfortable circum
q '''.'y"S. he alSo suffered from seeplcssness
'i"' could not get rest without tasl.ng bro
- OF pota>siuA.
is LETTEe F&CM De. a'CAw.
4 ''-1r The Coroner read the following let.
: ''um the family physician.
kEcta oNp. June 80, 1875.
ne f...H. Taylor, L1yW.er.
ESS"'F-lr,-B i0r previous engagements
|. ~ NO be present at the inquest Of Air.
''t .tts.' give history of hk diseasefor
i'r tTs!He montbS. He has had organic
'''': o. the tIaln Goning on for lony
liz" nlD'ay breaking np its functions and
'4";lrs a!sterla. melancholy, and at last
..A c"'ple~"'hg symptoms a. TO drive him
.:i,' ..s-h .set.
!, ! 10 hos regard it as lunaey primarily.
NJ" 'hc I..a4t OF, probably, 9amo!fisseus snt
IN i'of-c"'hg Of the brainj. ....
l"drs RESPECTFULLY, j. B. NcCAw,
&Ha VERDICT.
<..'rE sDon consultation atnoG2 the la.
'' Iht verdict WAS rendered that deceased
-SIe y his Ceah by shooting himself
~. -,nth nc iiesd OF lhe 5oth day of June,
|! IHg Sh-GAsED. .-..
H. N.''he' DcNIit was born in the State of
~" i'fk 70 1872. He received good
1 ,,y''oH' aud adopted engineering as his
V'},>iou, and never ceased to have fond.
4 nor II. iD early manhood he came to
4 'sA'a "iths letter Of introduction from
"''hof Marcy 10 Colonel CIaudet Crozet,
,"' nD n4u been captain of artillery In the
H. s 81 The First Napoleon, and suisse
Eu"y professor OF mathematics In the
F'ra STATES Military Rcadeny ut Wes.
""'' aug Has at that lime chief engineer Of i