Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-01-01
AN APPALLING SUICIDE.

AN INSANE CLERGYMAN CUTS HIS
THROAT ON THE SABBATH.-TH FACT
ANNOUNCED TO His WAITING Con-
GREGATION.-A HORROR STRICKEN
MISUNDERSTANDING HALLUCINA-
TON.
&c. &c. &C.
The congregation sitting in the Western
Presbyterian Church at Washington Sun
day morning, which had become impatient
by the hardness of the pastor, were horrifi-
ed by the announcement that he had been
found in his chamber dead, with his throat
cut. The minister was the Rev. ]. N.
Coombs, a native Of Virginia, about 65
years of age, and of fine personal appear
ance. In 1850 he was received into the
Baltimore M. E. Conference, and for II
years labored as a popular preacher, but
his wife, whom he married in Leesburg,
va. 33 years ago becoming insane he was
forced to give up his itlneracy, and he &C.
copied call to the Western Presbyterian
Church, with the members Of which he had
become very popular while preaching in
Methodist Church near. A letter from
Washington in the Baltimore ''Sun" gives
the following account Of the heart-rending
occurrence:
The church over which he presided is
one of the most flourishing in the western
portion Of the city. He was expected to
preach as usual this morning, but as he
had not arrived at some minutes past the
usual time, some of the members of the
IN
near Nineteenth, street, and learned that
he was in his chamber. Upon going to
the door it was found to be locked, and as
no sign was given after repeated knock
ings, it was broken open and the minister
was found upon the bed in his own blood,
dead A razor near at hand showed the
Instrument with which the fatal deed was
done.
The news of the tragedy was announced
to his congregation by Chief Justice Drake,
of the Court of Claims, they having re-
manned waiting expecting the arrival of
the pastor. Great sorrow was expressed,
and the shock was intensely felt by all.
THE INSANE CAUSE OF THE ACT.
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 a resident of the insane asylum on the
other side of the Eastern Branch, where
she has been for twenty years. BrOUding
upon his troubles and her sad condition is
supposed to have affected the reason of de-
ceased, and it is said too that a statement
in the Sunday Herald, of this city, tended
to lead to his sad death. This publication
states that a minister of one of the lead
ing churches of the city had ben detected
in stealing first one book and then another
from one of the bookstores, that the book
seller had taxed him with the theft and
that he had confessed. expressed great PEN
itence, and begged that he should not be-
exposed, and for that reason his name had
been Withheld from the public.
THE FATAL PARAGRAPH
The following is the paragraph in the
paragraph liz the Sunday Herald referred
to above. 1t is headed GA Clerical KEEP
tomahiac-A Washington Clergyman
Caught Stealing Books from an Avenue
StatlOner:'
''Eor many months past the store of one
Of our prominent booksellers and station
ers on Pennsylvania avenue has been visi-
ted by Il man well on i'll years and neatly
dressed, after the fashion of a minister
Of the Gospel. He would, on all his visits,
walk around the store examining books,
sometimes lingering for an hour OF S.,
reading passages of this or that book, but
| never making a purchase. Lately our
bookseller friend has been missing many
of his books, and all attempts to find how
they were taken failed until yesterday
when the clerical-looling gentleman was
discovered to be the kleptomaniac. He WAS
standing i'll his store aS was his wont, qui-
| city reading Il book he had taken from the
shelves. when a customer entered upon
whom the proprietor turned to wait The
instant his back was turned the Gospel
| gentleman left the store. 1t suddenly Oc-
CURED to the proprietor that this man in
varlably did the same thing Oh all his WIS.,
its, and he might be the person who was
obbing him Of his property. So he went
to the bookshelf and to his surprise he
found the book the reverend had been
reading was gone. He Immediately fol-
lowed him up the street, aud coming up
with him asked what he did with that book
he h d been reading i'll the store. The rev.
erend gentleman IS turned pale, and with
an exclamation of s'For Gods sake don't
expose me publicly brought fortl, the
stolen book from under his coat. The
book merchant asked him his name, and
he gave it as the Rev. -, pastor of -
church, in this CITY. Thinking probably
this was a thief's blind, he insisted Oh him
having him identified, which he did
through d merchant from the neighbour
hoo d. The book merchant said it was d,
thing most painful to him to fird a man
who is Il minister of the Gospel commit
ting a t: eft, and he would neither prosec-
ute him OF give his name to the newspa-
pels: but he hoped it would be a lesson to
him to reform at once. This indeed was
a most gracious act, and IA Herald report
er, i'll an interview with the book merch-
ant, asked him how he came to be so le-
nent. He remarked that although not a
church member himself, nothing made him
SO sick at heart as these church scandals,
and he thought in the present case the cul-
prit could be punished as he ought to be
without injuring his poor family and the
| church with which he was connected by
exposure in the newspapers or the Police
Court. ''Then, too" said the book mer-
| chant, The was such Il fine looking man,
and he begged SO piteously that | could mt
find it in my heart to expose him.
Robert Beall, a book dealer under the
| National Hotel, is the dealer referred to in
the Sunday Herald.
THE ANRRATIyE OF HIS HOSTESS.
Mrs. Cathcart, who resides at No. 722
| Nineteenth street, and where for il long
| time Mr.. COombS boarded, states that he
SoSe 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 pro-
per observance of the holidays. Then,
shortly before nine O'Clock he retired TO his
room, and during this time he might have
read the article in the Sunday paper refer
Ted to, but of this no one in the house
speaks positively. The paper was found
! on the table with his sermon. Shortly be-
| fore the first bell rang for service, about
10.45, she noticed that he did not come
| down as usual, but paid no particular at
| tention to the delay, but when the second
bell rang, Which Immediately precedes the
service, she went up to bis room to inform
him of the fact, thinking possibly that he
| found the door locked, which, too, was
something unusual Then Summnninp