Wilmington journal., 1876-07-28
lNitn'ingtun aournaL.


.orday startled by the announcement
that a young gentleman who came q
tic section of North Carolina about
~.or since from England with the pur
nose of making residence on th'
alton plantation, which he had pur
.hased, fifteen miles below the ol.y
IA com. to violent death through th'
;nstrumentality of pistol in his owl
hands. The gentIeman's name wa
Carer r. RoundelI. aged twenty-1o"'
.oars. and from letters which he bor'
gentleman in this city, he wa
,ost bopornbIy connected in his ma
ave country. Although he had been
A. and Oh, in and near the city 1of
Ao mast twelve months. he had formed
,ut a limited acquaintance with ON
,eoule, yet while he was exclusive ana
,.t;rine in all his habits and tastes he
alwavs cou, teous and of gentle~
..Dly bearing towards those with
rbom he was thrown. His retiring
.ornars and exclusive habits added to
tba fact that he was a stranger VINO
had made an important purchase VIII
,ba view of making his residence IL
our midst, attached to him a degree ol
interest on the part of every one VINO
knew him. And it was with pa'h ana
urrow that the community recei'eo
Ae intelligence of his tragic death
,sterday morning. The facts COZ
scted with his death. SO far az can be
Larned, are as follows:
At eight O'Clock yesterday morning,
Mr. Fletcher Manning. clerk at the
Manning House in which MIR. Roun~
dell was a guest, sent servant to Mr..
Roundell's room to take his orders,
~ was the habit to 40. The servant
onpd the door of Mr.. Roundell's room
glich was in the third story Of the
building. partially open, just as the
yentleman usually left 1t on retiring,
ID order to allow the draught through
he room, the windows being entirely
nj one side. On entering the room,
be servant was Mortified to find Mr..
RoundeIl lying cold in death on the
1oor, and weitering in his own blood.
The servant quickly informed Capt.
Manning, the proprietor of the
hotel. of what he had seen. Captain
Manning and several other gentlemen
bnrried to the room and found t'lah
The story of the servant was indeed
hue, and that the body was lying on
ia back beside the bed, entirely bare
Of dcIothing from the waist up. with a
ghsstly wound ir the forehead, evil
dently made by pistol ball, and the
,istol by him on the floor between the
body and the arm Blood had flowed
freely aud was in clotted pools upon
lie floor. TIE gentleman's trunk was
oyen and on his bed were a number of
cartridges to fit the pistol, which was
slarge size six barreled English re-
ester.
During the night, at about eleven
o'clock, Mrs. Manning heard the re-
port of the pistol and the heavy tbnd
Of the body as it fell to the floor, but,
being in emi-consciOus state, be-
tween sleeping and waking, Gall the
rest of the househt Id being, as it ap-
pears, entirely wrapt in slumber) she
thought that the report was from
pistol fired on the street, and feared
that the thud was caused by something
falling in her daughters room which
was adjoining her own. She went into
her daughters room and finding her
sleeping quietly, paid no further at
tention to the noise, aud again sought
her own couch.
Nothing was known of the death un
til it was discovered as above stated
When the discovery was made the
coroner was at once notified. coro-
ner's jury was empanneled, and the
body and the room were viewed and
sll the surroundings particularly y noted.
After this was done the jury retired to
toe court house to hear the testimony
md to make up their verdict. The
sstimony taken, and the verdict of
he jury will be found below.
The sad end to which this gentle
men came, can be accounted for in
one of only two ways; either that he
deliberately took his own life while
under the influence of a temporary
sOerration of mind, or that his death
vas the result of an accidental dis
charge of pistol in his own hands.
Those of his acquaintances in the city
who knew him best. hold firmly to
the opinion that his death resulted in
the latter way. Maj. Byrne, himsalf
IN Englishman, who was with him
more and knew him better than any
me else in Wilmington, repels all
'ther hypotheses. Mr.. Roundell had
poken to him recently and repeated
? of his plans for rebuilding and i'm =
'roving the Orton purchase. The ap-
of the articles in the room,
he placing of his watch under
his pillow, the partial manner
in which the deceased was fouud
dressed. besides many other facts and
Incidents, trifing though they be
taken separately, all go to convince
Maj. Byrne and others of Mr.. Roun-
delrs scquaintances that this sad
death was entirely accidental. Be-
sides other valuables, such as jewelry,
'rlhkets. &C., among which was a mag
nlhcent diamond ring with the inscrip-
aon "l776' upon it. it was found that
ne had the sum of four hundred dollars
10 currency in his pockets.
Recently Mr.. Roundell presented