Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-29
DRAMATIC DEATH.
Remarkable Case OF Suicide by an
AdVentHrer at CaprOn, Illinois.
Tie People Informed Of Ills IH'
tended Lecture on Self
Destruction.
Capron ull) Special to Chicago Times, oath

CaprOn (Ill) Special to Chicago Times. oath ]
A REMARKABLE BARBER.
On the I'd day of last May there
arrived at our village a rather dis
tinguished. looking young man, who
gave his name as George w. Bur-
leigh, and who said he was pros
pecting for a location to open a
tonsorial establishment. After
looking our town over for a day or
two, Burleigh concluded to remain
here, and he accordingly rented a
small room suitable for his purposes
in an upper story of one of our bus
iness buildings, and fitted it up
with some decidedly primitive orig
inal tonsorial appointments and ap-
Ipurtenances. Though well dressed,
and having the appearance Of man
who had known the luXuries Of
wealth and retinemant, Burleigh
seemed to be the possessor Of a de-
cidedly attenuated pocketbook.
During ten weeks acquaintance
with him some of our more inQusi-
tive townsmen have elected the fol-
lowing facts, if facts they
are, OF his history: lie stated that
he was born in Cincinnati in the
year 1849, and that he resided in
divers parts of Ohio until his twen-
ty-first year, At that age he had
acquired.
AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION,
and an extensive fund of general
! knowledge. TO use his own words,
"From his fourteenth to his TWEEN
' ty-frst year medical, metaphysical
: and scientific works were his food,
, and poetry and standard fiction
, were his drink" An acquaintance
t of two months durations has given
y the Times correspondent no reason
0 to doubt the truth of this state.
I ment. In the spring Of 1871 he
, left his native State for the fan
e West, being possessed with an un-
comfortable desire to explore and
u roam over that vast and interesting
t region. For six years he fol
g lowed the bent of his nomadit
inclinations, visiting during thai
:. time California, Oregon, Utah, The
n Black Hills, Nebraska and Kansas
o In the course of these rambling
d his occupations were various. Ill
$, mined, wrote for the newspapers
+ taught school, practiced medicine
y and examined craniums, phreno
le logically, in consideration Of fees
T. He seems to have been one of thos
/ versatile and brilliant but unstabl
'r characters one comes in contact wit
le in this sublunary life. During tn
brief space of the Times CORE
4 spondent's acquaintance with hir
l he has frequently remarked tha
" che was one of those rolling stone
I'd that gather no moss;" that 18th
a. organ of continuity in his Uranium
1t was represented by cavity; consG
quently it was impossible for hir
to to stick to one pursuit long enoug
10 to perfect himself in it and acct
is mplate property by it." BY reaso
s. of the limited extent and popule
" ton of our municipality
a BURLEIGH's REVENUES
Id from his business have not been 0
lg Vanderbiltian scale. And h
a. seems to have been very susceptib
Il, to depressing influences. lie woul
n walk the streets for days togetht
ed with his. head bowed, his hanl
ld clasped behind him, and apparen
" buried in gloomy meditation
IN Any interruption of these dee
self-eommunings he would answ
lily in the crustiest monosyllable
After his gloomy spells passed
there would be q reaction, and
ell would be as unnaturally yivacio
an and effervescent as he had been d
pressed and moroso before. Sin
es, his advent into our somewhat foss
lied village he has caused . fur
ow among our manageable you
mt ladies, and, as he was q man Of u
on common personal beauty gallant
IAN vivacity, wit and intelligence, Il
5ht was but a natural sequence OF
m coming. It's hardly necessary
d say that his SUCCESS among I
r0- pretty girls did not tend 10 co
'an mend him very strongly to
favor Of q eeFtain class of our you
llOsS nieG. They looked upon him as
AN INTERL0PER
Ter, whose rightsof conquest should
YOU be recognized, Burleigh's talk
our for debate has been the means
adj stirring up our fossils OF the me
for cal aud legal profession, and, al
ted our chronic political controv
sialists; and he has frequently
lery perienced the pleasure Of Yanqut
nty, ing these various disputants.
cen untimely self-destruetion last nj
Dlav has given rise to an unusual SCI
With ment of sorrow and regret at
lder sad ending of ono who certainly
Her a gifted young man; but the m
abel ner in which he accomplished
or if taking of is what gives a pccu