The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-09-05


.sCant be-
= Yes. II isi-
Ii was indeed DIR. Shumway, the phy~i-
clan Of the village, who had for many
years been loved and respected, and in
whose life nobody would have picked
cut a motive for suicide. lie had rugged
rope 10 the clapper Of the bell IN such
an ingenious way, that. when he leaped
from the ladder with a moose around his
neck. the bell was struck one hard blow.
The body was lowered n soon n pos
sible. but life had entirely gone out Of IL.
The wonder was why he had killed HIM
self. and conjectures were wide and Wild,
until the following document. carefully
written In the Doctors own hand, was
found in his pocket.
DIR. sHUMwAY's EXPLANATION
hope that am not1a murderer.
fear that | am. Between the hope and
the fear there is nothing but miserable
anxiety for me on earth, and | have
made up my mind 10 90 where such
questions are authoritativcly judged.
have considered my ease from every
standpoint. My guilt sometimes seems
clear. and sometimes | am convinced
tIlNN IfIA tlli0ttlil VI Nlhf niNlA-s iHtt*@tt
kill myself in way that will leave no
possibility Of hiding my suicide, as INV
ing friends might do If they could; and
for the qualification Of their proper curl
osity, a. well As to provide thinkers with
subject for nice reasoning, write this
honest account.
am 81 years old, and for half my
life have heen the only physician in
Dunnville. MY professional labor has
been arduous, and not very rcmunera-
tive. am BIZ nature kindly and gen
erou~ have given my services freely
10 the poor, and have been lax credi-
tor 10 those who were able 10 pay.
Three years ago my entire savings were
represented by the small house in which
my mother and lived and few hum
drcd dollars in savings bank. ! be-
gan to realize that | would soon he an
old man. and that ought to accumulate
property against the time when | could
not work tried 10 be more exacting
in money matters. but soon found that
had commenced TOO late. ! refused 20
20 out at night in the rain at the call Of
pauper: but the messenger stared at
me in blank Amusement. and / went. !
asked wealthy man to pay me what he
owed me; but he whined about bad
business. and | said no more. Nobody
knows better than physician how sud-
denly man max be incapacitcd for la
Dor. and the more | thought about the
helpless plight in which would be left
by such a misfortune the more ! dread
ed IL. This feeling was not AL selfish,
I for there was my aged mother. wholly
dependent upon me.
One day received this letter:
NEW YORK. April ?. 1870
DEAR BRoTHER-I write "a You on behalf
~ our cousin. Alice Shrmway. tShe l.
now Mrs. vaytc, a. you doubtless know. }
Alice i in poor health. and her husband j.
out West on business. Her physician has
advised her 10 spend the summer In some
quiet counfry-placc. where she can have
good medical care. thought Of YOU AZ
once. and now beg you to take her into your
house for few months. Please answer inn
mcdiaiey.
Yours truly. HENRY sHrMwAy-
/ remembered Alice very well, partly
because her fathers will connected me
with her IN an odd manner. lie died
when she was mere child. and be-
aueathed to Alice $4,000, under condi-
tons. He had already chosen a htis-
band for her in james Wayte, the son d
an old crony. and he intended. through
his will. to enforce that choice. Ac.
coriing to the provisions of the will,
Alice was to have the income Of thc
5000 until she was II years old. and
II on her 2lsi birthday she was not the
wife If James Wayte. the money was al
To 20 % me. II she died before her 2lsl
birthday. the money was to be divided
among the surviving heirs; but If Shs
lived longer without obeying his matri
monial command, she was TO do 50 pen
niiess. the only release for her being tn,
death 81 Wayte. or his refusal to wet
her. The obdurate man talked over hi
plan with me many times. and had TIN
will carefully drawn BY Skillful lawyers
/. Neither he nor believed ii was possible
that Alice would disobey. Therefor
. my interest in the estate was not suf
! ficicnt TO raise an avaricious hope, no
to agitate me when heard II her mar
. rage to James Wayte.
l NV answer 70 my brothe. letter wa
y that Alice could come, AID that III
| would be made comfortable In on
! somewhat lonesome corner Of the world
7 She arrived few days later. She ha'
been, a. recollccted, blooming
. healthy, vivacious girl All that wa
wcfully changed. leaving her wan, del
: cate and detected. We gave her I'll
best room in the house, and were kin
4 to her. have an uncommonly sympa
: thetic nature, Notwithstanding the cor
4 trary opinion that some Of the reader
r of the statement may hold, and the fat
: ing beauty Of the invalid was pitif'
Il sight. Consumption had made niue
e progress in taking her 70 the grave b
70 fore she came under any care, and III
a best that could do was TO give her
ls4al a.......r4l. ~. Glsl,f L1.nI...lt. ana