The Newtown bee., 1879-07-16
An Attempt at Suicide.

Early Monday morning a young man named Edward Shepard residing with his grandmother, Mrs. Orrin Shepard, at tempted to take his life by cutting his throat with razor The discovery was made by his aunt Mrs. Jane Dresser, who, when she got up, saw blood upon the door sill of the room which she had been using as bedroom; but Sunday night she slept in a room next to that of her mother, for the reason that her own bed had gotten wet by the rain beating on it from an open window. Mrs. Dresser called her mother, and both went to Ed. $ room and on looking in saw him standing with his throat cut, holding the razor in his hand. Mrs. D. then ran and called MT. Sheran who, although very feeble from sickness of three weeks duration, went up stairs. Mrs. Dresser seeing MT. Wm H. Hoy passing, called him also, and he went into the room and took away the zor from the wounded man. MT. Hoy went immediately for d doctor. Dr. F. N. Bennett came, and then telegraph ed to Danbury for his brother, Dr. Ezra Bennett, who came and assisted his brother in making the man comfortable. The wound is about three inches long, sev- cring the ,windpipe almost in two. The wound was sewed up, and the patient has been carefully watched and nursed since. The condition of the young man is very c b fath If Edw'd, was telegraphed for, who came &C., companied by his son, Newton Shepard, from Birmingham. The cause of this at tempt upon his life by Edward Shepard is said to he nervous prostration; for year his aunt noticed that he acted strangely, and consulted a clairvoyant physician, who stated that the brain was diseased in several portions, and that the liver and kidneys, as well as sthe stomach, were highly inhamed. Ed. has, since April, been getting worse and his movements 1 closely watched, and as he threatened to cut his throat his grandmother got his razor and gave it to Mrs. Sheran who kept it for several weeks; as Ed. got somewhat better and desired to shave himself his razor was given to him again, and he used it shaving himself fre- quently. Last Saturday Ed. left home and wandered down to SaRdy Hook, and when he returned he was greatly ex- hausted and went to bed. Mrs. Dresser went to him, washed his face and tried to make him comfortable, and while in the room she saw his razor case on the
 bureau, and commenced to look for the razor, but could not find it either in the room or in Ed. s clothing. She then ask ed him what he had done with the razor, and he said that he had lost it, and as he had taken out things and lost them be- fore, Mrs. Dresser believed that the
 razor had been lost as he said, and re- mained with him as late as nine o'clock and when she left him he was more quiet. 1 No one knows the exact hour in which the deed was done, but it is supposed to have been between f and o'clock in the morning. Edward Shepard is about A years of age. He is known to be an honest, hard working young man, of jovial temperament, and would, like many other young men, take little too much beer; but he was not as reported in the Daily Furmer of Monday as dissipated as the item would imply. Those who have employed him know that during working hours he attended to his duties, and his drinking was done in the evening and only at such times when he had no work
 Strong hopes are entertained of young Shepard's recovery, but there is no hope of his mind ever being sound.