New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-08
4 SEYTON'S SINGULAR DEATH.

SUFFOCATING HIMSELF IN HIS CHURCH.
DOORS WHICH ANNOYED CONGREGATION DURING
SERVICE YEsTERDAY-THE SEXTON FOUND
NAKED AND DEAD IN THE CHURCH LIBRARY.
Service in the Fourteenth Street Presbyterian
Church, at Fourteenth-st. and Second-ave., was
disturbed yesterday morning by the smell of escap-
ing gas, mingled with more intolerable odor. The
Rev. +. II. Marling, the pastor of the church, was
not present, and the officiating clergyman who was
q stranger, was much annoyed. Several members
of the congregation found the stencil so intoerable
that they were obliged to leave the building. The
sexton of the church, j. b. Osborne, was absent
from his post. The doors and windows of the build
ing had been opened later than usual in the morning
by the organst and his assistant. They had entered
the church through the lecture-room in the rear.
Mr.. Markings son having admitted them by means
OF key to the lecture room door. They noticed
the stencil IN the building, but they had scarcely
time to open the church doors before some worship
pers arrived, and they made no investigation until
after the service. 1t was learned that the sexton
had not been at his boardnG-place at No 314 East
Iwelfth-st since Wednesday evening, when there
was service in the church lecture-room. DR..
Demarest, the organist, remembered parting with
Osborne that evening at the door of the lecture
room.
The offensive odors evidently came from
lecture-room. where the books belonging
the Sunday-school library were kept. The door and
windows OF the room were fastened from the inside.
Mr.. Cutter, the church treasurer, had n policeman
summoned and the door of the library was broken
the room was found the dead body of the sexton 1t
was partly decomposed and much distended on ac-
count OF the heat 1t was nearly naked. The room
was filled with gas, which escaped from the con-
nection pipe of small gas-stOve. The stove had
stood upright on the floor, but when Osbomes body
was discovered it was tipped on its side and
the tube, by which it had been attached to the
gaS-plpc, was broken.
The police think that Osborne committed suicide
by suiiocatlng himself, the door and windows of
the room in which he had locked himself had been
secured tightly to prevent any ventilation On
the other hand, some of the members of the church
think that Osborne while under the influence Of
liquor, went into the library Wednesday night to
sleep there, and that while undressing himself he
accidentally Knocked over the gas-stove,
breaking the connecton-ripe and thus al,
lowing the gas 10 escape in the
room. They stated that he had been
in the habit of drinking freely at times. Recently
his wife separated from him account OF his hab-
Its OF dissipation She went TO Dobbs Ferry 10 live
with her relatives taking with her a daughter, the
only child. After herdcparture from the city, 0s-
borne became more addicted 10 drunkenness than
ever before He had been sexton of the church for
about four years. He formerly plumber and
gasittcr. Although protesting to be an undertaken,
since his connection with the church Osborne gave
all his business of that kind to Bowery under
t2ker. Coroner Knox yesterday gave 10 members OF
the church permit for the removal OF the sections
body to the morgue.