The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-09-14

The Distressing Circumstances rJndsr vyh,.h
she Deed was Perpetrated-A Brothers Her.
tspeclal Dispatch % lhe eIohe.nsnoo,,,,

--
tspeclal dispatch 10 The Globe. Democrat
ATLANTA, Ca, September 1O.-ThIs com.
m0nity was shocked nj the news Of The
suicide OF Richard S. Jefreys, which GO.
CURED at White Sulphur Springs. Ala.
Yesterday morning, and to-day the startling
event II the theme OF conversation in ail
c'rc,es. The deed was committed AZ the
residence OF John W. Jcircys, brother OF
deceased, who lives about thirty miles be.
low Cnattanoogs, at the Sulphur Springs, In
DehalD county, Ala. He reached here with
me remains az 4 O'Clock this morning. The
uetai,s OF tne suicide are peculiarly sad and
horrible. Fol about six months Richard
Jeffreys has been the victim OF a nervous
s~ffection which entaIled
THE DsgPEsr MENTAL DEspoNpsNcY.
and his condition was such that his nbvs,.
clans advised him 10 give ND bis profession.
The law, for at least two years. He closed
his office. and FOR many months has been
visiting various watering. places in the hone
Of finding relief. Eight weeks ago he went
to the hone OF bis brother, with whom he
remained up to the time Of his tragic end.
lie has steadily improved, and on last
Thursday seemed particularly bright, talk.
Ing pleasantly with his brother t~hrouehou,
The day. After tea the brothers took a walk
to the spring, about three hundred wards
from the house, and when they returned
h'chard expressed a desire 10 shave himself
before retiring. The water was arranged
for him IN his brothers. room, and when he
nad finished he bade his brother. good night
aud, with bis razor in bis hand, started
across the hall TO his own chamber some.
how his brother had a premonition OF evil.
| and aofH g DfcE haAnfI 49,, 49, -
your razor with ne; III take care OF IL for
you" He replied, "Broiher John, You
seem 30 treat me
GAS IF ! WERE A CHILD.
The razor is mine, and ! know how to take
care OF IT," John then said Better leave
II here. You say it's hard to get an edge
on IL anyway, and when you want TO shave
III lend you mine, which is sharp" But
Richard went of TO bed, carrying the razor
with him. About 3 O'Clock In the morning
John Jeffreys was awakened by his little
daughter, who said "Pa, pa, Uncle Dick
Is in the yard" Fearing the worst he
sprang up, and while hastily dressing heard
footsteps IN the paSsaeeway leading TO Rich
ards room Gazing into the hall he saw a
stream OF blood flowing from Richards
door, which had Just been closed. He bad
not the heart 10 enter, but ran TO Professor
Callen's, a short distance, and soon returned
10 the room, aud found Richard Jeffreys
with bis throat cut lying in a pool Of blood
on the floor. He had wandered Out behind
the smOke-hOuse and deliberately severed
the windpipe in three distinct places, one
cut extending back'to the neck-bone. He
bad stuffed a towel into the frightiul gasbes,
buttOned his coat closely over the towel,
and walked back into the house. From
ALARGE POOL or BLOOD
on the hearth and bloody finger-marks On
the manteI, ii is supposed that the suicide
placed bis bands upon the mantel, where
be bled TO death, falling back upon the
floor. On the table was found a lengthy
letter, which had been handled by bloody
fingers. 1t WAS purely a business letter,
containing no aIlusion whatever 10 the dead
mans wife and little boy. 1t simply bad
reference 10 the disposition OF bis property,
and concluded with a request that his body
be buried In his brother Johns yard. His
wife, however, who has not been with him
since be left the city, telegraphed for the
body TO be brought TO Atlanta. AT a meet.
ing OF the members OF the bar this morning
appropriate resolutions were passed and
eulogies pronounced. Richard S. Jeffreys
was born in Charlottesville, Va. He grad
uated with distinguished honor at the Uni
versIty Of Virginia, where he studied law,
and came TO Atlanta about eight years ago
TO practice. He was a youBg man OF excep-
tional talent and tireless energy, and gave
promise Of becoming tue greatest criminal
lawyer in Georgia. He has been en-
ployed in
EVERY GREAT MURDER CASH
ltried here STAGE he became known, and his
success has been marvellous. He saved the
life of JscOb Stafford after be had been
twice convicted. lie saved the life Of Julia
johnson. he objected to the line Of de-
fence in the celebrated case OF Sam. Hill,
who killed Simmons. Hill was convicted,
but JefTreys, s~ingle-handed and alone, saved
him from a penalty worse than death by
having him transferred from the penl-
Tertiary, to which he had been sent for life,
10 the lunatic asylum, where be belonged.
Richard Jeffreys msrried Miss Hattie Gould,
OF Augusta, one of the richest and most ac-
cOmplished bellies in the State. The mar
rage turned put unhappily, and the friends
OF the dead man claim that the condition OF
mind which drove him TO seli.destruction
was caused by marital iniellcity, aud this is
the universal impression here, where for
wears Mr.. Jeffreys has lived in the same
house with his wife and her mother. His
funeral this afternoon was attended by thou