The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-03-25
A TRAGEDY.
! La UNWITTINGLI HANGS HIM
SELF
A Ter Die Bereavement 10 Well known
Citizen of Sassa!ras Neck.

Citizen of Sassa!ras Neck.
The family of Mr.. Harry H HesSey,
! trict, were, on Tuesday last, he subjects q
! an unusual atlliciion in the startling death
/ By hanging, OF their oldest son Willie,
/ child hut twelve wears of age. Mr.. HeSSe,
( had driven to Elkton in the morning, cour
! being in session, aud on returning in TN
evening WAS met N Mr.. B"n>nn's store witt
| the painful intelligence OF his sons deaf h
| 'Iurrying home, he found his worst fear
realized, and his wife Sorrow-Stricken, hy
! the unusual attliciion that had bet,,llel
them.
| Willie was the eldest of four children
About a year ago he was extremely i'll witt
the typhoid fever, his life having been de
SPARED of a: the time. Traces of the effect.
! of this disease had been frequently noticed
III the child; nothing, however, Indicating
any very decided affection of his mind, bu,
an occasional tendency to abstraction aud
4 desire to be alone. with at times an indis.
position to associate with his playmateS
His parents, however, can recall nothing
indicating any positive mental deranse.
menr, and the tragic result of Tuesday
even with the most sLacularively inclined,
can only be treated az an accident, novel
though it be, and local sensation
With his younger brother, the child hat
been at play during the day in the orchard
near the house. During the afternoon, Vii
lie, it seems. had quietly Slipped OF, his
brother not noticing in what direction he
had gone. Nothing was known of his where
lhoats until about i O'Clock, when :, colore,i
boy in the employ of Mr.. Hessey, in pass
ing near the barn-yard on his way 70 tine
field TO drive up the stock for the night,
saw Willie standing, As he supposed, ii the
gate of the sheep pen. He called TO him
AS he passed, bat, as the sequel showed, no
earthly voice could then reach the ear OF
the unfortunate boy. CA his return with
the cattle, the coloresl lad called 4 second
time TO the lad and still receiving no reply,
approached him, only 10 he Mortified by the
discovery, that instead of StandiaS upright.
emily To him, and in reality, dead. Hurry
ing to the hauSe, he called Mrs HesSey,
who, with rare nerve, took in the situation
at 4 glance, and hoping that the vital spark
had not forever forSaken the body OF her
child, ,lireVe,l the negro to hurry for :: ply
siciaE, tore down the front rail on which
rested the matched roof of the pen, to which
the fatal cord was tied, and heruicalIy bear
ing her child in her arms, carried him into
the house, only 10 be repaid by the terrible
reach even of Il mothers love. 1t was Il
trying ordeal for any woman to face. Blu,
the warm devotion of u mother thrice armed
her for her burden.
Drs. Wills and Crawford both arrived
soon AFTER but too late 10 delay Il moment
the light Of the tleeting breath of the poor
boy.
The story of the painful tragedy can he
briefly told. He had been stransled by II
simple strand of rope yarn, such As farm
er's use Cor tying fudtrr II. had been s.v-
eral times reproved mildly by his mother
for attempting to frieh1en his brother and
playnlates by pretending 10 hang himself, a
boyish prank frequently attempted 10y lads
of his age.
The reasonable theory of his death is, that
he had slipped away from his brother, in
tending to surprise him as he passed. but
the yarn had proved stronger than he i'm
aginei and becoming partially strangled,
had lost his presence of mind, and what he
had intended as q hoyish hut dangerous
comedy, proved indeed fatal tragedy An
examination OF the spot from which his
mother took his body, and which must
prove hereafter one of painful association
to this family, shows a gate of five bars.
about ten feet wide, which opens into the
sheep pen. Willie had, apparently, first
adjusted the strand Of rope yarn, which is
about three feet along, about his neck, max
ing Il loop in it, and climbing up the bars of
the gate as he would mount ladder, had
tied the other end of the yarn to the front
rail composing the roof of the pen, which
ran parallel with the gate when closed, and
on which rested the fodder that constituted
the thatch OF the roof. He had but i Shor,
step down, after attaching the yarn to the
rail: for the space between it and the top
most bar of the gate is only about twelve
or fifteen inches, and when his body was
extended, his feet just touched the ground
his chin resting upon the up.ermost bar,
and his left arm being thrust between that
and the second bar of the gate. 1t will be
readily seen that any one passing q little
distance of would have supposed, as did
the negro boy, that he was standing, instead
of being suspended, as was the fact His
body showed no bruises or marks, except
the dark cash which the sharp and slender
cord had cut in his neck, under his chin.
the fatal knot being Immediately upon the
back of the neck.
The body of the unfortunate lad WAS in
TERED i'll the cemetery of st. Stephens
Church, on Thursday, Il large assemblage
Of the sympathizing friends of the f,lniy
being present. The unusual and painful cir
rnnstances of the child's death appeals very
strongly to the sympathy Of all, particu-
larry parents, and the manner of it espe-
ciaiy, ami the lesson it teaches, we hope,
will not be lost upon other boys of his age
in that as well as in other neighborhood>.