Morning journal and courier., 1883-09-01
Attempted Suicide


 Bullets in His Head and Then Tries to Cut His Throat With a RazOr-His At
 tempt a Faflure-He Will Soon Recover
 MT. John A. Moran came to this city a short time ago from Norwich and made prep arations for going into business. He came originally from Camden, N. J :, where his parents now reside. He was, during the lat ter part of his stay in Norwich, in the em ploy of Wsldon, Clark $ Gallagher, large hating firm. He came here to start in busi ness for himself, his uncle Walter Durkin steward of the steamer City of Worcester, furnishing the cap- itaL All the preparations had been made for grand opening to day. Mir. Weldon accompanied Moran here to help him start and the two occupied adjacent rooms in the Fremont House. Thursday night the two friends played few games of pool, drank some lemonade and retired. Yesterday Mo- ran arose about seven o'clock and in accor- dance with Weldon's suggestion, who did not then get up, ate breakfast and then went down and opened the store to give entrance to painter who had some work to finish. He returned to the hotel about o'clock, asked at the office for the key to his room, and, on being told that it had been left in the door, went up stairs. A few minutes later the report of pistol shot came from his room. The sound was heard by Mrs. l.. F. Kellogg, wife of the proprietor of the house, who immediately called colored porter and sent him up to the room to see what the matter was. Two more shots were fired be- fore the porter reached the door. When he opened it he saw Moran, who was lying on the outside of the bed with his clothes on, pick up pistol that lay by his side, place the muzzle to the center of his forehead and fire fourth shot. Thoroughly frightened lest Moran should turn the pistol upon him, the panic-stricken porter ran out'of the room and down stairs.
 The police had been notified in the mean time and Detective Reilly and Charles Cooley, the bartender, were soon in the room. They found the desperate man at the foot of the bed, staggering about before 8 .valise which he had just opened. MT. Reilly seized him by the arm, when the fact was revealed that Moran had razor in his hand which he had just taken from his valise. Not having succeeded in killing him. self with the pistol, he had taken his razor to finish the deadly work. The two men soon got him well in hand and placed him, at his request, on the floor in the hall. Blood was flowing profusely from the wounds in Moran's forehead, and he groaned as if in great pain. He said nothing with the ex- ception of a few muttered words about 'Henry" and "mother.'
 Chief Webster, Detective Brewer, Coroner BoIlman, Medical Examiner White, Rev. Father Labor, Father Coleman, Dr. F. H. Whittemore, Dr. F. J. Whittemore and sev- ersl others were soon in the room. It was supposed that Moran had been fatally wounded. In the center of his forehead were four blood stained and powder black. ened marks, each indicating bullet wound. TnI-- been fired was found under the bed. It was a twenty-two caliber seven chambered weapon of the Smith $ Wesson make. It contained three cart ridges. The doctors examined the man as he lay on the floor grooming and frothing at the mouth. The bullets had not penetrated the skull, but had hattenedsout against the hard surface. There were no symptoms in- dicative of concussion of the brain or of any injury to that orgain. He was removed to the hospital in the town ambulance about II o'clock. Last evening he was doing nicely. He will recover without doubt, so the hos pital physicians say. e
 There seems to be in this case singular absence of any sufficient motive. Moran had good prospects, had no love affair that his friends know of, was young man of good habits and an 0miable disposition. He might have feared failure in his new enter prise, and as 1t was his uncle's money that he was using that fear may have preyed upon his mind. He evidently had purchased re- gently two reyolvers, one of which was found loaded in his trunk.
 MORAN TALKS-CAUSE OF THE RASH ACT Yesterday afternoon about 5 o'clock sever- al friends of the wounded man arrived in the 1 city, among them his uncle Walter Durkin, his brother Thomas Moran and J. H. Galla- 1 gher, Norwich. They put up at the Fremont l House and in the evening visited the hos. | pital. When told that his uncle was in wait. 1 ing at the hospital Moran wept profusely. He i would, however, talk but little. He told his I Dr. Loomis, that the cause of his 1 attempt at suicide was business trouble He | appeared sorry that he had tried to take his I life and asked the physicians to do all they l could for him. MT. Durkin says that Moran l has never undertaken any very heavy busi- ness and the responsibility of the new store l Was too great weight upon his mind He | feared failure and in moment of frenzy un- lertook to escape from the evils of this nun lane sphere. His injuries are as slight as | could be imagined--with four bullets in his | aead. One of the bullets was shown CoU. | aIER reporter. It was little piece of soft l cad as flat as pancake. Moran will be all | fight in few days. He is described as a fine l Jpecimen of a man physically.