The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-08-02
Hung Himself.

/ On last Friday morning, between and 8
| o'clock, Mr.. James Thompson, of Liberty town
| ship, committed suicide. Word was brought
| to town, but as Coroner Smith was away,
| Squire j. K. McC1ung went to the residence of
| the deceased, and held Coroners investlga-
ton. We accompanied Squire McClung, DIR.
P. F. Jacobs, and Marshal Owens, to the Thomp-
| son residence. When we arrived the old man
was in the position in which his wife left him
when she united the string from the ladder on
which twas tied by him. The manner of his
death was as follows:
The old man was almost totally blind. On
Friday morning about O'Clock, Mrs. Thomp-
son went over to Cove Station, to the store.
Shortly afterward her daughter Lizzie went
down the road after black berries, leaving the
old man sitting on the f ont porch of his resi-
dence--a small log building with porches in
front and rear. After her departure he groped
his way around to the kitchen, entered the
kitchen, and secured piece of hemp cord from
a number which were kept in the kitchen.
With this he went down to the stable, some
fifty yards distant. Here was an old ladder
leaning up against the outside of the building
affording access 10 the NOW. He made slip
moose in one end of the cord (there was already
a moose on the other end) and slipping this
moose over his head, he tied the other end of
the cord to a rung of the ladder, about six feet
FROM the ground. The old man was perhaps
some five feet ten eleven inches in hight,
and in order to accomplish his object, he was
compelled to throw himself to almost sitting
posture under the ladder thus strangling him.
self. He was in this position when Lizzie,
returning from blackberrying, attempted to
climb the fence near the stable. The sight sent
that lady away, in great haste. to notify her
mother of the horrible occurrence. We will
give the main points in the testimony of Mrs.
Thompson, as covering all the particulars in
the case:
lam SO years OF age. Am native of Wash
ington county, Pa Was married to James
Thompson in 1880. We have lived in our pres
ent location about II years. Our daughter,
Lizzie, Is the only person living with 1 last
saw my husband alive about o'clock this
morning. My daughter had gone after berries,
and was TO come back and stay with my hus-
band until returned from the store, where
started about o'clock. Went away leaving
him sitting on the porch. 1 returned about o
o'clock, shortly after, my daughter met me
and told me what had happened. She said
"father is dead" Icame down and viewed the
body. He was sitting almost on the ground,
with his head thrown back. A rope was fas-
tened to his neck and to rung of the ladder.
unfaxtened the rope from the ladder. The body
sank down perhaps or inches when the rope
was loosened. I think 1 took the rope off his
neck. His age is near 72. He had been almost
totally blind for about two years, and many
times expressed himself as believing he would
be as well Off dead, as he could do nothing We
all lived peaceably together. He had no ene-
mics in the neig hborhood. Was not embar-
raised by Indebtedness. Sometimes appeared
to be in his dotage. He ate breakfast this morn
ing, as usual. We had to place his food, pre-
pared on a plate before him. He only knew us
by our voices. recognize the rope as one kept
In our house. Do not know how he got hold
of 1t.
There were other witnesses, Joseph Arm
strong, Frank Viking. Mr.. Gordon, Miss Lizzie
Thompson, and perhaps others. There were
also several old neighbors present, including
Mr.. Buchanan and Joseph Aten, but the testi-
mony of all point ed to dependency as the mo-
tive of the old mans rash act. He felt that he
had become a burden; he could no longer work,
and after an active, industrious life, could not
endure sitting in idleness while there was
work to be done.