The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-06-20

Groesbeck, Raiston, Vanderbilt. Resten
and Latin.

suffice to make life happy, or even tolersble,
was never more conspicuously shown than
in the recent suicide of the Cleveland MIL
lionaire, Amasa Stone. His act of self-de-
structlon Is by no means the only one of its
kind recorded in modern American annals,
though it should be said that very rarely has
a rich man committed felo de Sc upon whom
there had not been exerted the severe CON-
pulsion of complete ruin or supreme dis
grace. Notes upon some of the most note
worthy modern cases of suicide by wealthy
persons NAV not be without their interest
fer the readers of the World.
eRoEsBECK.
Colonel John Groesbeck was brother of
William S. Groesbeck, the well known Ohio
politician, and upon his fathers death had
inherited 8 large estate. He served with
distinction in the war, married happily, and
with fine health seemed to have sll that a
mans heart could desire. He was a lawyer
by profession, but had turned Spectator and
was supposed to be doing well in Wall
street, when in furry in telegraph stocks
in 1917 his fortune dissppesred-dissppesr-
ed so completely that he found himselfin sb-
solute want.
On the 18th Of April, 1878, Colonel Gross-
beck left the Fifth Avenue Hotel, where he
boarded, telling the head waiter that he was
going West. He visited Wall street, where
he played trindly game of cards with
brokers' clerk, seemingly in excellent spirits;
in the evening he was seen up town; few
days later one of the walters saw him at
Fort Wadsworth, S. L, and noticed that he
seemed 10 be in trouble. Afterward nothing
more was heard or him until the 26th of
May, when his body was found floating in
the North River. A loaded pistol and
bowie knife were in the pockets, but there
was no wound or mark of violence on the
corpse. In one pocket was an empty en-
velope, the writing on which had been al
most washed out by the brine. Nothing
else.
RALsToN.
On the 10th of August, 1875. the great
Bank of California suspended business. For
eighteen months William G. Ralston, long
its cashier, had been its President. On the
following day he went out to a ses-bathing
establishment on the North Beach. A boy
near by cav the fallen fnancier, after DON
ming his bathing suit, sit down upon the
shore, tear up some.pspers and cast the frsg-
mems into the sea, drink off the contents of
vial and plunge into the tumbling surf
After swimming out to a distance of some
200 yards Rslston disappeared behind a YES
sci. Soon after his body, with scarce
spark of life Pickering in it, was seen drift
ing shorewarde, psllid and inert, and though
it was soon brought to land and help was
summoned, aid was to late. In the bathing.
house were found Rslston's statement to the
bank and 8 few dollars in currency.
Ralston was one of the most brilliant and
successful of the Occidental millionaires
Great IS wss his ability, his ambition was
still greater. Quick and bold to plan, as
prompt and daring in execution, he had
made himself power on the Pacific coast
and aspired to make that power absolute in
politics, mining, railroad management, COM
merce- He had at Belmont castle which it
cost millions to build and maintain, and the
bank allowed $1,000 year toward enter
tanning the scores Of guests whom hundreds
Of blooded horses bore daily out from the
city. His pride in the financial institution
with which he was so completely identified
was the strongest sentiment he had ever
known, and when, after q series of unsuccess-
full speculations-like that in Ophir, in which
be lost So, 600, 000-the fact had 20 be made
public that his financial wisdom was bu. fol-
", and he destroyed himself.
REsTELL.
In February, 1878, Ann Lehman, whom
New Workers know better by the name of
ANNE. Restell," was arrested in her fashion,
able mansion on the corner of Fifth Avenue
and Fifty-second street; every stone of
which, it might be said, was cemented with
bleed. Her stout figure, dark square features
thick black hair slightly hecked with gray,
and small, piercing black eyes had been
known TO the residents of the city for gen.
Grafton.
Early on the first of April, as Mrs. Lob.
mans chsmbermaid was descending to the
basement, she knocked st the door of her
mistress's bedroom, and receiving no answer
looked In to find the bed empty; but, SIS its
occupants night-gown was lying on the
floor she concluded Mrs. Lohman was In her
bath, and 60 went down stairs. Returning
after little while she was struck by the
stiffness of the apartment, and glanoing into
TIE bathroom was Mortified to see the IN
clothed body of Nine. Restell in the bath,
which was filled, it seemed, with blood.
With carving knife, which lay by the side
of the bsth-tub, the desperate woman who
had been acting strangely for soma days,
moaning, lamenting that she would be cause
lessly prosecuted, and insisted that her ene-
Hllcc WOlO AOoOANCo pun wi AtsNA
severed the carotid artery. The parting of
the soul had left no trace of agony upon the
features, which were peaceful and composed.
She left an estate of $3.50, 900 to her grand
children, Charles r. Purdy and Mrs. Carrie
Shsnnon.
Two years afterwsrd report, such as was
circulated at the time of DR.. Webster's exc
cution, was set sbout-nsmely, that corpse
had been substituted for the womsns body,
and that she was living abroad in luxurious
safety, but it was disproved.
LAFLIN.
On the Oath of September, 1878, Addison
II. Latin, ex-Congressman and Naval officer
of the port of New York, having obtained
possession of rope, despite the close watch
| kept over him by his family, stole noiseless
ly upstairs to She garnet of his house st
Pittsfeld, Mass, and hanged himself to q
rsfter, where his still warm body was found
by his Mortified wife only few moments
| after his absence had been noticed. He was
in his 54th year, rich and happy in his fam
| lily relations, but he had for year been pos.
sessed of the hallucinstion that he was to be
overtaken by want, and had passed into a
state of brooding melancholy. He had been
appointed to the post OF Naval Officer in
| 1871, when Mr.. Conkling's friends secured
1 their crushing victory over the Fentonites