New-York tribune., 1884-11-14
SUICIDE BY A MINISTER.
TRENTON STARTLED AND MYSTIFIED.
Ex-CnANCELLoR wILLhMsoN's soH FoUSD DEAD
HIS NINTirF pRrPARkTlDNS
HIS MINUTE PREPARATIONS.
,py TELEGRAPH Tn rIIR fRfnrsg1

|
ivory handled pistol with one chamber empty,
showed that the young rector had taken his own
life. Two boys who came upon the body ran back
TO town with the news, and friends Of the lead
| man conveyed his remains 10 yanrleves
moreue, where, during the day hundreds locked
| to view H. A telegram was sent to thu
| father of the suicide, ex-thancellof Benainih
| Williamson, who lives NJ Elizabeth. ~ to n late
| hour tneht none ~ the immediate family ~ the
| dead man had reached Trenton although telegram
| iiuh u brother, Isaac Williamson, ~ ~ W, W.
Coleman said that some one fiom ilisabath woBld
| hp on haNi ia sn0n 90 possiblp
| Meantime during the DAY t0nhlY physician iialaf
had heen at work lnna ~ hni motye fos tho
deed ir Williamson was unmarried aud had
rooms AZ Mis- JAYS, ~ state aud Wiow sts.,
| ani t0ok his meals AZ Mas, Mnrphys
| few doors further up the street, lie had been IN
| he best ut spirits all day on Wednesday, aud was
more than ever ioyal at the dinner table. In thu
| evening Alfred Livingston, friend, called upon
| hm in his room. The two laughed aud iested to-
gether aud discussed the prospect OF Ceve-
| lands election. Mr.. Williamson was an ardenb
| Democrat, and took much interest in the
| political situation Mr. Livingston noticed that
| he had numbers of notes and etteIs lying around
on his writing table, and he destroyed letters.
Pvc been hard at work" he SAID aughingy.
i'm y Mr.. Livingston left Mr. Wianson's room
| at o'clock. The latter did not. when bidding his
| guest goodbye, exhibit any undue nervousness,
| but kept up his jolly remarks. The landlady OF
| the house going by the room door at III o'clock,
saw through the open door the minister sitting at
his table writing letters. The appearance of the
, bed this morning showed that he had not retired.
| He Is thought TO have left his after midnight
| and, after reaching the street turned westward.
| Mr. " illIamson has many rich and prominent re-
atves in the town. He passed in his walk the fine
houses of Chief Justice Mercer Beasley, who is his
uncle and of Mercer Beasey, jr, the prosecutor Of
| the Court of Common Pleas. the handsome
residences of the Greens, the Coemansj and the
Montgomerys, to all of whom he a blood relation.
| After travelling mile, and when opposite the
old, deserted Attlebury mansion, he turned into
lane between the mansions of William Henry
Rawle and General Stephenson. There, at the foot
of a locust tree his body was found by the two
boys not many hours afterward. His spectaces
were broken and blOod-stained and his eyes con-
gested by the force of the bullet. The bail had
entered the frontal bone The eye, and was cut
| out by DR.. Laor behind the head.
| NUMBER or LETTERS LEFT.
| The letters and documents left by Mr.. William
son threw no light upon his motive, except to show
| that his mind was deranged. One lester adj
dressed to Undertaken James C. TAYLOR, and marked
"private" on corner of the envelope ln 1t
Mr. TAYLOR ia required to take charge of the funeral
arrangements. which must Do every PLAIN" He
desired TO be buried IN the extreme southeast
corner of Greenwood Cemetery. His coffin was to
be of the painest kind and the initials. "H.
s. W. and Died November l3, 1ssi," were ito be
| placed on 1t. Any expenses that might be incurred
were TO be paid for out of some salary due from tho
| church. If that was not sufficient the furniture
| ,.l AIR iii p ho nd
what was left over alter paying the burial expenses
| was to pay for putting anew fence around tho
! church. The spot specified as his burial ground in
the southeast corner OF the cemetery is bare
de solate looking sand lot.
A second letter addressed to John Tattersall,
the treasurer % ST. Paul's Church AMI gave minute
instructions concerning the church finances. An
order ON n bank was written for certain money on
the back of the letter There were numerous
other small notes to persons 10 whom he owed
money and orders written the back
of the notes fot the amount due. These will be
singular orders to pnt on ilr IN n bank The one 10
lnucitnker Ia,lur will contain the sentence,
" hose the ast wishes of dying map. ". =.
W" lie also left IN 80 envelope addltssed to Mr.
and Nlis Charles atom Moulllouse heir mafiihss
certificate. They were married 10y MI Williamson
ou sunday
~ AftAHrNt MuiiVH foH int Ach
kohp of The leitets ot documents gave any ieasoh
tonie of conversation "a tho upper
erens OF Trenton todaNi tot tha
,oung minisief was we'll tnown hoina lond of s',-
oety and receptions lilo often went horseback ridz
ing aud il said to have had an enea Iemeat 10
take a young woman ont horssbael, riding lo-mor-
row, Ills family connections embrace wealthy ahh
weli-known people IN every part ot New
Jersey. Ills iather is ihe oldest law
yer at the hew-jerseY bar, and one
of he most prominent in The state, BetYeen the
father ana Henry some difference Is SAID tn have
existed and the young man spoke ot'rn OF MS hav-
ing 10 make an independent" living.
HIS relatives here would not admit
Tonight of any difference existing
in the family to their knowledge They
say that Henry slightly deranged on the
subject of religion. lie educated at Prince
ton College. where he always full of life;
toga, tive years ago, turned his thoughts to
religion. In compliance with desire expressed by
1s he %s%t through s s at Sns
He was ordained two wears ago and settled
in this city where, for fifteen months, he
Cq S. NaSass sns He took charge ar OF
James Episcopal Church last spring. MIR. William
son lweuty-six years old. lie has several SIS
On tue day before hiSdeath, Mr.. Williamson was
asked to conduct the funeral service Of MIS-;
several times that he performed this last profes::
sional duty He was very busy Wednesday, and
paid all of his bills. even Ia his newsman. He
kept deposit in the Mechanics National Bank,
andadded to it on Wednesday. When found in the
lane $l5 in cash was fonnd in has pocket. His
clothing found carefully packed III trunks
at his lodgings. showing great dellberaton.
sINGCLARLY FAtED CLASS.
A singular fatality has attended tho
Princeton College class OF which Mr..
Williamson member. W. r. ston'
tenbugrh died and was buried at sea when
near New-York after a long journey home
ward from Syria. Peter Natz N bach icil from the
mast of q vessel in the Paclhc, and
was killed. j. Stone Peacock was found