The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-06-26

Sad Death of Prominent CitiZen-He
Takes his own Life While Laboring Under
Temporary Alteration of tie Mind
This community was terrible shocked about noon
on Monday to learn that Mr.. Elisha F. Kelley, a
we'll known farmer and highly respected citizen,
residing on the Pot Spring road, about one mile
east of Timonium, had committed suicide. Mr.
Kelley's health had not been good for some
months and it had been noticed by his family that
at times he acted rather strangely. Lattery his
mind became more unsettled, causing his family
much anxiety. He continued to 60 about and
look after his BUSINESS affairs and only about o
week before his death he was in Towsontown and
nothing unusual was noticed in his conduct. On
Monday, about IL o'clock, he was sitting on the
porch of his residence, his wife and oldest son.
Mr.. Talbot Kelley, being with him, the family
having been keeping pretty close watch upon
him for several days, as he had been talking
about ending his life and asking what was the
best way to do it, &c. Young Mr.. Kelley left the
porch to see after some matters on the farm, and
after he had gone Mr.. Kelley said to his wife that
he would 90 up stairs and asked her to accom-
pany him. She told him to go up and lie down
and that she would come to him in few minutes.
In very brief space of time Mrs. Kelley heard
the report of gun and rushing up stairs found
her husband upon the floor with the whole side of
his face and head blown away. The family had
hid from him everything with which he might do
himself bodily harm, even taking the shells from
the breech- loading gun in his sons room, but it
is now believed that he had in some manner got
ten hold of two shells and these he concealed in
some way as to eude the vigilance of his family.
When Mr.. Kelley went into the room he placed
one of these shells in the gun, placed the butt of
the gun against a bureau drawer and the muzzle
to his head and sprung the trigger by means of
something which he found lying in the room.
Justice Miller, of Towsontown, was notified
and proceeded to the house, to hold an inquest
upon the body. He says the room in which the
unfortunate man was lying presented a most re-
voting sight. The upper portion of the head
lay twelve to eighteen inches from the body. The
nose was torn of-left hanging by small strip
of skin-and the eyes blown out of the head, while
the brains and blood were scattered all over the
floor and against the walls of the room. -
When the jury was empannelled Mr.. Talbot
Kelley was examined as a witness. He said he
had noticed his fathers peculiarities for three
four months past, and that they had tried to
watch him closely. He had taken the cartridges
from his fathers breech- loader and hid them, but
his father had evidently found them, put one of
them on the mantelpiece and the other in the gun,
and this was the load that did the fatal work.
DR.. Aquila Ridgely, brother law of Mr..
Kelley's testified that he had noticed the pecu-
iarities of the deceased, but he did not think he
would go to such extremes. He was at Mr.. KEEL
ley's residence Sunday evening, and on leaving,
Mr.. Kelley said {: doctor, you will never see me
again. This is the last time" The Doctor said
he replied, ooh, no; reckon not" He thought,
he said, that Mr.. Kelley was under the impression
that his family wanted to confne him in some in
stitution.
The jury then rendered verdict that the un.
fortunate man came to his death by his own hand
and that he was laboring under temporary alb
berratiOn of mind at the time.
Mr.. Kelley owned two fine farms adjoining
each other, upon one of which he lived. One of
these contained valuable deposits of iron and
the mines were worked by the Ashland Company
when their furnaces were in operation. 1t is
stated that when these mines were operated they
yielded Mr.. Kelley as much as $500 per month,
but they have been idle since the furnace shut
down. A few months ago Mr.. Kelley bought a
farm of about 200 acres in st. Mary's county.
and this property he intended for one of his sons.
Only few weeks ago Mr.. Kelley moved to this
upon which he had expended consider
able money in improvements, but as he was not
satisfied there he returned to his home place in
this county.
The deceased, who was about 46 years of age,
was free handed man, kind neighbor and an
excellent citizen. He was son of the late Joseph
Kelley, of this county. His wife is daughter
of the late Joshua Talbot, of Pot Spring. He
leaves three sons, the oldest of whom married a
uduSuteT VI 6A-SouuIy 1IcdouIoT w di ho.
Mrs. Kelley is an own aunt of Hon. j. Fred. G.
Talbot.
The funeral took place at Ashland Presbyterian
Church on Wednesday morning and was very
largely attended by relatives and friends. The
services were conducted by Rev. S. NJ. Perry,
pastor of the church. The pall-bearers were Hon.
J. Fred. c. Talbot, Joshua f. Cockey, Jr., Adam
D. Talbot, DR.. A. Ridgely, Augustus W. Brad
ford and Mr.. BrOadbent, of Baltimore.
An Interesting Decision in Lien Case.
In the case of Thomas G. Basshor and others
vs.. the Baltimore & Ohio r. R. Company, appeal
from the Circuit Court of Baltimore county, the
Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the
lower court in the following opinion, delivered by
Judge Robinson
ave do not see any grounds on which the me-
chanics lien claimed in this case can be sustain
ed. The Hopes Artificial Stone Company con-
tracted with the defendant corporation to buiId'
its bridges over the "Big and Little Gunpowder."
"The masonry work was to be built of artificial
stone and this artificial stone was to be made of
finely ground stone, sand and cement. For the
purpose of grinding the stone to be used in the
of the artificial stone the Hopes
Company bought certain machinery of the appel
liant, and it bought also appliances to carry the
stone, when made, to the piers of the bridges
where it was to be used. And it is commended
the contractor are materials furnished in the con-
struction of the bridges, within the meaning Of
the Mechanics Lien Law.
"This seems to US to be stretching the lien law
rather beyond anything warranted either by the
letter or the spirit of the law. When the law
says the materialman shall have lien for all ma
terials furnished or used in and about the con-
struction of bridges, it means such materials as
enter into and are used in the construc
lid III oh f,tr rusfh
express or implied terms of the contract, between
the owner and contractor. 1t does not mean the
that may be used for the manufacture
of the materials themselves. You might just as
we'll say that the mill by which the lumber is saw
ed or the tools used by the mechanic in building
a house materials furnished in the construction
of the house, as to say that the machinery used
in the manufacture of the artificial stone is to be
considered as part of the material used in the
of the masonry work of the defen-
dant's bridges. The machinery thus used is the
plant of the contractor, and can in no sense be
said to be materials furnished used in building
the bridges.
"The Mechanics Lein Law is, it is true, to be
literally construed, but courts have no power to
extend it to cases beyond the obvious designs and
plain requirements of the statute"
Messrs. John P. Poe and VIM. Fitzhugh Whar-
ton were counsel for appellants, and Messrs. D.
G.. Mcintosh, John K. Cowen and j. d. Cross for
appellees.
Family Difficulty at Texas.-Mr. Mar
tin Kennedy is well known business man resd-
ing at Texas, Sth district. Some time ago he had
a difficulty with Frank Conway, his stepson, and
had him bound over to keep the peace. On Mon
day last Conway went to Kennedy's house, while
the latter was away, and demanded horse from
the stable but could not get one because the stable
was locked. Shortly afterwards he saw Mr.. Ken
nedy and called to him but he walked away in
order to avoid difficulty. Conway followed,