The Portland daily press., 1886-12-15
ELwooD ). BISHOP.
A Strange Yarn About a Strange
Man.

4
Argus ofice, Monday. and published in yes
tsrday's edition Of that paper:
NEW YORK, Dec. 10.
Ihe Cunard steamship Auranla. which arrived
from Liverpool today brought news that soon AZ
about 20 years DID, was found In a room In Liver.
/ pool He had killed himself BY turning on the
young r as oS e bsek ne ., nsd %rRen me
| me word Sadie" On the body were found
faSs Rsbon sna Letter bearing ths name .Elw9Ga ~
made me passage TO Liverpool In the Aurania on
Office C1nard s. s. Co, New York.
The gentleman referred to Is a young law
yer Of that name who recently left Saecarap-
pa with several unpaid bills behind him, and
who, as reported In the PRESS a Few days
ago, wrote letter to Rev. Mr.. Martin Of
Saccarappa, saying that owing to many DIM
culties che should seek death at his own
hand" The letter as printed above Is, as
one will readily see. nothing but stupid
hoax. 1t would not bepossible for steamer
to 90 TO Liverpool and back In the time since
Bishop was last seen, and the time stated,
fact Of itself sufficient to prove that the Job
was stupidity done. The steamer Aurania
left New York. Saturday, Nov 27th. for
Liverpool That day Bishop was at the
home Of his parents In Winthrop, where he
had gone to spend Thanksgiving, and where
he staid until the following Monday. Nov.
10Th, leaving Winthrop on the morning train
In company with former schoolmate. who
left him at Auburn. 1t is supposed that he
came through to Portland. as a gentleman In
this city is quite positive that he called at his
Office on business. and said he was going to
Boston to superntend the publishing Of q
fpff Of No
Il. l., which he had written. The Russells
were to publish 1t. he said. Butthe fact that
he has left many bills unpaid, and also that
he has written al least three letters
to different persons, announcing his
determination TO committee suicide makes
1t quite probable that he wrote the letter
himself, to convey the impression that he
had made way with himself He was a
peculiar character, and had a varied ex-
perience for man Of his age. His home 10
in Winthrop where he graduated from the
High School and afterwards worked In the
various factories Of the place. He then
went into the canyassins business and made
atrip through the Provinces writing de-
seriptiye letters for whatever paper he could
get TO publish them. In the winter Of 1883
he started for South America in company
with party that was to explore the north
west coast Of that country. The leader Of
the party died however and he came back
visiting Cuba, Hayt, San Domingo. the
Isle-of-Pines and Trinidad where he publish
ed business directory of the Port-of-spain,
so he said, after going as far as the Arinoco
he came TO New Orleans via Venezuela and
the Isthmus. He reported that he lectured
in the Southern States on his way home.
taking his travels for subject He wrote
a book emitted Tropical America" which
was said TO be an elephant on his hands and
the cause Of much Of his financial trouble.
He went into the law Office Of J. T.. Chand-
Ter on his return to Winthrop and moved
with Mr.. Chandler TO Saccarappa. leaving
the latter after several months. He then
set up for himself and engaged In the busi-
ness Of law and literary pursuits. He claim
ed to be 'hail fellow well met" with all the
leading authors and literary people
and would tell oi his correspon-
dence with such writers as Sarah
Orne Jewett and Oliver Wendell Holmes
with much satisfaction. He claimed to be
the editor Of the column In the Literary
World headed liable Talk" Another one
Of his claims was that he was Fellow Of the
Royal Geographical Society Of Great Britain
He was naturally studious and observing
and was much interested In geology. making
1t the subject Of many newspaper articles.
one Of the occupations he claimed TO BE-
engaged in at Saecarappa was the writing Of
history Of Josh Billings which was to be
something new in the way OF biography.
He was correspondent of half a dozen or
more newspapers, writing over the sigma
tlre "Allan Eric" or simply 'Eric." The
Portland Transcript, Advertiser and Globe
and the Lewiston Journal were ON his list
Once or twice he got the people OF Saecarappa
In a very excited frame ot mind by items he
published in the latter papers. He had
schemes without number on hand. lie was
director in the American Railway Gate
Company owning two shares and part
owner in the schooner Isabel Dean. But
his schemes paid but little and he was
obliged to resort to all means TO get a living.
He borrowed Of his father who could m
afford 10 lose the money. and very plausi-
Bile way that he had Of talking managed 10
keep mis- creditors away q long time until
forced 10 leave. Another Of his troubles Is
said to have been caused by young lady
Miss Sadie Hooper Of Hollis Centre 20 whom
Bishop had been attentive She found out
he was not what he had represented himself
to be and therefore discarded him. One
night It Is reported. that he was found In
sensible on her door step. and then threat
ened to kill himself II she did not marry him.
The loss Of his sweetheart together with
his financial troubles. seems TO have plunged
Bishop into the deepest dependency. and 10
is evident that he seriously intended to take
his life II he dared. II Is thought by some
Of his friends that he did not dare to commit
the deed and wrote the letter TO convey the
impression that he had and then he would
start new in some other country. Others
who know him will claim that he would not
have written such letter and certainly not
such a stupid one.
The most charitable view Is taken by some
Of his friends who think his acts are more
like those Of a crazy man than anything else.
He would make statements without any
foundation with almost the certain knOwl-
edge that the falsehood would soon be found
out. The statements that he owned a large
house and was elected a Representative to
the Legislature were made by him with moth
ing to warrant them, and recent claim was
that he had secured the position Of Associa-
ted Press Agent at the Legislature at Au-
gusta The statement was as false as All the