The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-07-15
lNsANI1Y7s FREAK.
Burning Himself to Death in q
Brush Heap.
How An Insane Lad Brought to His Dark
ened Mind surcesse of SorrOw-The
Result of BroOding Over Do

Result of BroOding Over Do
nestic Troubles.
boston GIobe.1
Last Wednesday morning DR.. Roberts,
Of Wakefield, who acts as Coroner for Car
roll County, n. H, whenever the services
Of such an official are required, was down
at the pasture bars turning out his cows,
when he saw a man coming toward him
across the fields. As the man approached,
the doctor recognized him Thomas De-
land, a weII-to-do farmer of Brookfeid
. Township. doctor, 1 want you to come
over to our house, said Farmer Deland in
a voice that told the doctor that something
serious had happened.
"What's the matter; is your wife ilI?"
asked the doctor.
Farmer Deland tried to speak, but his
tongue refused it's office and big tears
rolled down his cheeks. A hard, rough
man, not easily moved, they say, but
something had moved him terribly, and
his rugged frame shook with emotion. 1t
was a full minute before he could speak,
and then he said in a broken voice, ''No,
my boy has killed himself"
The Doctors first impulse was to ask
how.
Burned himself to death on brush
heap. 1 want you to come over there as
physician and Coroner"
No more was said, but the doctor got into
the farmers wagon, and together they
drove sadly and silently over to the Brook
field farm. All the neighbors were there
at the house, and men talking in low tones
about the dreadful tragedy, and the
women trying TO comfort the heart
broken mother. The boy had left a let
ter, they told the doctor, and he asked to
see that first. When Mr.. Deland came in
to the house from the barn that morning
he inquired if Horace, his eighteen year
old son, who had remain ed on the farm
when the other boys went away, was up,
and the mother answered NO." and went
to his room to call him. He was not there.
but on the table was letter addressed tc
his brother Arthur. Vague fears came to
the mothers mind, and trcmblmgly she
broke the seal and read:
To ARTHUR:-Suicide has been my theme
for a long time. Life is "a burden, and death
will be - (Here was a blank space oftwo
lines.) refuse to give the reason for this
very well know how badly you all will feel
about this. But must go. You will find me
in the back field. H. w. D.
Coroner Roberts read the letter, and then
he went to the back field, accompanied by
Mr.. Deland, Selectmen Goodhue and
Churchill and dozen of the neighboring
farmers. About a third of anil from the
house, over a ridge, they came to black
ened, charred patch of ground about ff-
teen feet in diameter. Bits of burnt wood
were scattered about the edges, and in the
middle was charred stump Lying near
the stump was a CHASTITY obiect-the shriv-
eled, distorted form that once held the life
of young Horace Deland. The father, fol-
lowing the directions given in the letter,
bad gone out early in the morning to
search for his son and had found the black
ened, empty case of him lying where the
day before had been a brush pile eight
feet high. Nothing had been disturbed
when the doctor reached the spot. A pop
lar tree had been felled upon the brush
pile to hold IL In place, and a bit of the
charred log remained, the tree having been
no green to burn readily. Around this
log was fastened one end of a chain, the
hitch having been made by opening link,
passing it through another, and springing
1t together again with a stake. The other
end of the chain was passed twice around
the left wrist of the object lying there in
the ashes, and made fast with a paddock
So securely was the chain locked that the
doctor could not slip it ov er the shriveied
hand. In the ashes, not far away was
found the paddock key. A bit of strap and
a buckle were under the chin of the corpse
the remains of a strap which evidently
had been drawn tight about the neck.
'Here is a razor" said somebody, pick
ing up blade from the ground near the
body The boy had been determined to
leave nothing to chance in his terrible
work.
The Selectmen a sked the Coroner if he
intended to hold an inquest, and he re-
piled that he could do so only at their re-
quest and upon their representation that
an inquest was necessary. They did not
think it was necessary. The story told
ny the letter and the circumstantial evil
dence was plain.
On Tuesday night Horace Deland babe
his mother 'good ght" and retired to his
room as usual. There he wrote the note to
his brother Arthur, and waited until his
parents were asleep. Then he stole out of
the house quietly, taking off his shoes to
avoid awakening anybody, and going down
to the pond he hauled np his boat and de-
tached the chain and paddock. He had
dwelt morbidly upon the details, and he
carried them out with desperate determine
ton.
The Coroner having examined infinitely
all the traces that were left, arose to his
feet and, standing there in the center of
that charred death circle, he looked into
the faces OF the appalled, men aDOuI nlIn-
and said: ''If there is any one here who
thinks this is not suicide, let him raise
his hand" No hand was raised. All
silently agreed with the decision of the
Coroner, and so the question was settled
without the lily of an official inquest.
Why Horace Deland committed suicide,
what were the influences under which his
mind lost its poise, what things he broOded
over in secret until they became dark
haunting terror, only be surmised
Some time ago Mr.. Deland's eldest son,
Arthur, got married, and Mr.. Deland
offered to give him a deed of hall the
farm if he would settle on the place
and take care of the old couple
for the remainder of their days. Arthur
declined the offer, bnt about four weeks
ago another son, Walter, heard of the
proposition and offered to take it. Whom
the subject was preached Mrs Deland de-
clared that she never would consent tC
Horace's leaving home. Walter replied
that he Ibid not see that 1t was any harder
FOR Horace to leave and seek work else
IL - 9TH.