Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-24
A SAD CASE.
PsrucuIars Of the snfcide or Young
DIR. Biting.

PsrucuIars Of the snicide or Young
DR.. Biting.
The Baltimore american of Sunday
gives the following particulars Of the
suicide of young DR.. Biting:
DR.. L. L. Biting, popular young
physician of West Baltimore, COM
mitted suicide yesterday afternoon at
half.past / o'clock in his bedroom, at
No. ACT west Fayette street, corner OF
Schroeder. lie was o son Of Rev. DR..
@. @. Biting, formerly pastor of the
Franklin-Squsre Baptist church, but at
present secretary to the American Bap-
list Publication Society at Philadel-
phia. DIR. Biting had m Office on the
ground floor Of the building, and had Q
room and boarded in the same house.
He had been residing there for q num-
Der Of years, having boarded with Mrs.
William II. Vansant. The lady moved
To the country several weeks ago, and
DR.. Biting continued with the people
who took charge Of the place. His office
was on the northwest corner OF FAyette
and Schroeder streets, and his bed
room was on the second floor above the
Office. Yesterday morning after break.
fast he spent some time in his office, and
while nothing unusual was noticed in
his demeanor, some who saw him say
that he looked downhearted. He was
dressed, a. usual, very neatly. About
noon be went to the barber's and was
shaved. He soon after returned to the
house and went TO bis bedroom, which
overlooks Schroeder street. There he
removed his coat and vest, and carefully
put them aside. He then got his bull
dog revolver, and arranged himself
neatly and carefully on the bed. Whenhe
had finished he laid his head on the
pillow, and pressed the muzzls Of the
revolver against his right temple and
fired. The bullet, which was large
one, evidently passed completely
through the brain, and lodged on the
opposite side Of the head. Death was
instantaneous. The firing Of the shot
singed the pillow. 1t the course of his
onte.mortem arrangements, and shortly
before firing the fatal shot, he wrote
two short letters, clearly indicating
that the suicide was premeditated. Mrs.
and Miss Wyant, with whom the Doc
tor boarded, heard the report Of the
explosion Of the pistol, and ran to
the room. A minute or two later
officer Vansant, Of the South
western district, and Sergeant Scott, OF
the Northwestern district, were in the
room. Biting lay in comfortable po-
sition, with the pistol in his right hand,
which was partly resting on his breast,
and the left hand hanging over tbs side
of the bed. The window was open,
and the shot was heard oil over the
neighborhood, and everything seemed
to indicate that he had no dssirs to con-
ceal the deed, ~ suicides sometimes
have. Blood flowed from the wound
and from the dead mans nostrils. He
was about as neat . looking suicide as
was ever seen. He wore Q fancy scarf
and high collar, and had on . pair Of
well-fitting Oxford ties.
Captain Lepson, Of the Southwestern
district, soon came to the place, and
DR.. l.. G. Sparrow, the coroner, was
notified. The following jury Of inquest
was empaneled: George Evans, fore
man, II. @. Glenn, w. E. Gillespie,
Charles Williams, George W. Farson,
p. J. WAlshe, Charles &. Cornville, j.
R. Billups, II. b. Church, Ed. L. Cash,
and William Kesne.
A number Of witnesses were ex-
amined, but they could throw no light
upon the motive for the deed. Before
taking his life, DR.. Biting called his
Office boy, Arthur Besfelt, and gave
him q note addressed to j. e. Waltz, 8
drug clerk at the corner Of Saratoga and
Schroeder streets. In the note to Mr..
Waltz he said "No foolishness. Come
down." He gave two letters to a
young lady in the houSs-one addressed
to his father, Rev. DIR. O. O. Biting,
No. $50 Girard avenue, Philadel-
phia, and another to Mrs. William
VansAnt, Severn Station, the lady who
formerly kept the clearinghouse. He
also gave her ten cents for the purchase
of stamps for the letters. As the jury
thought the letters might throw some
light on the motive for tho young ply
sician's deed, they directed that they be
opened and read. In the letter to his
father he wrote:
"God knows that love you all.
You know the rest" In the letter to
Mrs. Vansant he referred to bet made
between Mrs. Vansant and himself, and
states:
81 have done il, and WAS not drunk.
You have lost and I have won the
ESQ.,"
The conclusion arrived at from the
last note was that be had spoken to the
lady of committing suicide, and she
must have said that he would not do
such Q thing unless be were drunk,
whersupon he bet ESQ that he would, and
and in his note reminded her that he
had won the money. The jury rendered
a verdict that DR.. Biting committed
suicide by shooting himself through the
right temple by pistol-shot, the ball
penetrating the brain. Cause IN
knowp."
The two letters were then sealed up
again and mailed to the persons for
whom they were intended. The body
was taken in charge by Dennsy &
Mitchell, undsrtaksrs, and prepared for
burial. Rev. DR.. Biting, who is at
Clayton, N. Y, WAS telsgraphsd to.
Mrs. VansAnt, to whom DR.. Biting
addressed ono OF the notes, WAS in the
city last evening, and when she heard
of the suicide Of her young friend she
called at the house and was told that
be had left . letter for her. At about
s O'Clock in the evening shs called on
n T.