Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-17
SUICIDE.
rHs ASSISTANT posrxAsrHR OF DAN.
WILLIE HANGS HINsxLR.
roupd Suspended in the Basement Of the
Post-ofies Building By the
Janitor.
,,,..--..,o.a.ncs Of the Richmond Dispatch. /

rcor,espoudence of the Richmond Dispatch.
DANvILLE, August l6, 1886.
This city was terribly shocked yes.
,srday afternoon to hear that Captain
s. W. Armistead, assistant postmaster
| had committed suicide. He went to
the Office as usual after dinner, and re-
NAMED there till about A o'clock. One
of the clerks vas at the Office with
him, and said that Captain Armi-
stead wrote for IN hour or more
and then went out, telling him good
bye as be left. A few minutes before
7 the janitor went down into the base.
ment at the post-office building and
lighted the gas. As be turned round
he saw . human form before him, and
thought somebody was trying to
scare him. He asked who 1t was,
but receiving no answer, he ap.
preached the body aud found
that it was suspended by .
cord. lie at once ran out, and
meeting Mr.. Samuel Burton, clerk 10
the office, told him of what he had
seen. Mr.. Burton ran down into the
basement with the janitor, and they
cut the body down as soon as possible,
with the hope that life was not extinct,
but the body was already cold, and the
doctor, who soon came, said Armistead
must have been dead for two or three
hours.
The news rapidly spread, and an i'm
mense crowd soon gathered about the
building. examination showed thai
the suicide was most deliberate. H'
had tied his hands behind him, after
adjusting the rope TO q gas-pipe, and
then jumped from goods box. The
fall could not have been more than Q
| foot or two, and the neck was mol
broken. The cord was about tht
size Of ones little finger, and
was used to tie up newspaper-sack'
in the post. office. In his pockets were
two letters-one to his wife and the
other to Mr.. j. B. Ley, noble grand o.
the Order of Odd-Fellows, Of which de
ceased was o prominent member, ant
| lately noble grand. The letter to hi
| wife covered several pages Of foolscap
and was sad story Of his disappoint
ments in life.
The letter to Mr.. Ley began by say
ing: 81 have reached the Appomatto'
of life." He then went on to say tina
he had suffered long and silently ant
had now reached that point where b
was of no service to himself or to th'
world. lie commended his family II
the Odd-Fellows, and said he did no
want q funeral, though if anybody
wanted to draw . moral from his life a
the grave, he had no objection. Th'
body was taken in charge by the Odd
Fellows and will be buried by tina
order. :,
Captain Armistead was originally
from Hampton, and came here severa
years ago, where he engaged in the
drug-business with Mr.. I. R. Sclater
| but later began the practice of law, ant
was finally appointed assistant post
master under Mr.. McDearmsn. Hi
was q very bright man and
fine elocutionist, but he seems
to have failed in most pursuits Of life
and had frequently said he would no
care a straw for life if it were not for hi
family. He leaves wife and thre,
daughters. The oldest daughter is jus
grown, and the youngest about tel
years old. When he left home yester
dav afternoon he kissed them all good
bye except the little girl, and wa
wounded because she was not present
| ELLA.