The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-01-27
CUT HIS THROAT.

Ed. Aston, 8 ranchman living tive
miles from Bozeman, on FRIDAY morn
ing last before breakfast went to the
bed room, and taking knife deliberate
ly cut his throat, the knife entering the
left side and cutting a small cash, from
which he soon died. Aston has been a
citizen of this county for several years
and "a ne originally from Wisconsin.
He was hard working man, but had re-
course to the bowl, which seem to have
the effect of making him respondent.
OF late he has not drank to excess and
at the time he committed the deed was
not under the influence of liquor.
He has several times before threatened
to commit suicide and was once dis
suaded from hanging himself in Boze-
man by Mr.. Latta, who discovered him
in the act of Humping from pile of oats
with a rope around his neck, tied
to the rafters above. A coroner's
jury was at once summoned and in the
afternoon set en- the body, but owing to
the wide difference in the testimony of
of each of the witnesses, they concluded
to continue the hearing at Coroner Did
awick's Office on Saturday at ten O'Clock
Mrs. Aston testified that her husband
was standing by the stove when she
was getting breakfast mending a har-
ness. He exclaimed that the weather
and everything else was against him
and he was tired of living. AS he had
often said this before she paid no atten-
ton to the remark. Soon after he went
into the adjoining room, where, she says,
their son was putting on his boots, and
soon reappeared with his nose bleeding
as she supposed and it was not until
she had gotten him pan Of water that
she discovered that he bad cut his
throat. Aston did not speak, but seem
ed to wish to do 80. He held out his
hand for his wife and son to shake and
then expired. The son, about sixteen
years old, testified that he was in the
room sitting by the stove reading a
paper, and that he did not notice his
father commit the deed. This is inn
probable for the reason that the room
was so small that he could not help wit
Messing everv motion his father made,
and as there was no fire in the stove at
the time the boy was either too badly
scared by the horrible deed to tell the
exact facts or else there is. as many sus-
pect, something connected with the
deed that is not to be made public.
Some weeks ago Aston hired negro to
chop wood for him in the mountains.
This negro testified that at the time the
suicide was committed he was asleep up
stairs.
The neighbors unhesitatingly aver
that the conduct of Mrs. Aston and the
negro suspicious, and if Aston COM
mitted the deed himself it was on ac-
count of the negro. The jury again
failed to agree on Saturday and adjourned
until Monday.
On Saturday the negro was placed IN
custody to answer as a witness in the
case. By the repeated testimony given
by those in the house nothing new was
brought to light no evidence was adj
duced showing that Aston had quarrel
ed with his wife or that an improper
existed between the wife
and hired man, as many stated. The
Jury were not unanimously of the opin-
ion that Aston had cut his own throat,
as the reluctancy of their verdict will
prove.
The coroner's jury adjourned from
Saturday until Monday, when they
brought in the following verdict AN
inquisition held in the city of Bozeman,
in the county of Gallatin, on the 25th
day of January, 1885, A, D., before me
Jacob Didawick, justice of the peace,
acting coroner of said county, upon the
body of Edward Aston, there being
dead, by the. Jurors, whose names are
hereunto subscribed the said jurors up
on their oath do say that said Edward
Aston came to his death on the 22nd
day of January. 1885. by wound in the
left side of the neck, supposed to have
been inflicted by some sharp instrument.
believed to be pocket knife and the
evidence before the jury shows it to
have been done by his own hands"
Geo. Nichols, Foreman,
P. H. Bohart,
DE-. Silliman,
Chas. Vireeling,
M. B. Dutton.
E. A. Barton