Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-20
Suicide of Young Ralston.

The Placeryille Republican gives the fol-
lowing full particulars of the suicide of
young Ralston:
Coroner Spencer was called to the North
Side last Saturday to investigate the death
| of Samuel Ralston, which occurred about
twelve miles east of Georgetown on the
evening of the preceding Friday The cir
cumstances attending the death of Ralston
seem to be about as follows: He and a
younger brother. who are the sons of w.
Q. Ralston, the cashier of the California
Bank, whose suicide about twelve years ago
attracted so much attention, have been liy-
ing for some time on piece of land twelve
miles east OF Georgetown, where they and
their mother own some mining property,
and where he was contemplating the build
ing of station or hotel ON the road.
Samuel Ralston is the eldest of the sons,
and was at the time of his death about 35
years of age. He had been visiting his rel
atives at Oakland during the HOLIDAYS.
and returned to Georgetown about
two weeks ago, where he commenced
drinking and went on protracted
spree. From Georgetown he went to
his house twelve miles east of that place.
where he became delirious from the effects
OF the liquor, seeming 10 imagine that he
was pursued and that his life was in dan
ger. Last Friday afternoon he swallowed
the contents of small vial of belladonna,
but couple of men who were with him
discovered what he had done and by giving
him an emeuc, prevented death from the
poison. About five o'clock on Fridav
evening, Ralston, who was lying in bed
seemingly very weak from the effects of
the poison, induced his attendant to retire
into the next room for few moments.
The door had been closed between the two
rooms for only few moments, when the
man heard muffled report from the bed
room, and upon going into it he was
greeted by the smell of powder smoke. In
making an examination they found that
Ralston had shot himself through the heart
with Winchester rifle which had been
left standing in q corner of the room. The
body lay upon the bed and the ball passed
entirely through the young mans chest.
thence through a pillow into the head
board of the bed, from which it was after
wards extracted. 1t was evident that as
soon as he had got rid of the attendant, the
unfortunate man had secured the rifle from
the corner, returned to the bed, propped
himself up with the pillows, pressed the
muzzle of the gun to his chest and fired.
The verdict of the jury was that deceased
had taken his own life in this manner
while laboring under fit-of temporary in
sanity. Some of the daily papers intimate
that a disappointment in love was the
cause of the rash act, but no evidence of this
was brought out at the inquest, and there
seems to be nothing to substantiate the ru-
NOR beyond the mere fact that Ralston
had at different times been accompanied
by young lady living near Georgetown.
A younger brother of the deceased arrived
from Oakland in response to telegram,
and was present at the inquest The body
was sent TO Oakland for interment. From
accounts by the Oakland papers, it appears
that Ralston was financially prosperous,
and no reason can be assigned for the sui.
eide except the nervous prastration and
Gementia arising from his protracted drink
ing