Bridgeton pioneer., 1889-05-30
NO. 2I6I
DEATH BY Ills OWN HAND,
SAMUEL ID. LAW SHOOTS HIM.
SELF.
Bullet in His Brain Causes
instant Death--A Very sad
Scene.

"A Bullet in His Brain Causes
instant Death--A Very sad
Scene.
For some time Samuel D. Law, wife
and little girl have been living very
happily in their coy home No. 47O
North Pearl street. As the day
dawned Friday morning, Mr.. and Mrs.
Law awakened, and as usual, between
five and six O'Clock arose, and went
down stairs, she TO arrange breakfast,
anG ne TO make himself ready for an
other day Of work as glassblower at
the Cumberland glassworks. Mr. Law
seated himself by the stove in the sit
ting room, and drew on bis shoes. His
wife addressed him with the remark
Well, Sam, must run out aud get
some bread for breakfast, = aud be with
some kind remark, handed her ten
cents. Hastily the good wife hurried
down 10 store near by, and returned
in very few moments. She was
somewhat surprised to find her hus-
band missing from the room, but she
thought that he had gone to the rear
OF the house, and taking advantage Of
the few moments she expected him
absent, she ran up stairs to see If her
little girl was all right.
Reaching the room occupied by the
little one, the lady thought she smelled
powder. This caused her some un-
easiness, and she glanced about and
noticed that the door leading TO the
third story of the house was closed,
an unusual thing. as it was generally
left slightly Liar for ventilation. She
Immediately opened the door and the
smell OF powder seemed almost sitting.
New thoroughly alarmed, the wife
ran up the steps, only to be met with
a sight that almost crazed her. There
was her husband lying at full length
upon the floor, his right hand, ,clasping
a thirty cslibre Colts revolver, on
his breast, and blood trickling from a
I frigntftl looking wound just over the
right ear She screamed and called
him by name, but the lips so dear to
her, refused to frame an answer, and
she fed from the scene with bursting
heart, and crying so loudly that neigh
bors were attracted.
The first one to arrive in the ho'l 2
was Frank Garrison, who live III
the next house, and he qur,, ,t
| oho1 hn
suicide was still feebly beating, H., :.
was soon extinct.
1t must have been about six O'clock
when the unfortunate man climbed the
stairs to his death, and he lived lnt a
! very few minutes. A peculiar incident
| is that the report of the revolver was
not heard by any one, although Mrs.
Peterson living next door heard the
fall of the man. The bullet entered
about an inch above the right ear and
passed through the brain, although it
did not come out of the head. The
right ear was blackened from the
powder Of the cartridge.
Coroner Barnes visited the house
directly after the shooting, and after
/ Investigating all of the circumstances
pronounced it case of suicide.
About seven O'Clock the body was
tenderly carried down stairs by the
neighbors, and laid upon the floor of
the parlor. Then followed very sad
scene. The poor wife, now widow,
came in and fell upon her knees beside
the unfortunate husband and father,
and the heart-rending scene which
followed beggars description.
The suicide was the son of Thomas
Law, of Millville, and his father and
mother still reside at that place. The
unfortunate fellow came 10 Bridgeton
from Millville two years ago, and he
has been blowing glass at the Cumber-
land GLASS Works. He was thirty
years old the Goth day of January last.
and had been married four years.
When the strike commenced at the
giassworks some few weeks ago, Sam
uel refused 80 come out with the strik-
ers, and never had anything to saw
concerning the matter. He was thor
oughly domestic man, and the neigh
bors speak of him in the most loving
terms. He was very kind to his family
and seemed to have little thought for
anything else.
Those who know him best, say that
Tor several years his mind has troubled
MN, and during the past three weeks
ne mas been unusually dull, having
nothing whatever to say to anyone.
His brain this morning must have sud-
denly became clouded with some
imaginary trouble, and taking advan-
tage oil his wife's absence, went far
therest from all he loved best, and
ended his life in this tragic manner.