Evening journal., 1889-05-14
HUNG ON AN APPLE TREE.
PREFERRED DEATH TO LIVING
WITHOUT HIS FAMILY
Deserted by His Wife and Children
James McAIlister in Despair Takes His

Deserted by His wife and Children
James McAllister i'm Despair Takes His
Life.
Last Wednesday. while James Meal
lister, farmer living at Thompson
Bridge, near Rockland, about seven
miles from this city, was attending
market in this city, his wife and three
children packed up the household effects
in the house. and loading them on to a
wagon left the farm and came to this
city. When the husband and father re-
/ turned home he found the house bare and
deserted and had no knowledge of the
whereabouts of his family.
Yesterday he committed suicide by
] hanging himself to the branch of an
Grief and Encouragement over the action
of his family is supposed to have led him
to commit the act.
McAllister's dead body was found by
P. D. Sheldon aud George Lewis, yester
day afternoon. Mr.. Sheldon lives near
the McAllister farm and Mr.. Lewis
formerly clerked for G. l. Simmons of
this city They were driving up the
lane to McAlisters house about
. 20 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Lewis
was going to see McAllister in regard to
hiring himself to him to work the farm
Suddenly they came upon the body
swinging in the air from the branch of a
tree, about fifty yards from the house.
McAllisters feet were about two feet
from the ground, and although his body
was warm he had apparently been dead
an hour and a-half or two hours.
, He was suspended by plow line. and ii
looked as if he had deliberately climbed
| the tree and fastening the rope securely
! to the branch put the loop in the end
> around his neck with the knot at the back
of his head and then let himself down
, from the branch and was strangled to
death Sheldon aud Lewis cut the
body down and laying it gently
on the ground covered it up and drove tC
Rockland. There they telephoned Dr. F
Harvey Day at Talleyville and also to tn,
coroner
r When McAllister's family left tn,
7 farm they moved at once to 1915 Trenton
e Place, in this city, which fact Mr. Shell
2 don was aware of and he also sent wore
b to them of McAllister's death. Howard
y McAllister, the Oldest son, who lives OF
. the Concord pike, about a mile this sid,
S Of Johnson's Corner, was summoned anC
b soon arrived and took charge of the bod,
. and effects DR. Day examined thu
n body and found that the neck ha,
t not been broken. Under the coroner
t instructions the body was removed to thl
x house, where an inquest will be held thi
II afternoon. Mrs. McAllister, Der sol
s Alfred and the hired girl went out to Ia,
IS farm house yesterday afternoon an,
a watch with the body last night
McAllister leaves wife, a son How
s. ard, who is married and whose marriage
X it is said caused the trouble between
). father and mother, another son Alfred
d third son Henry. 10 years of age, and
q daughter Mamie, between 1S and q
o years of age. Mr.. and Mrs McAlliste
lie were married twenty-six years ago II
was about 65 years Of age, an ignoran
d man, unable to read or write
;, though possessed of violen
d temper. was indulgent to his family
le rarely refusing them anything he coul
ID give. He seemed to have but a fe,
friends and was regarded as somewha
b. eccentric by those who knew him Mr.,
or McAllister is described by those VIII
J. knew her as women of intelligence
G. They lived happily together for twent,
n three years.
IS Three years ago the father strongl
i'd objected to the marriage of his son How
dAa W a 1buhB WOuAhn VI lut utlknDO
hood The mother favored it and Il
- marriage finally took place Since thu
~ time the relations between husband al
wife have not been of a harmoniol
character. The winter of 1875
was spent by Mr.. McAllist,
u in Florida, alone. He returned
the spring of 1888, bringing a quantit
ed of oranges and other fruits. He WI
MS given a reception by his family. and I'll
neighbors thought that the breach b
a. tween man and wife had been heale,
n They disagreed again, however, and ma
ters finally eliminated by the famil
leaving home last week.
rd The farm was one of the best in Il
ng locality. 1t contained about 122 acre
ms Since his wife left him McAllister ha
he lived alone.
or An EVENING JOURNAL reporter callt
at No. 1915 Trenton Place this morning
M where the McAllister family is stoppin
he Mamie, the daughter, was seen in relati,
IN to the cause that led her faith
Id to commit suicide. In answer to Il
of question whether her father commit,
the deed because of his wife's desertiC
she replied, "No" She further said tn
he was rather eccentric at times al
ue when in this condition killed himsel
on The family has me- sia.ics, in this city
a
~ CITY NEWS IN BRIEF.