The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-01
W AS TT SUICIDE :?
] A RICHARDS DIES SUDDENLY
ON RAILROAD AVENUE.
Was TT MALARIA OR POISON?
Fec Claimed TO be an East Inainn-Lct
tiers From n Narih Carolina Minister.
Had Been Connected with Several
Papcrs-An Inquest Held.

morning at 7:30 o'clock at the board
ing house of Mary Brooks, colored, on
Railroad avenue under circumstances
which caused Coroner n. V. Gray to
empanel u jury and hold an inquest
over the remains.
On the evidence of Mary Brooks,
Richards came to her boarding house
Friday and procured board and room,
and he told her that he had just ar
rived from Pocahontas, where he had
been located for some time as a bar
Der. He looked detected and care
worn, and said that he was i'll and
had but little TO say to any one dur
ing his residence at Mary Brooks. eX-
cept that he several times inquired as
named Charles Williams, alleging him
to be detective, and whom he
evinced much anxiety to see.
Sat his request DR.. Semple was
called in to see him Sunday morning,
and found him in dying condition,
suffering from what might have been
an aggravated case of malaria OF long
standing, or the effects of Il poison of
some kind. He was weak and in a
semi-conscious state He could talk
some, but mouioned for pencil aud
wrote in an intelligent hand that he
was not negro, but an East Indian,
and that while he had learned TO
write the English language in his ma
tive country, Jamiacn, very readily, he
could not yet speak it tluently. His
spelling was accurate, and plainly
showed that he had considerable edu
cation.
A number OF letters and papers
found in his possession indicate that
he has piled various vocations and in
various parts of the world. Several
letters from a Rev. Mr.. Leslie. at Tar
boro, n. c., showed that Richards
has figured there extensively, and the
expressions therein used are deroga-
tory of his character. The minister
stated that he had violated no con
tract with him, owed him nothing, and
it wouldn't be healthy for him TO re-
turn to Tarboro.
The girl whose character you have
ruined" wrote the preacher, lis at
her home, though | don't know
whether it was best to send her there
or not :
II have always been your best
friend but shall not answer or r|cog
n;ze any further communications
fftTn goa On ihi4 stpIect. fouSEUow
the people here had begun to put you
down as an impostor, and even called
you an East India negro, so why
come back to Il place go uncongenial
to you? Besides, have heard from
your native country things about you
which show you to have a black re
cord.'' :; :"
Who the Rev. Mr.. Leslie whether
white or colored-is not known, but
he wrote splendid hand, and COLL
posed better than the average letter
writer.
Richards reply, which is evidently
a copy of the original letter, substan-
tiated the inference III the other letter
that the minister was also tangled up
in the scrape, and had paid Richards
to leave that section. His letter was
equally well written as the first and
COuldlueu ColisllieIdL'le SeAtiuieIiioi
ism.
A letter received at Pocahontas.
Va, from George Lew, publisher and
proprietor of the Standard and
Jamaica Dispatch, Kingston, Jam
aica, relates to business matters indi-
eating that Richards was at one time
connected with that journal. In con-
clusion he says: Your girl is laid up.
Suppose it's On your account. l in
tended to go to see her, but she told
me l mustn't come any more"
Another communicated from the
Farm and Journal, published at New
Orleans indicates that deceased was
at one time employed by that paper
as a solicitor and corr .spendent from
Jamaica.
Another letter is from a friend in
Boston who goes on to tell about
having recently procured situation
in the medical department of a college
to lecture daily before a class on the
eyes. The letter throughout reads
as if from very intimate friend, and
is devoted principally to description
of the society of the Hub.
Richards had $3.50 on his person,
and had q valise containing number
of articles of clothing.
The jury came to verdict to the
effect that the deceased came to
his death either by sickness and ex-
haustion, or taking some unknown
poison, and no post mcrtum examina.
ton was made because no evidence was
introduced showing wherin, in the
event of poison causing the death, it
had been administered by any per-
son except the deceased. The
poison theory is based on the fact
that some poisons act very slow, and
bring about death in way very SIM
liar to his case.
Richards remains were inferred in
the city cemetery by Undertaken
Woolwine yesterday evening.