Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-08-20
IN HIS SISTERS HOUSE.


Suicide.
A New York dispatch of the 18th says:
In the palatial residence of Mrs Amos
Getting, $50 Fifth Avenue, this after
noon, was found the body of Joseph A.
Jameson, the Broad Street broker and
banker. He had hanged himself from
a bedroom door in his fine suite of
rooms on the fourth floor rear. Mr.
Jameson was reputed million
aire and was the Stock Ex-
change member of the firm of
Jameson, Smith & Co., bankers and
brokers at Exchange Place and Broad
is James d. Smith, commodore of the
New York Yacht Club. Mr.. Jameson S
family are out of town and, from what
can be learned from his friends, tempo
rary insanity, caused by illness, and
perhaps aggravated by the feeling OF
loneliness in the absence of his family, is
thought to have been the cause of the
unhappy tragedy.
Mr.. Jameson was last seen alive at p.
NJ. on Saturday. In the absence of his
wife and family he had been stopping
with his sister, Mrs. Getting. The latter
is at the Isle of Wight Mrs. Jameson
and her youngest son, Miner, II years
old, are at Scarboro Beach. The two
sons, Addison, the eldest, widower SO
years old, and Alexander, % years old,
and daughter, Mrs Thomas L. Man
son, were spending Sunday at their
fathers farm at Clinton Corners, eight
miles from Poughkeepsie, and the sec
widow of Richard g. Murphy, Jr., son
of the ex-collector of the port, was at
Elberon, n. J.
Mr.. Jameson returned home at
o'clock Saturday, called servant, Kate
Purcell, and after passing remark
''that it was light day down town, y
said he would go to his room to rest.
He went and was not seen again alive.
He did not appear to-day and, becom-
ing alarmed, the servant called a park
policeman. The acting police captain
went to the house and entered the
brokers' room through the one un-
locked door. He found the body of
Mr.. jameson hanging with a sheet
around his neck, one end of which
had been thrown over the door and
knelt SO as to bring strangulation quick
~, and his knees almost touched the
floor. The millionaire had evidently
disrobed with the intention of retiring
for the night before the awful impulse
seized him. He was clad only in a
night shirt and drawers.
Nothing was found to indicate the
cause of the deed. Mr.. jerks, friend,
telegraphed to the sons at Poughkeepsie
and left to them the painful task of in
forming their mother of the sad event.
Mr.. Jameson was taken sick three
months ago and was still weak, when
three weeks ago he was taken with
throat trouble. The latter affiiction
was so serious that Prof E. J. Janeway
was kept in close attendance. The
trouble increased and physical pain
may have resulted in sudden fit of in
sanity.
Mr.. Jameson came to New Y ork from
st. Louis in 1860 with his brother-in-I law,
Amos Getting, since deceased. Each is
said to have brought 81, 500,OO0 as the
profit of dry goods business. A brok-
erage business was opened on Wall
Street, and at first the firm belonged to
the open board of brokers, and latterly
to the Stock Exchange. The other
members of the firm are f. n. Jones
and A. F. Smith. Mr.. Jameson was a
man of domestic tastes, and was regard
ed as a conservative and prudent finan-
cier. His business is said to be in good
| shape. Commodore Smith was tele-
graphed at Stamford, Conn.,, of his part
| ners death.