The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-07
POOR UNCLE JOE
He Sought the Easiest Way
to Die" After Many
Disappointments.
FROM WEALTH TO POVERTY
Joseph Wilkinson Ends an Event.
full Life-Penuiless at Three
Score Years.

Joseph Wilkinson, sixty-one years old.
nuc. committed suicide last evening by
taking dose OF morphine.
He swallowed the poison at seven
o'clock. went upstairs to his room and lay
down on the bed. He did not feel the
effects OF the morphine until IL O'Clock,
when he called his wife and told her what
he had done. DIR. Lampson was sum
moned. He Immediately set to work to
rescue Wilkinson. After a half hours
vigorous use OF the stomach pump he
seemed out of danger.
DR.. Lampson S i'd that at twelve O'Clock
he was resting / -ietIy and felt no pain.
quarter TO threeN ,eaction set in, and
fifteen minutes later Wilkinson breathed
his last
A few days ago Wilkinson was observed
TO be atsentively reading medical die
tionary. Finally he closed the book and
leaned back in his chair with satisfied
look.
Are you studying medicines' inquired
a neigh Dor who had been chatting with
Mrs. Wilkin son.
81 have been trying to find the easiest
way to die, and have found it, was the
answer. ne feluseu 10 make any IuFlutF
explanation. The fear OF his family that
he contemplated suicide subsided, when
he eat hearty supper and seemed 10 ex-
celleut spirits last evening. II was after
the meal that he took the poison.
FROM EASE TO POVERTY.
The cause of the suicide was business
trouble. Wilkinson was well known
throughout Lafayette, everyone knew
him as "Uncle joe" 1t Is said that he
was worth $40 900 at one time, but lost all
his money in a mining scheme. he left
this city for Seattle. Washington Terri
tory, February, 1890. for the purpose as he
said, Of making fortune out of the gold
November. penniless.
His house and other property which he
owned in this city were also mortgaged.
The money he derived from these mort
CAGES went with the rest, and he died
penniless.
1t is also said that for the last few
months he has been securing the city for
some one who would loan him S25. 900;
with which he hoped to regain some of
the money he sank in the gold mines.
Being unable to obtain the loan, he be-
came still more despondent; and it was
this that led him to take the poison.
He attempted suicide once before, in
1883, when he took dose of morphine.
Carl Smith, son of ex-Alderman J. Smith,
saw him take the poison. and quickly
summoning doctor, Wilkinson was
saved.
HIS LIFE IN SKETCH.
"Uncfe Joe" held the office Of Justice of
the Peace from 1882 to 1887. Up to two
years ago he was member of the firm of
Wilkinson Bros, paper manufacturers,
who have their office in Reade street,
New York. 1t was In this husi-
ness that he made his fortune.
He was born near Glens Falls. n. Y, and
at the breaking out OF the civil war was
in business in South Carolina. He was
intensely loyal TO the Union, and he
had to leave the South and lose
all his property because Of his
open declarations against secession.
He owned considerable property on
Pacific avenue and in Bound Brook.
where he spent the hot summer days in
handsome villa. He was a favorite
among the children in the section where
he lived, and whenever he would appear
on the street a crowd of children would
gather around him. He wo uld then take
a handful of coins from his pocket and
shower them down on the heads of this
youngsters, who would Immediately be-
gin to scramble for them, while Uncle
Joe would stand near by laughing heart