Bridgeton pioneer., 1892-12-29
DIED BY HlS OWN HAND.
HE BORROWS A GUN AND
BLOWS OUT HIS BRAINS.


HE BORROWS A GUN AND
BLOWS OUT HIS BRAINS.
QsR ag ,a5ro9
An Awful Tragedy al Dividing
Creek---Al lCOrOnek's Jury
Summoned.
Between Wednesday morning and
Friday morning at one o'clock, We.
s. Clark, of Dividing Greek, sought
death by. his own hand. t9sb a
William s. Clark is an oysterman,
and goes on boat with Harry Moore.
He left home Wednesday morning,
and his wife thought he was going on
the boat. She paid no attention to
his absence until Thursday afternoon,
when his shipmate, Mr.. Moore. came
to Clark's house, and asked Mrs.
CLARK of the whereabouts. of her hus-
band.o
Surprised greatly, she replied that
she supposed he was on the boat, and
was greatly excited to learn from
Mr.. Moore that he had not been seen.
An Investigation was Immediately
made, and Joseph Locke Informed
somebody that Mr.. Clark had bor-
rowed his gun and was going squir-
relling. D9@ Be
Then party was formed and went
out in the woods on the road from d.
vidipg Creek to Mauricetown, and at
one o'clock Friday morning, the party
were Mortified to find the dead, cold
body of the unfortunate man. His
gun was near by, with string upon
the trigger, showing that it was case
of premeditated suicide.
! Coroner Robbins, of Port Norris,
was Immediately notified, and arrived
at Dividing Greek about half-past
eight o'clock. County Physician
Thompson was also notified, and in
company with a PIONEER reporter,
left on the Port Norris train that morn
ing, for the scene Of the tragedy.
Mr.. Clark was a man of family, leav-
ing wife and five children. He
owned his house, and was man gen.
orally respected. and there is no reason
n given why he should take his life.
CoRoNER's JURY.
{ When County Physician Thompson
and PIONEER reporter arrived at the
village Friday morning, there was
big crowd gathered about CampbelPs
hotel. Among them wes Coroner
Gabriel Robbins, of Port Norris.
The body was still where it had
been found, and procuring team the
County Physician and reporter in-
mediately drove to the scene. They
were followed by big crowd and the
Coroner.
The road taken leading to the scene
is the main road from Dividing Creek
to Mauricetown. On the way there
the home OF of Clark, the suicide, was
passed. 1t is about quarter of a
mile from the town proper. 1t is an
unpretentious home and there were no
signs of life, all the curtains being
drawn.
A little further. along, was the house
of Joseph Locke. where he borrowed
the gun, with which he killed himself.
The road was followed about two
milee, and then turn was made in
the woods, north of what is known as
the slab road, possibly quarter of a
mile, and west of this road, In the
woods about one hundred feet, lay the
body.
It was ghastly sight, one not read
ily forgotten by the beholder. At the
base of huge stump lay William 8.
Clark, dead, horribly mutilated about
the head, and in his left arm was the
gun with which he had caused instant
death. The body had lain lifeless in
these woods since Wednesday after
noon or evening and was frozen stiff.
The left leg was drawn up, and the
right leg extended outward just as he
fell. The right arm was partially under
the body, while the left arm lay near
the body and in 1.-THE gun.
The head was slightly twisted to the
right. The charge from the gun had
entered the left side of the head just
above the cheek bone. It had split the
head open from the top of the nose,
and the eyes, and forehead were COM
pletely carried away. The brain mat
ter had been blown from the head, the
interior of the head being as clean as
II it had been scraped out. The
mouth was open. The right eide of
the face was horribly cut and ragged,
and the jaw bone splintered.
The eyes and brain of the man were
blown to his right, and found upon
the ground some six feet away. His
cap YVES foun some ten or fifteen feet
away fro u the body on a pile of
bushes.
The premeditation of the suicide Is
shnwp rv rho inUenioua manner in