St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-04
HIS HEART BROKEN.
Dr.. Graves Ends His Life in
Denver Jail.
TOOK THE MORPHINE ROUTE.
He Writes That Death Was
Caused by Persecution.
FIVE ATjOEAL LETTERS.
In One OF Them He Attacks
the District Attorney.
FIVE SENSA TI0EAL LETTERS
THE DOCTOR DIED PENRIL ESS.

DENVER, Col, Sept. 3.-The famous
murder case of DIR. L. Thatcher Graves,
formerly of Providence. R. l., has at
last been settled. The doctor was found
dead in his cell at the county Jail about
0 o'clock this morning, where he was
awaiting rehearing on the charge of
having poisoned Mrs. Josephine Barna-
by, a wealthy widow, also of Provl-
dence. The poisoning is said to have
been done to cover up Dr.. Graves al
legged defalcations as manager of Mrs.
Barnaby's estate. Although no autopsy
has yet been held on his body, it is
known that the doctor took his own life,
using morphine to effect his end. In a
satchel In the Doctors cell were found
five letters, the first one having been
written on Aug. last, showing that his
suicide had been contemplated since
then. The following is the first letter
opened:
Denver. Col, Aug. 9. 1S93.-To the
Coroner of Denver--Dear Sir: Please
do not hold an autopsy on my remains.
The cause of death may be rendered as
follows: "Died from persecution.
Worn out. Exhausted"
Z. THATCHER GRAVES, NJ. D.
RoAsTs ATTORNEY STEVENS.
The next letter is directed to Capt.
Crews, the Jailor of the county Jail, and
is full of bitterness to County Attorney
l. N. Stevens, who secured DR.. Graves
conviction in the first trial, ana has
been working hard to again have the
doctor convicted. 1t is as follows:
Aug. %, .1893.-It would keep man
busy to follow Stevens and answer the
lies which he unblushingly peddles out
to the papers. One OF two, however,
need attention, and they are easily
proven to be lies. | was a member of
the Massachusetts State Medical society,
also the Connecticut State Medical So
cietp. L never made pplication to the
Rhode Island State Medical society for
admission. My lawyers have the full
receipts, showing that l never wronged
the estate of Mrs. BarnabY, and that the
estate now owes me outside of the leg
acy by will. The public see what l have
to expect from the villainouS, cowardly
falsehOods of Stevens. l cannot eXpend
more money fighting him. | must take
the only means to- prove it for my wife
and dear, honored and aged mother.
L. THATCHER GRAVES.
Notwithstanding the above letter,
Capt. Crews. in an interview, indig-
nantly denies that DR.. Graves COM
mitted suicide. He says that the doctor
died
OF A BROKEN HEART,
and, to use the captains words, twas
murdered by the attorneys for the state,
who have harassed the old man to
DEATH" Other letters were left, one
for Mrs. DR.. Graves and the board of
county commissioners. Neither of these
has yet been made public. Mrs. Graves
was informed of her husbands death
shortly before noon, and for q time
was almost crazed with grief. When
she regained her composure she
went to the county Jail. but the dead
body had been removed to the cOrouer's
office. The sight of the cell so agitated
her that the friends of Mrs. Graves
decided it would not be best for her TO
view the doctors remains at present.
She then returned to her home, and
is now being cared for by syTupathiZing
friends. Notwithstanding DR.. Graves
request that no autopsy he held on his
body rigid investigation into the cause
of his death will take place tonight. AS
is we'll known, DIR. Graves was in prison
AWAITING HIS SECOND TRIAL
for the alleged murder OF Mrs. Joseph
inc Barnaoy, of Providence, who, at the
time of her death, was visiting friends
in Denver. She died April 13, 1891.
On April she drank from bottle of
whisky that had come by mail from
Boston, and that was labeled "Wish
you happy New Year. Please accept
this fine old whisky from your friends
In the woods" The whisky contained
a solution of arsenic. DR.. Graves was
accused of sending the bottle. After
one of the most famous trials in the
criminal annals Of this country, DR..
Graves was convicted of murder in the
first degree, and was sentenced to be
hanged. The supreme court granted
him new trial, which was to have be-
gun the latter part of this month. On
Aug. 8 of this year Commissioner
Twombley and County Attorney Ste
vens visited Rhode Island and other
places in search of new evidence, the
county of Arapahoe having objected to
paying the
EXPENSES OF A NEW TRIAL
in the doctors case unless stronger and
more direct testimony could be pro-
duced to show that DR.. Graves was
guilty. Messrs. Twombley and Stevens
returned a short time ago, and. although
it is not known what they discovered on
their Eastern trip.it is significant fact
that at meeting of the county board
yesterday $1,000 was appropriated to
prosecute the doctor again on the charge
of murder. DR.. Graves before his death
said that he was penniless, and thought
it no more than right that if the county
paid the costs of his prosecution it
should also be willing to appropriate
enough to enable him TO defend him
self. He had not, however, made any
such request, and. of course, it cannot
now be said how it would have
been answered by the commissioners.
Yesterdays decision of the county
board TO prosecute him undoubtedly
prompted the dead man to put into
effect his idea of suicide, which, it is
plain, he had been contemplating for
some time. Hon. Thomas NJ. Macon,