Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-04
DIR. DEAD
The Alleged Murderer Takes
His Own Lie.
HIS REASONS FOR THE Rash ACT.

POISON the Probable Means Adopted
an Express Messenger and Rob the Pas
sengers-Startling Crime in Which
Man Kills His Benefactor and Then Him
.self-Assassination in iowa
DENVER, Sept. f.. DR.. L. Thatcher
Graves, the convicted poisoner of Mrs.
Josephine Barnaby, has committed suicide
in his cell at the county Jail, presumably
By taking poison. He was found stiff and
cold in death at 0 a. m. On his person was
found the following letter:
"DENvER, Colo, Aug. 9, 1898.
'To the Coroner of Denver:
"DEAR SIR-Please do not hold an au-
topsy on my remains. The cause of death
may be rendered as follows: Died from
persecution. Worn out. Exhausted. Yours
respectfully,
ST. THATCHER GRAVES, NJ. D."
The corpse was quite cold when found.
No direct evidence of suicide was visible,
but the above letter tells the story. There
were also letters to Mrs. Graves, wife of
the doctor; to Jailor Crews and an ad
dress to the public. That the prisoner
had long contemplated taking his own life
is evident from the date of the letter-Aug.
last.
Could Afford No More Money.
Another letter was addressed to Cap
tain Crews, the jailor. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
"Aug. 25, 1S!3:-It would keep a man
, busy to follow Stevens and answer the
lies which he unblushingly peddles out to
the papers. One or two, however, need at
tention and they are easily proven to be
lies. / was a member of the Massachu-
setts State Medical society. never made
application to the Rhode Island State
| Medical society for admission.
MY lawyers have the full reports, show
ing that / neither wronged the estate of
Mrs. Barnaby and that the estate now
owes me outside of the legacy by will,
The public SEQ what have to expect from
the villainous, cowardly falsehodds of
Stevens. ! cannot eXpend more money
| fighting him. must take the only means
| to provide it for my wife and dear, honored,
aged mother. 7. THATCHER GRAVES"
Brief History of the Case.
DR.. Graves was awaiting his second trial
for the alleged murder of Mrs. Josephine
| Barnaby, of Providence, who at the time
of her death was visiting friends in Den
| YER She died April 49, 1891. On April 9
| she drank from bottle of whisky that
had come by mail from Boston and that
was labeled wish you Il happy New
Year. Please accept this fine old whisky
from your friends in the woods" The
whisky contained IL solution of arsenic.
DR.. Graves was accused of sending the
bottle After one of the most famous
trials in the criminal annals of this coun-
| try DIR. 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 begun the
| latter part of this month.
No other Letters Given Out.
The officials will not give out the other
| letters until Mrs. Graves, who is pros
trated with this last afflictlon, has read
them. Stevens, referred to in the letter
given above, is the prosecuting attorney
here He also has prepared statement to
the public. What drug the doctor used is
not known, and in spite of his request
| that it be not done an autopsy will be
held. How he obtained the drug is also u
mystery His wife frequently visited him
and was with him the day before he died,
but she was searched before she was ad-
mitted. Still, enough morphine to kill a
man is a very small package.
Ex-District Attorney Stevens statement
is out He disclaims have done any
thing against Graves that was not justi-
fed, and presents some new evidence which
he has found while preparing for new
trial. The most important of this is that
of J. NJ. Breslyn, of Canton, Mass, a cred
ible witness, who states that in November,
1890, on the Old Colony railway, a man
came to him and got him to write an ad-
dress on piece of paper, and the address
was the very one that was on the bottle Of
whisky that caused Mrs. Barnaby,s death.
Breslyn described the man and Stevens
says the description fitted DR.. Graves.