The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-09-04
Suicide Of a Bridegroom.
Married on Sunday and Killed
Himself on Tuesday.

CoLuxB1A, August 2s Married
on Sunday and dying the death of a
suicide on Tuesday night is the re.
cord of Wade J .1Geiger. It is.s sad
aud somewhat pecuEar-ease TO the
outside world there Was no apparent
cause for the death Of the bridegroom,
but that he deliberately committed
suicide and left a widow of bnt few
DAYS there can be no question.
Wade Geiger was q yeHags man oI
about so, who has lived all bis life
in Columbia. For the last i've years
he has been connected with the State
Asylum ss an attendant. and has
been in the epileptic ward, s1rd Dr.
Babcock spoke in the highest terms
of him: as an attendant He says
that there are ros complaints against
his treatment. and that all OF those
whom he attended were devoted to
him. He has done much for these
poor people, and seemed to know
how to treat them, and they say that
enileptics. or at least such as came
under his attention, are somewhat
difficult to get along with Mr. Gel
ger was very saving disposition,
a and out of the salary he received he
managed to save sufficient to invest
in small store
Things went along in their even
and quiet tenor and Mr.. Geiger and
his friends confined their conversa-
tons to the ordinary topics. but the
quiet man had surprise in store
On Sunday afternoon last he got
married without saying anything
about it to anyone. The. employees
about the place thought this bit
curious, as it is regarded 9 privilege
to know months in advance when
such an event is to happen and to
ioin in the congratulations. MIR
Geiger, however, did things in his
own way and Of course no one had
any right TO complain but all wish
ed him well. They all said that Mr..
Geiger had desafortunate selec-
tion in Miss Sallie Kelley. She was
quite an attractive young bloude and
of a respectable family. The bridal
couple lived with the brides parents
in the southern portion of the city,
and were apparently living the lives
of doves.
Yesterday morning he resigned as
an attendantat the Asylnm. Happears
that charges had been made against
him, and the prospects were that he
would have been Of 10 further use in
the Asylum if the charges proved
true, but now that he issdead there is
no need to go over this matter l:
goes a far way to counteract such
charges when his kind attention aud
faithfulness to the patients is cons1d-
cred He had an appointment to
meet Superintendent Babcock this
morning, who was inclined TO do
everything in the world he could for
Mr.. Geiger, bat evidently Mr. Geiger
did not want to be at the Asylum
this morning He left in the best OF
health and with no one dreaming OF
his coming fate.
Then it is said he was at his faith
er's home during the morning, aud
the recent marriage did not give such
pleasure among the home folks as be
would have expected. Ii afterwards
transpired thst be bought four
ounce bottle of laudanum about 2
O'Clock. evidently while on his way
to mis- own home, on the corner OF
Huger and Blossom streets He re-
NAMED at home for some time, and
about halfpast S went out, telling
bis wife that he would return at =
o'clock. He kissed her afectionate-
" and went out with smile on bic
face, and the wife says that he had a
smile on his face as far as she could
see him. That was the last that she
saw of her husband until she saw
him dead. She says that the live
long night she did not sleep a wink
in her worry about her husbsnd's un.
explained absence.
This morning search was made
for Mr. Geiger, and a colored CIR!
found the body under an old unused
house. He was lying on his back,
and grasped in his right hand an
empty bottle that had contained the
laudanum with which he ended his
life. Geiger must have sought the
place under the house 80 as to be free
from interruption, as few ever passed
that way. His sudden and unex,
pected death occasioned deep grief
on the part of his newly welded
wife. She did rot know what was
tho cause for the deed. but said that