The Portland daily press., 1895-06-01
A Most Peculiar Suicide is Reported
at Bath.
THE NEW. BELFAST AND PORT.
LAND BOAT Is COMPLETED.
An Eccentric Horse Which Removed
Window With His Head-Gardiner
Thieves Captured-The Fatal Mistake
of Bethel Man.
Especial to the PRESS. J

\lopGCldl 10 Ullo L hEoS. J
Bath, May 31.-Men take strange ways
of ending this life when, acting under
the dictates of disordered mind, they re-
solve to put an end to their own ex-
istence. Henry T. Matson, yesterday
committed suicide at his home here and
in doing so showed that he possessed both
ingenuity and mechanical ability. Mr..
Matson was man 65 years old, and has
been one of the best ship carpenters in
Bath, city of shipbuilders. But he had
at times been subject to mental derange-
ment. Once he became possessed of the
hallucination that he was suffering from
appendicitis, and his friends were appre-
hensive that he might do himself an in
jury by attempting an operation.
Gradually his delusion wore away and of
late, since his discharge from the insane
hospital he has been believed to be all
right mentally.
into the barn adjoining his house. Short
ly after, Mrs. Matson heard loud noise
and ran to the barn. On the floor of the
basement beneath she saw the body of
her husband with wreaths of smoke twin
ing about it and little tongues of flame
rising from his apparel.
Mrs. Matson had the misfortune a
number OF years ago to lose one of her
hands, which was amputated as the re-
suit of an illness. Notwithstanding this,
she hastily got a pail of water and with
1T eXtinguished the fire in her husband S
clothing He was breathing at that time
but expired almost Immediately after
Nearby was the weapon which had
caused his death. A piece of water pipe
n10hfnnn had I,noY
plugged at one end with wooden plug.
Near this in the pipe vent hole had
been cut A board. had been placed across
two barrels and on top of this board were
| two boxes, SO that the pipe which rested
on them was about on a level with MI.
Matson's heart as he stood in front of his
| improvised cannon. On the boxes lay a
half burned match, evidently the one
used when the deluded man stationed
himself in front of the weapon and
| lgnlted the charge which was so end his
| day almost in a twinkling. AS the
powder flashed it burned one side of Mr..
Matson's face and set fire to his clothing
DR.. Rideout, who lives near by, was
| Immediately summoned, but when he
arrived it was evident that it was case
for the coroner Mr.. Matson expiring al
most Immediately. Coroner Ballou, who
arrived soon after, found plenty of evil
dences that Mr. Matson had for some
| time had his insane act in contemplation.
Ike plug in the pipe had apparently been
| in there some time and two other pieces
of pipe found in the stable gave evidence
of having been filed. Coroner Ballou de-
cided that no inquest was necessary
The wound was in the mans side and
the missile he had used had evidently
reached a vital part of the body. With
just what the gun was loaded is not
known Mrs. Matson, two daughters and
a son survive Mr. Matson. The son is
employed in the Delano mill in Portland
For several days Mr.. NIatson has acted
strangely, as is now remembered, but he
did nothing that at the time aroused
suspicious as to his mental condition.