Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-19
UNIDENTIFIED.
BY +. NJ.

The coroner's jury passed into the
dlmly lighted. sepulchral room where
the remains OF the suicide lay upon
marble slab. Some of them shrank
back involuntarily at the entrance,
others gave evidence of having nerved
themselves to look upon the gruesome
sight, one or two showed curiosity.
They came in noiselessly. with uneov-
cred heads. and spoke TO each other In
low tones. as II fearing 20 disturb
the silence which death enthroned i'm
perlously demands,
In life the suicide had been man,
young and handsome. Beyond the fact
that he was dead nothing was known
OF him; the witnesses could tell no
more, SO the charitable placard, "ur
Identified was still allow ID TO hang
above him.
When the jury entered the room. one
OF them--a prospcroua-loolilng elderly
man-quickly advanced to the side OF
tbs corpse. He bent hls head down to
the face "a the dead and Kept Il there.
The action startled those In the room.
until IL was seen that i41 WAS critically
examining the self-innicted wound. lie
pecred Into the mouth, anu closely
scrutinized the back OF the head. As
he Strengthened himself up again, there
was an indetlnahle expression OF grim
satisfaction upon his countenance
which mildly shocked more than one
OF his fellow jurymen.
After the jury had retired and were
waiting In their room for the coroner
to receive their verdict. one OF them
yentured an interrogative remark TO
him:
you seemed to take an unusual In
torest in our unfortunate 8ubJectY"
'Hes--aurgically,"
"Then you are a Burgeon?"
at was my profession once; but, UNI
fortunately, 1t has been n long time
since praotised 1t. The dead man In
there did we'll"
"Did you say well7" interrupted nm
ascetlc-looking juryman, with great
| severity,
81 did" calmly replied the surgeon;
"hc did his work we'll. by placing the
nugGle OF his pistol against the roof
| OF his mouth and shooting upward
| there was no possible escape from IN
slant death, and that ~ what he
sought"
AN Ill-done deed well done" was
the epigrammatlc comment of another.
81 think It was well done In every
aspect of the case continued the sur
| geOn; "ho had cause.-The must have
had cause--to Justify his action
This rather sensational assertion at
tracted general attention. and the as
cetic- looking jurymnn observed. with
oven increased severity:
II take II you are not u religious
man2'
probably not In your acccptatlon OF
! the term" was the answer II sub
| scribe to none Of the popular dog
matte crccds yet believe in con.
science. morality and an Intelligent
creator We are given no vulltion Us
| 20 whether or not we shall be born;
but this is, In great measure. com
| pensHted by the fact that, II We IND
| life burden we have In our own
hands the power to end It. II our
death works no Injury to the living, II
is none other but our own affair only
coward would desert those depend
ent upon him"
THAT line of sophlstry has been re-
futed thousand times" cried his qucs-
TONER mo sensible person would
agree with you"
Possibly, but those are my views
| nevertheless"
As he said thia he took from his
pocket small memoranda book. tor,
from II n leaf, upon which he wrote
something In pencil, and then re-
placed the book.
The jurymun who first induced IN,
surgeon 20 make hts strange dcclarn
ton had evidently been entertained bS
II, and sought again to draw him out
"No one was ever yet sane, In ms
opinion at the moment of taking hi
own llfc," he avcrrcd
II do not agree with you" said IN,
surgeon, placldly. 80 me the persist
ent cllnglng ia miserable life whef
death is far preferable Ia rather tn,
evidence or insanity, Many instances
can be imagined where death IL boor
IA deadly and incurablo disease, cruc
suffering In all It's forms with no pros
pcct OF alienation, life imprisonment
old axe, insanity, deep humiliation anC
permanent disgrace.
The last are HR strong as any %
.empt one to aelf-destruction. / know
II such a case. a father had AN only
aun--the apple OF his eye. The two
constituted the family. All that money
could do was done for the son. At.
tanning mans estate. he was given an
Important and responsible position IN
"A large financial institution In which
the father was interested. Al went
we'll. and TO them both life was well
worth the living. But one day some
thing terrible happenod-the son was q
dofaulter, the father disgraced and
financially Involved.
"The son Ned, ana for long time In.
dgnatlon nlone burned In the breast
OF the father Gradually the old, all
absorbing affection for his son came
back TO him, and he set out to find him
After many diAappolntments his search
was at last rewarded. lie had but Il
few years at best 10 live himself. II,
did not want them after he had fount
his son. lie wanted relief-denth."
And then this man, who had dis.
cussed with ouch unimpnasloned fiuen
cy, deliberately took from his pocket
revolver. placed II In his mouth
and rolled over dead.
From hls outstretnhed hand Z
crumpled piece Of paper fell. Upon 4
, was written;
Bury us together. ITc was my SON.
Whore He Learned to shoot.