The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-04
A DEADLY DRAUGHT.
WADE GElSER DRINKS FOUR OUNCES
OF LAUDANUM.

Asylum Employee and Trouble There
Caused the Rash Act.
COLUMBIA, S. c.. Aug. 2S.-W. J.
Geiger, an Asylum attendant, was
found dead yesterday morning under
a small house within about fifty feet of
his own home at Huger and Blossom
streets. Hehad been dead for several
hours, how long it will never be known
and four ounce vial labeled laud-
anum lying under his hand on the
ground told the story of his self de-
struction. What reason the young
man had for taking his own life was
for time a mystery. Neither his
father or his mother or his wife could
assign any reason for his desperate act.
Geiger was married only last Sunday
to Miss Kelly and the last she saw Of
him was 5 80 o'clock Tuesday evening
when he kissed her and went up street
saying that he would be back at eight.
! He never came and as the hour passed
by the young wife became more and
more alarmed instinctively fearing
that some harm had befallen her hus-
band. She never slept that night and
early in the morning her worst fears
were realized when the daughter of
Stephen Frazier found the dead body
of Gegier under the house.
The Coroner was notified and had
the body removed to the house of Mr..
Ross On Marion street, who was his
friend. There was not much light
thrown on the reasons that led to the
suicide from the testimony at the in
quest. The following note was found
in the dead mans pocket addressed to
Mr.. Charles Daniels, another attend
ant the Asylum:
Dear Charley take care of my wife
and treat her well, you did not do it
neither did she it was my own that
did it. Please pay R. J. Ross $50
for me----tell Sallie she did not do It
1 love her found her Lady---W. j.
Geiger."
| This enclosed in an envelope and
was addressed "to c.. A. Daniels" and
just under this WIS: ''W. J. Geiger is
my name"
Another note was found in his trunk
which read as follows:
Dear Mother and Father: Please
be kind to my wife for she is Lady
for know it. W. J. Geiger."
Mr.. W. J. Geiger. father of the un-
fortunate man, testified as to the find
ing of the body, the notes and $3.50
and piece of tobacco in his sons
pockets. He could assign no reason
for the rash act. His son had resigned
his position at the Asylum. The notes
were written in his sons handwriting.
Mr.. Daniels was an attendant at the
Asylum and got married on Sunday
at the same time his son did.
Mrs. Geiger, wife Of the deceased,
said that on Tuesday at $50 Geiger
told her goodbye and kissed her. he
went up street and seemed to be in
cheerful spirits. After he got out the
gate he looked back and smiled at his
wife. he gave her his watch and also
got S. from her berfore he left and
| said he would be back at s o'clock.
She did not notice anthing strangs
about his behavior, although he had
seemed worried the day before and
when asked what was the matter told
her not to ask him about it.
DR.. Owens tester6ed that no marks
of violence were found on the body.
These facts were all the light thrown
on the case at the inquest.
It was learned that the deceased had
purchsed a four ounce vial of lauda-
mum from the Murray Drug Company.
Buying the drug in such large guam
titles no one would suspect suicidal
intention. The laudanum was bought
about 3 o'clock on Tuesday and
i Geiger evidently had his plans we'll
arranged beforehand. When he left
his wife it is not known where he
went but some time after that he re-
turned, crawled under the unoccupied
house and drank the deadly draught.
The verdict of the jury was that the
| deceased had come to his death from
an overdose of laudanum.
As has been stated Geiger was an
attendant at the Asylum and had been
there for number of years. He was
one of the most efficient men about
the intuition and had charge Of the
epileptic ward, one of the most diff
cult to fill. He had a knack of getting
along splendidly with the patients who
all appeared to like him.
! Quite to the surprise of DR.. Bah
cock, he resigned on Tuesday. Before
that some charges had been made
against him which shocked the Off
GERS of the Asylum, who had the great
est confidence in him. The charge
was that he had taken some jewelry
belonging to patient. DR.. Babcock
asked him about it; but be denied it.
The attendant who knew the circum-
stances was in Chester and he was to
have arrived in Columbia Tuesday
night and DR.. Babcock made an ap-
pointment for Geiger to meet him at
his Office at 9 o'clock yesterday. I'm
fortunately the charge against Geiger
was we'll founded and he knew ex-
posure would soon follow. 1t is more
than likely that he did not have the
courage to face the disgraceand grow
ING desperate determined to take his
own life and rid himself of the igno-
miny that would attach to him in the
ewes of his fellow men. No doubt too
he thought of his bride of but three
DAYS and what she would think. If
the poor fellow had only acknowledged
his wrong doing, he had friends at
the Asylum who would have willingly
paid the money for the gewelry even
though it had amounted to SloO. He
, would have necessarily been dismissed
but he might have started life over
again. repaired the wrong as far as
, possible and lived happily thereafter.
So far as could be learned he had no
marital troubles in his brief expert
ence. though it is said some OF his
relatives were opposed to him marry
ing.-Register.
No Wonder.
South BEND. Ind, Aug. 2S.-For
!