The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-30
Joseph Roberts Becomes DeS-
p0ndeHt and Suicides.
DRINK THE CAUSE OF IT
SENT Els WIFE AWAY ON AN
ERRAND.
Swallowed the Poison While She
Was Out-He Was Employed at
the Conklin sampling Mills-Mrs.
A. Mcdaniel Takes Rough on
Rats

In fit of dependency caused indirectly
by drink Joseph Roberts committed sui
eide by taking dose of strycinine last
night. Roberts was employed in the Coax
lin samplng mill, where ne had worked
fer a long time past. He was addicted -
the use OF alcoholic liquors and it was his
craving for drink that led him TO the ter
rDole act of self-deStruc0ion.
Yesterday evening ne returned nome
from work, but was in a deeper mt OF de-
spondency tLlan usual. For "a long time
past ne had been morbid and IN very IoW
spirits, but last evening he seemed worse
than ever. About clock he was sit
ting IN his house with his wife, when he
suggested that she had better go over 20
ne of their relgnbOrs on some trivial err
rand She did as he wished. and when
she left the house he was drinking some
beer
She was absent only few minutes and
when she returned saw that something
was the mauter with her husband. She
immediately summoned aid ana Dc- DouS-
las was called. When the doctor arrived
he found Roberts in "a veg bad state and
he seemed to be choking to death He
asked what the man had taken, but was
not told the facts, those in the room be-
lieylng that the physician could pull Rob
ertS through without exposing his act.
DR.. Douglas did What he could for the
sick man and left while ne went up town
to get some necessary apparatus and
medicines.
When ne returned the man was IN CON-
WILSON'S and evidently near the end. Tue
doctor set to work and tried 10 revive
ROBBERS, but the poison had gone too far,
and Within few minutes life was extinct
II was just about half nour from The
time Roberts took the fatal dose untn he
3reathed his last, and when he died it was
in terrible agony. Ihe body was removed
to the establishment of Joseph Wmliam
Taylor.
For quite a while before his death FOB
erts realized that he was unfit for the
expected to be discharged at any time,
and the constant dread of yiis drove him
deeper into the mire. Tnea he has a
Wife and two children, and IL was with
difficulty that he KEEP thu wolf from che
door. All would have gone well with MIN,
however, mad it not been for ais using SO
much of the money for drink. as it was,
the family are living in a very humble
abode ana entirely without means.
Roberts was born in Yorkshire, Eng
land, on May ,. lS66. He came 20 this
country with his parents while quite
young. and has lived in Salt Lake for a
number Of years past. His parents are
bobl living and reside IN the vicinity OF
Boston, Mass. He also has a brother
east
From the manner in which Roberts OBJ
tanned the poison and his constant state
of Dependency, it is certain "a his sui
eide was premeditated. A few days ago
he went TO one of his friends and OBJ
tanned from him some aSorychnine with
which TO k:H nice that were in his
Intentions until last night wAen ne took
some of the drug which caused his DEATH
( leaving his wife and two children To fight
the battle alcHe.