The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-01
VERSES BY A SUICIDE.
POET OF 4 SHdKESPEARE CLUE
SELF-KILLED WITT Gas.

Tho Verses were Read ut n Club Diuuer-His
DauEhter's Marriage and tho Illness OF
His Typewriter Apparently Made Ho~ford
n. Niles Think Iire Not worth Living.
Hosford b. Niles, President OF the Equitable
Collection Agency OF Temple Court, 5 Beekman
street, committed suicide by inhaling gas In his
room at 2ls West Sixteenth street yesterday.
The daughter OF Mr.. Niles. who was 20 years
old, was married to Albert Brewer of Tifin,
Ohio. on April 2s. and since then he had been
depressed. The illness OF a Miss Hassemer, who
acted as his confidential clerk, also preyed upon
his mind and rendered IL, tho police think, un.
balanced.
Mr.. Niles rented his house in whitcstone, L. l.,
several months ago and took a lodging ut 2lS
West Sixteenth street. Miss Mary Burt, who
is said to be n distant relative OF Niles, occupied
q room adjoining his. Mr.. Niles and Miss Burt
went out on Sunday and made several calls.
They had dinner together, and Miss Burt no.
ticcd that Mr.. Niles scarcely touched his food.
When they returned to the lodging house Mr..
Niles went at once to his room. Nothing moro was
seen Of him until about IL 80 o'clock yesterday
morning, when Lucius Simpson, the landlord of
the house, smelled an odor OF gas from his room.
Tho landlord entered the bedroom and found
Mr.. Niles on the bed dead. Tho gas was turned
fully on, and one end Of a gas tube was clinched
firmly between the suicides teeth. II was re-
moved with difficulty. Tho following letter lay
on the bureau in the room:
DEAR MRS. WHITLocK: I got your paper
with all the news OF Client. Now that May is
over, l suppose all your gayeties will cease, as
do mine. My daughter was married on the
2sth at the Marlborough Hotel. 1 gave a din
ner for the wedding party in the private parlors
which lasted from Q to 4 p. NJ.
She and the groom took the 9 p. NJ. train for
Tifln. Ohio, their future home. The wedding
Originally Fl IN I f RSsdpq as ne f feHi and dP hurt ii aiim lse 'a nnd
our annual Shakespeare dinner at the same ho-
tel. 1 took the bridesmaid. 1t was a grand
II road an original poem on the supernatural
in Shakespeare. and was called before the cur
You see. / have left Al East Fiftieth street.
Harriet wanted TO come and stay with me n
while and ! did not have room enough here.
My girl at the office has been sick for several
days and l have my nose right to the grindstone.
Mob, aHroH He my gold 1. pen, nsanndd,i II ! so write 1t, at all to-
f friend doing this letter up in pFoPPfHf . s. f'y NiLr aGpr
Miss Burt said she did not know the Mrs.
Whitlock to whom the letter was addressed. A
y the somPp SsitS; ~ y Siie;. was snS al seps foand
extract, presumably, from the poem which he
read at the dinner alluded to-:
The noble Brutus drank a bowl of wine.
And after music and lullaby
Came Caesars wakeful ghost TO chat with him
OF Philippi.
It made his blood run cold, hair to stand"
He cried Awake. boy Lucius. awake!"
And forever after balmy sleep
His eyes defy.
Moral.
Look not upon the ruby wine at night,
Nor lnger In the concert halls too long.
Lest your fate that OF noble Brutus be
Al Philippi.
Another specimen Of the verses is as follows:
When Rome was full of fire and gliding spirits,
And ghosts did shrek and squeal about the streets,
She reiEned and all the good things OF the world
Did Romans MUNICH.
Then came the itching palm and civil strife,
And bloody war and retributons dire.
TIL all that's left Of Rome to be desired
Is Roman punch.
Moral.
While kindly fortune causes q gliding spirit
OF warning spook. like Julius-seize upon her and
Keep dogs that bay the moon. not dogs OF war.
Your bones to crunch.
Mr.. Niles was a member OF the Republican
Club as well as OF the Fortnightly Shakespeare
Club. at which he read these verses. He was
apparently wealthy at one time, but had met
with reverses the last year.