The record-union., 1897-01-29
AWFUL SUICIDE YESTERDAY.
A. P. Church Cuts His Throat While
Insane.
Was a Well-Known Veteran Printer,
and Had an Eventful
Career.

A. P. Church, an old-time printer,
committed suicide in this city yestei-
day while laboring under a III OIL III
sanity
manner. About > o'clock in the atter-
moon he went to a store on street. pe-
tween Second and Third, and Trleu u
purchase a pocket knife, but the store
keeper did not sell knives, so ne went
to Baker & Hamilton's store ana
bought razor.
Then he walked through the store 10
the rear. where a narrow bridge spans
the alley. connecting with another part
of the establishment. AS he stepped
upon the bridge he was seen by an ell
ploye of the store to draw the razor
across his throat and then he fell and
died almost Instantly, while the plood
poured i'm a torrent from the aWIui
cash in his throat.
The desperate man made sure Joo
of it, for his head was more shan hail-
severed from the booy.
The alarm was given and crown
soon gathered, but nobody could ldentl-
fy the dead man. Finally, Phllp JONI
son. Bookkeeper for the Rancho Gel
Paso, who happened to be IN the clty
and near the store at the time. came up
and he soon identified the body as tnaC
of A. p. Church, a printer, who hao
been employed on the Haggin place
for about three months up to few
davs ago. when he resigned his job and
was paid off. He was employed in set
ting Ip and printing pedigrees OF horses
and colts.
MIR. Johnson said he could not imag-
Inc what had caused Church to take MS
life. He had never known him TO
drink and he was not short OF money.
AT times he had thought him TO be IN
somewhat melancholy moods and a tri-
f1e odd, but there was nothing In MS
manner to cause anyone to think there
was anything wrong with him mentally
Or otherwise.
The body was taken to the Morgue,
where the last check Church had re-
ceived from Mr.. Johnson, for sos, was
found in one of his pockets, and he also
had a $40 piece and some small change.
The deceased was a man nearly 6O
years Of age, and of gentlemanly ap-
pearance He was we'll known to old
time printers of this city and Virginia,
New, and upward of thirty years ago
in this city. From here he went to
Virginia City, and some years later
drifted back to San Francisco. What
had happened to him since then is best
told by Charles Ross, a printer now
employed on the Record Union:
Yes" said Mr.. Ross last evening,
CT knew poor Church well-better, l
guess. than anybody now living. l met
him to-day, just before he killed him.
self, and l was so we'll satisfied that
he was partially demented that 1 looked
about for a police officer to have him
taken in for safe-keeping.
He was not violent at all; in fact,
at times he talked quite nationally.
There was something the matter with
his hands, which appeared to be red
and swollen, and thinking he was with
out means I urged him to go to the
County Hospital for a while, but he
wouldn't listen to that. Every once in
a while he would say, in a quiet but
resolute manner. Charlie, there's moth
ing left for me but DEATH. But he made
no threat of doing violence to himself.
Church, though he was a quiet. gen.
tlemanly fellow, was always of a super
sensitive nature and unnaturally quick
to anger. On his return from Virginia
City to San Francisco he was broke,
and when he applied for a room at the
Coso House ii was refused him. This
refusal smote him to the quick He
went away, armed himself with a big
knife, and returning to the CoSo House
he sought the proprietor and stabbed
him to death
The murder was so unprovoked that
the Commissioners in Lunacy pro-
nounced him insane, and he was sent
to one of the insane asylums, where he
was detained for four years. Not long
after he was released he made a muir
derous assault on another man in San
Francisco, and for this he served seven
years in San Quentin. His term expired
only a few years ago.
Church was not a drinking man, but
the probability is he was always men
tally unhinged to some extent, and I've
no doubt that the murder he commit
ted for such a trifllng injury to his
feelings had preyed upon his mind dur
ing all these years.
THAT he was laboring under a sui
cidal mania yesterday when | met him
is now evident, and I'm sorry 1 did not
act on my suspicion and have him ar