Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-02
I'm GOING TO HEAVEN
So Said Dying Samuel
Saunders Yesterday.
LETTER TO HIS FRIENDS
The Horrible Deatl, OF q Popular Man in
His Boarding House in This City.
Swallowed Five Grains of
Stryckninc.
Woe me! Woe mS :"

|
These We're the words, the only words,
| that fell from the lips of dying man
| in Nrtle 1oom ON Me.rose avenue,
| shortly before 8 o'clock yesterday morn
! ing. Writhing in agony beyond the pow
| er OF tongue or pen to Iescribe-with
| face E-tsuUrted and dra wn and eyes that
| bulged from their sockets as if they
| wer= really to break the cords that
| bound them to their places; With parch-
| ed and bloodless lips whitehead With
| foam; with fists clenched and his frame
| ccnvulsed as if lle7 We're STU juggling for
! life against q legion of turi~s that
| pierced him With swords of tiame-thus
| torturej, Samuel Saunders, possessing
| the power to think, knowing his fate,
| passed from THE land of the living into
| the valley of death and on TO the bound
! less shores of the world eternal, ami the
| only words he uttered were Woe me!
| woe mel
Hundreds OF people knew Sam Saun-
ders, and among them ell there was not
| one who did not have a good word for
| him. Yesterday mourning when he left
| his room ami walked out into the bright
| sunshine, man without physical i'll,
! no one who saw him thought that in
| less than ths space of tw,o houvs the
| Sea. of dea tn would be stamped upon
| his brow.
Il SHALL not be back to breakfast" he
| said to Mrs. Grant. at whose house he
| roomei and boarded.
1t was then 1890 O'Clock. He WENT
| down town. but th:re was nothing in
| his manner To indicate the horrible pur-
| pose that filled his mind. His friends,
| those whom he passed. on the streets
and to whom he smilingly gave a morn
| ing greeting. noted, nothing unusual i'm
| his demeanor. He seemed the same
| frank, opon-hea.tski man he had always
| been. He was evidently in hurry
| however. and in five minutes time he
| entered the drug store of G. 6. ConSdon,
| on Queen street. near st. Johns Episop-
! pal church. There ne asked for stryc,h-
| nine.
What are you going to 90 with
strychnine?" asksd Mr.. Congdon
Il am going ITO use vt to kill rats was
| Saunders replyl
Then five cents worth viii: b.
enough" said the druggist.
| Are you sure?"
| "Oh, yes: that's en0ugh 20 kill a hun
| dred rats"
Mr.. Congdon tlTen weighed out ten
| grains OF strychnine, Which he PLACID
| in a small envelope ami labelled "Pois-
| on" The druggist had known Saunders
| for years and believed him when ne said
! that his purpose was to kill rats. He
| was "a man whose word could be taken.
| saunders then Went back to his room.
| took out five grains of the poison, swal-
| lowed it and threw himself upon the
bed. What length of time elapsed be-
tween his return and the discovery that
| he had taken the drug is not known
| Attention was attnactrI to- his room by
| an unusual noise and domestic was
sent to inquire the cause. Mr.. Grant,
| the West End grocer. in whose house
| the tragedy occurred, fearing that psr
| 'iyaps sonnet hing serious had happened to
| Saunders, also w-nt TO the chamber.
| This he did because of the fact that on
| last Sunday his boarder had been seized
I'M. llTo. Il fys.~ tsyS,.
| seemed about to =Npire. Mr., Grant saw
at a glance that Saunl!ers was in a dying
| roni.'tton and messenger was quickly
despa tched for DR.. Selden. Meantime
| Mr.. Skidm5re Hudgins. day engineer at
| the power house of the electric railway
| company, hurried to Saunders noon.
| Offers followed, but before their az
| rival thu drug he'd done its deadly work
| and no power on earth could have savtE
the life of the wretched man.
! What is the matter. Saunaers-what
| have you done?" was asked by some one
| who reached the room first
| He was then free from the frightful
| paroxysmS o: pain that seemed to be
| airing asulder the strings of his heart
! I'm going to heaven. to glory" he
| said. He had thrown himself ON the
| bed and drawing a blanket over his
head asked to be let alone. There he- lay,
| as II NO burden reSttd upon Ills heart,
| as enc who wooeli the sweet tarss of
peaceful slumber-lay there calmly
| thinking, with the world and al that
! it held for him that was good and pure
! and true, behind, and the mystery
| which each must solve for himself, be-
yond, hut near at hand. Soon, however,
the deadly drug began to chill the blood
| in his veins, and then 1t Became a con-
suming fire which sent dts scorching
tongues of flames along every nerve and
tortured al but the mind.
| DR.. Seldom lost no time in reac ching the
| dying man. But his experienced Eye saw
| at c glance that there was nothing that
| he could do. No matter how much
| Saunders might want to- i've. nothing
| could save him. The fatal draught. ah-
| ministered by his own hand, had done
! It's work. Gradually the terrible par
+! oxysms passsd away. the limbs grew
| limp and those who had witnessed that
! mornings tragic SZele silently bowed
their heats in the presence of dsath.
| Why did he kill himself? Hundreds
asked that question yesterday. Several
| reasons are given. but it is nor proper to
state them here. Time, will tel. Saun-
-ders had been acting queerly for more
| than a week. He was dependent He
| had b en- at Mr.. Grants about ten days,
and, as above stated, Sunday last he
became very ill., paper labelled
| ed that Illness. But the paper was not
| fcunJ till Yesterday. In addition to this
| there was an empty laudanmm via, in
| tine room Thus 1t would seem that he
had made Two previous attempts to kill
| himself. The fact that he did not sue
coed Sunday was due to the nauseating
effect of the draslght. Monday he wrote
the following letter:
Hampton, Va.
Dear Friends: Good bye
II am going home to glory in heaven,
where milk and honey flow, and I'll tell
you all what to do with my things. My
| brothers address is John H. Saunders,
Machipongo, Northampton county Va
Write for him at once. fie Will tell my
ia Their and mother and sister and broth
srs. l have two lots in Hampton, One
| i. l,l.,.,,.. h,