The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-02-22
TOOK MORPHINE.
Suicide in Savannah Of a Stranger
in that City.
LEAVES A PATHETIC LETTER.
Gould Not Stand Poverty. His
Farewell Massage to the
World He Found too


World He Found too
Cold.
5. T. Brachfeld was found dead in
his room at No. 3O7 Broughton street,
Savannah, Ga, Oh MonGay, February
%.
He had tasen morphine and had been
dead for some time. The house is a
lodging house and is conducted by
Charles Collman. About two weeks
ago Brachield applied for lodging and
was assigned to a room. Even then he
was in moody and despondent condi-
tion, and complained frequently of his
poverty. He was stranger in the city,
and nothing was known Of his past life.
He was reticent and gave little infor.
nation about himself. He said that
he had been divorced from his wife. and
had three children living.
The strangers efforts to secure work
there were unavailipg, and he became
more and more depressed. Vague hints
that he let drop seem to indicate that
even then he entertained ideas of sui
eide. The last seen of him alive was
Saturday night, when he was in Gil
dea's place On Broughton street, across
from the house in which he was living.
On Sunday he did not leave his room,
but the people in the house thought he
vas too poor to buy meal and kept his
room for that reason. He seems to lave
had an unusual plide and had rupulsed
gruhly and Indignantly even a hint of
charity.
Monday morning he did not respond
to the knocks on the door of his room,
and at clock had not been seen, and
it was determined to force an entrance.
Mrs. Collman's brother, D. Schwartz,
and s. Marcus broke in the door and
found the body of Brachfeld lying on
the bed. He had removed his shoes,
but was otherwise fully dressed. Claopcd
to his breast was picture of his child,
from which his fingers could scarcely be
~eleased. On the mantel was the bottle
that had contained the morphine with
which he had ended his life. On the
table was letter which the dead man
had written, giving his reasons for sui
eide. The letter was written in He
brew, bat concluded with a few words
Of English. The following is the let
ter:
Il pray that I may receive Jewish
burial.
The last request Of one to whom
life is so burdensome that he takes his
own life.
To whom do I write this? l don't
know. Who is friend to me? !
don't know. Who in these days has
any feeling for fellow being? 1 don t
know. Who can or may do me justice?
Nobody. Every one will say, what do
| care for him?-nothing at all. What
did he take his life for? He must have
been crazy and did not know how to
take the world; let him go.
They are truly in the right; they
understand well. l really did not
know how to take the world. I have
observed people who have no kind feel
lngs, and who do no: know what hu-
manity is, prosper IN the world. They
are happy; they have plenty to eat, and
do as they please. When they are hard
up they apply to societies and ask for
what they want without any feeling Of
shame. | think they are right, and ii
had been like them | might have
ilved to old age But | can't do it, !
cant do it, | can do it; | cannot live
depending u%on others. | do not neeu
to BE- excused. | always believed. auG
believe yet, that it We're better 10 steal
than to beg.
Il am tired of this world. I cant
near any more. am alune to blame
TOR all that ha> driyeu me to my dealt,
| cannot even blauIe my parents, thougl
ad they been more wise than pious,
might not have been brought to this
end. But | can't blame them, for the!
did what they thought was for my best
Farewell, my friends. Farewell
my unfortunate children. | wish that
you may be more fortunate than your
unhappy father. l am unhappy. I an
Of no good to myself nor others. ]
have no object in life. Then why
should | prolong suffering? God God
God! | know that it is wrong to take
ones own life; l cannot help myself,
and do not believe that you will visit
punishment on me, for what you know
too we'll cannot help.
IS. Brachfcld.' v
The style and contents of the letter,
though it abounds in repetitions and
wild expression natural to one in Brach-
fields condition, indicate, nevertheless,
man Of considerable feeling and edu-
cation. 1t expresses well the condi-
tion of perfect dependency and Of utter
and absolute despair, that the unfor-
tunate man must have been in, when
he .cok his ewn life.
Railroad Accident.
\ construction train on the South
Carolina and Georgia Railroad was
completely wrecked by the spreading Of