Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-14
jim PIERCE COMMITS SUICIDE
Accused Slayer of George Eyre
Ends His Life.
FOUND HANGING IN HIS JAIL CELL
His Trial Was to Have Com
menced Monday.

His Trial Was to Have Conn
menced Monday.
Left Letters In Which He Protested HIS sn-
Doceuce-Also Declared That His Brother
is Guiitless-was Not Dead When Found,
but Attempts to Save His Life Were
Fruitiess. ~
Media, Pa, June 10. THE case OF
James Pierce, whose trial on thecharge
of murdering George B. Eyre was to
have been begun tomorrow morning in
the Delaware county court, has gone
before a higher tribunal. James Pierce
died few minutes before g O'Clock this
evening by his own hand. When Warden
Fields peered into his cell at il O'Clock
this morning, he saw him hanging by
pieco of hammock twine from an iron
bar that extends through the cell. He
was quickly cut down, and was to all
appearances dead The vital spark,
however. lingeredfuntil this evening,
when, as Pierce's wife reached the cell,
it fled.
Pierce went out of the world declaring
his innocence. In his cell were found
a number of messages One reads:
My dear wife, and father and mother
and brothers and sisters, and my poor.
children God bless you all. love you.
] hope that all of you get good care AZ
long as you live. Here I am put for
somebody else's bad doing God help
me. / am innocent of this crime, and
to think that / have to die for some
body else. | can't stand IL, for il / got
clear people would think it. My God,
please forgive me -
Another ran: 'Mr. Fields. please
give this to my wife. Please write it
off of this card and give it to my dear,
loving wife. Good. bye all. My God,
please do cot worry over me. am
going to heaven with the angels. God
bless you all. know that it IL hard
for you. Please don't worry over me.
God bless you; goodbye all. never
killed George. / am Innocent Don't
know nothing about IT. could not
stand the pain; it broke my heart.
Goodbye, Maggie. God bless you all.
They told me they were going to hang
me, and it broke my heart. God,
please take care of wife and children,
| father, mother, sisters and brotlNsrs.
| God forgive me. ="
| In another message the suicide shields
his brother, Amos e. Pinney'1 Pierce,
who wac indicted with him. and was
some weeks ago admitted to bail.
4" God, bless you, Pinney,'' he says
e'You don't know nothing about iii;
You are innocent. Because we we've
cunning that night that is why we got
| Blamed for it. picked that boat up
on December 18th, and you never seen
it. put that boat in the icehouso
myself, and did net rob that boat
house. And j think that If they try
the rarty they had the fuss with over
his boat they will get theright one. l.
heard him say he would get square
with him some day.
On the eve of what would have proved
to have been the greatest murder trial
| in the history of Delaware county tho
accused man weakened and ended his
life by his own hand, rather than take
| the chances OF proving his innocence
before Jury of his peers. Until two
weeks ago he was cheerful but as the
day of his trial approached he wasted
away and became melancholy. He
had, apparently, planned his taking OF
with care, and that his act was not
| the result Of conclusion hastily formed
| is evidenced by the number Of the fare
well missjves which he addressed to
members of his family.
| At five minutes of ii this morning
Underkeeper John Campbell placed
"Jim's'' lunch in the wicket. At this
time Jim vas sitting on chair. and
did not arise TO get his food Warden
Thomas s. Fields was due mt the cell
ut II O'Clock, that Eeing the hour of
ono of his daily visits. Pierce had but
five minutes in which to adjust the
rope about his neck and leap into space,
\ and he lost no time after the departure
| of Keeper Campbell. When Warden
/ Fields opened the wicket Pierce was
4 hanging motionless. Warden Fields
! and Keeper Campbell cut him down.
4 Yielding to their efforts, Pierce partly
| revived, but never recovered conscious
ness.
Ali the doctors in Media were sum-
moned, and the first 10 respond were
| Prison Physician }. II. Fronetield and
| E. M. Marshall. They worked IN vain
for several hours.
Ilse news that Jim Pierce had at
| tempted to take his life spread like
| wiIdfire. The first to come to the jail
from Chester were District Attorney
Josiah Smith and Assistant District
Attorney w. j. Schatrer and Piercels
attorneys, W. B. Bromall, Joseph H.
| Hinkson and A. Is. Gear, and Mrs.
Pierce, the wife of the accused man.
Mrs. Pierce went directly to her
husbands side and bent over him as
the last spark of life fled. She was
Joined by the suicides two sisters, and
together the three weeping women left
shortly after Jim's death. The aged
father and mother of the dead man
| came a half hour after he died.