The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-21
BRlNSON LAUDANUM'S VICTIM.
WelI-KnOwn Young Man of Augusta
Committed Suicide at Screven

Committed suicide at Screven
House.
Ostensibly because he could not make
success of life. A. c. Brinson OF Augusta.
committed suicide in his room at the
screven House early yesterday morning.
The discovery was made by a chamber
maid. but the respondent young man was
already passing into another world.
Police Surgeon Osborne was summoned
and worked hard to kindle the last spark
of life in the mans body. but nothing
could save him. Brinson left a letter
giving as his reason for his rash act that
he could not make a success of any Of
his undertakings. This may or may not
have been the truth.
Laudanum was used by the young man
in his determination to end his existence
and the cat was to all appearances coolly
and calmly contemplated. From the sur
roundings he smoked cigars as he quaffed
the fatal draugh. The four empty bottles
in the room had contained nine ounces of
the deadly drug, but it is not established
that he took all of the liquid. Cigar
stumps were scattered over the floor and
between puffs.
Brinson came to Savannah Friday and
registered al the Screven House for sup
per. To all apparences he was in good
spirits, and in no way did he show the
true condition of his mind. He mingled
with the other guests of the hotel and
was quite sociabie. No change was no
ticed Tuesday, although il was on that
day that he purchased the three ounces
of laudanum obtained in Savannah. To
one druggist he gave the name j. @.
Clark and said that he wanted the lauda-
mum for his brothers tooth. To another
he said it was 10 be used to sootn his
babys earache.
No one seems to know just what time
Brnson retired, but he was heard to
groan at 1920 o o'clock. A lodger in the
adjoining room recalled yesterday morn
ing that he had heard a peculiar noise
III the room, but had not given the mat
ter a second thought. He had no rea-
son to suppose that fellow boarder was
ending his own life, and turned over and
went to sleep. The same noise was
heard by a passing chamber maid in the
morning and the clerks and bell boys
were summoned. The door was locked
and a porter crawled through the tran
| som and unlocked it from the inside.
! Brinson was on the bed in the last throes
| of death. The four empty bottles marked
| daudanum told the story and the letter
the young man left behind verified it.
| The six-ounce bottle had been purchased
| from the Videtto Drug Company in Au-
gusta, and the ounce bottles from Masonic
! Temple Pharmacy, Livingstons and
| Jones'.
The fact that Brinson lived so long
after taking the drug prompted the the
| DRY that he had been in the habit of
using it for some purpose. This too is
borne out by the fact that he purchased
a large quantity of the laudanum in
Augusta and no one is of che opinion
that he contemplated suicide at that
time. He had probably already used
some of the drug in the larger bottle and
it is not thought that he took the entire
nine ounces at one time.
! Although Brinson made reference in his
| letter to the fact that he had been I'M
successful repeatedly, SIS was found in
| his pockets. He also had a watch and
chain and ten finger rings. His uncle A.
c. Brinson was notified of the suicide and
arrived in the city last night. The news
I was a great shock to him and he could
throw no additional light on the homi-
eide. He stated that he would return to
Augusta with the remains this morning
and the interment will take place in that
| city.
Brinson was % years old and had been
employed by a news agency on the trains
running between Atlanta and Augusta.
He was also known in Savannah, and had
| several acquaintance here. He was con
sdered a bright young man, and his
| tragic death caused much surprise at his
| home. Coroner Keller decided that an
| inquest was unnecessary, and the remains
were turned over to Undertaken Dixon.
The note that the young man left was
written in pencil, and follows:
Wire my uncle, A. c. Brinson, Per-
klns Manufacturing Company, Augusta
and f. d. Terry, Nan Nor News Com
pany, Augusta. Send my clothes to my
brother, Ike Brinson and my money ia
the bank and all the other money due me
from news companies 10 my mother.
have money in Atlanta Union News Com
pany.
II have nothing to. live for. loose
money every thing go at, so cant
| understand II. / had rather be dead thar
to live here worried to death all the
time am A. c. Brinson."
On the reverse of the paper appeared
Dear Uncle Adam: Please bury me IL
augusta Cemetery and see that l am wei
put away, IL 1t takes all my money"
Brnson was engaged to a young lady
in Augusta, and no one in that city sus
pected that he was respondent.
GIVEN EIETEEN XEhPC