Evening star., 1901-12-26
SOUGHT SoLAcE IN DEATH
FORMER CoLoRED MINISTER COM
MITs SUICIDE IN HILLsDALE.
Cut His Throat With n Razor I'm n
Stable Immediately I'm Rear
of His Home.

John NJ. Shippen. colored. who was for
merly minister. ffty-four years old, COM
mitted suicide this morning about $3.50
O'Clock by cutting his Throat with razor.
The deed occurred in one of the stalls of
stable in the rear of his premises on Mich
OILS avenue. Hillsdale. He was discovered a
few moments after the commission of the
act by his wife, Mrs. Eliza Shippen, who
noting his absence from the house went
to the rear yard to ascertain his where
abouts. She heard crowns proceeding from
the stable. and on entering found her hus-
band PROSTATE on the floor with a large
wound in his throat, from which the blood
was pouring freely. Life was not quite eN-
tinct when Mrs. Shipper found the body
but the unfortunate man was unable TO
speak word.
sistance and Charles Helm, a twelve-year-
old colored lad. responded. He was sent to
notify the authorities of the occurrence
Oficers w E. Stewart and T. A. Lusby
answered the summons, with Sergeant W.
I. Anderson. They took charge of the
stable, and no one was allowed to enter
the place. In the meantime the coroner
had been notified
The police were satisfied from their in
spection of the stable that Mr.. Shipper had
undoubtedly committed suicide A pool IF
blood rested In one corner of the stall, the
sides of which bore many spots of the same.
the imprint of the bloody fingers of the
dead man, made as he had clutched the
boards in his fall. Officer Lusby founi a
razor lying near the body. 1t was Identified
as belonging to Henry Shipper, one of the
sons of the dead man.
MRS. Shippen was so overcome with grief
by the sad occurrence that she was scarcely
able to tell the officers her story.
The Shippen family is a weii-known one
in Hillsdale. and some of its members oc-
cupy positions outside of this city, it is
stated. They were not disposed to discuss
the matter at ALL
For month or more the deceased min
lister, 1t was learned, had been under the
care OF DR.. Richard A. Pyles of Anacostia.
he was troubled with nervous attacks, and
was frequently in respondent moods. In
his conversation recently he was wont to
refer often to some alleged injustice done
him In a recent business transaction the
details Of which have been gossip around
H1llsdale for some time. The members of
despondency.
The news that Mr. Shippen had commit
ted suicide spread quickly throughout the
village, and a crowd of curious people soon
gathered about the premises, among which
were a number of the dead mans friends
who. being told Of his condition, could as
cribe no cause for the deed. Mr.. Shippen
mad not followed the ministry for some
time. He was a graduate Of the theological
department of Howard University. He left
Hnlsdale with his family about twelve
years ago, it is said. and received an ap-
pointment as pastor of a Presbyterian
church in South Hampton, N Y He re-
turned to his old home three years ago, and
went in the grocery business on Nichols
avenue, following the business up to the
time OF his tragic end. He has always
shared In the work of the Citizens Asso-
citation and at the recent opening of the
Birney School.
A widow and eight children survive him.
Coroner hewitt viewed the remains of Mr.
SllDDen rendered of
suicide and gave permission to remove
them