The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-03-16
HIS OWN TRAGEDY
After Reading Cato's Solilo-
guy Peter Crowley Takes
Ills Life.
SHOOTS HIMSELF IN A CAB
Gives an Assumed Name at
Hospital. But Is Identified
By His Mother.

Peter ]. Crowley, of Bayonne, formerly
salesman for the Seigel-C Cooper Com
pany, attempted to commit suicide while
riding in a coach in Erie street early this
morning. He is lying in critical con-
dition with a bullet hole through his liver.
About half-past four o'clock this morn
! ing Thomas Boyle, employed as a coach
driver by Justice of the Peace and Livery
! man John Duffy, while in charge of a
coach in Exchange place was approached
| by a well-dressed man of about twenty
seven years of age, who said he wanted
to be driven to ST. Francis Hospital.
There was nothing suspicious in his man
| ner. He was calmly smoking a cigar
when he entered the coach Boyle drove
up Montgomery street and Newark ave-
nue. and turned into Erie street.
Between Fourth and Fifth streets he
was startled to hear the report of a pis-
tol inside the coach. He stopped and dis
mounting opened the door of the coach
to see what was the matter. His pas
senger was leaning back in his seat,
I moaning piteously. Boyle called Police
man John Reddy to the scene. Reddy
made an examination and found that the
stranger had shot himself in the back
The coach was driven to the Seventh
street police station and from there to
the City Hospital, as is required in such
cases. The stranger was able to walk
from the coach to the hispital. On the
seat he had vacated in the coach was
found a revolver of 42-calibre with one
of the chambers empty.
AT the station house he gave his name
as Charles Peters and residence as Nor
ton House, New York. Cards were found
in his pocket bearing the name w. c..
Crowley and M. Bruening; also business
card of Hartwell, Williams & Kingston,
No. 49 Westminster street, Providence,
R. I. Another card bore the inscription,
49, 665 Courtland''-a telephone call. The
man said dependency caused him to at
tempt to take his life.
AT the hospital he was later recognized
by Mrs. M. H. Crowley of Providence.
who is visiting at No. 1o3 Evergreen
street, Bayonne, as her son, Peter j.
Crowley. A card on which was written
a request that Mrs. M. H. Crowley, of
the above address, be notified, was found
in his clothes after the first search.
The telephone number on the card was
first called up and the call was answered
by a man who said he was Mr.. Bruning.
Mr.. Bruning came over to Jersey City and
visited the hospital He said the man
was not the Crowley he knew.
At the Morton House in New York it
was said that Charles Peters registered
there on March 6, and nothing further
was known. He had no baggage and
paid his board from day to day.
He carried two books constantly about
with him. One of them contained Cato's
"Soliloquy of DEATH" which he read over
and over again. He even held up the bell
| boys and read it to them, it was said at
the hotel today.
| He had been drinking steadily. Yester-
! day he had one of the bellboys look up
the time table of trains for Trenton.
you know I don't really come from
Boston," he said. That's only make be-
lieve. My home is in Trenton and am
| going there"
| With his two books under his arm he
set out for Jersey City, to take train for
| Trenton.
| Among the papers found in his pockets
was slip on which was written an ex-
| tract from a poem headed, Passage
taken from an oration spoken at the
grave of a dear young friend by G.
r. k