The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-17
NEAR To
DEATH
John CIR aham Tries
to End His
Life.
HIS PLANS WERE
CAREFULLY LAID
Took Fluid Poison and Notified
Norman Watkins by Note
of intention.

| Despondent and worried over none!
matters and poor business at his lunci
house on the mauka side of Hote
street, near Nuuanu avenue. John Ora
| ham, once clerk for the Hawaiian
Fertilizer Works, made an unsuccess
full effort to commit suicide yesterday
at noon at the rooming house of Mr.
Hopkins, Vineyard street, and he i;
now at the Queens Hospital lowering
/ between life and death. A small bot
tie which had contained a poison was
| found near the man. 1t was nearly
empty, but enough is left for the police
to have it analysed. For hours yester-
day the hospital staff worked over the
almost inanimate form of Graham to
save his life. Occasionally he would
wake into a maudlin consciousness
but again relapse into a heavy SUM
ber each time seemingly bringing him
near to death.
On table in the room in which the
attempt was made to end his life, Ora
ham had left the following note. dated
July 16. and written with a pencil, di-
rected to Nr. Hopkins:
In case of anything happening to me
or in case Of sudden death, please no
tify as soon as possible Mr.. Normanl
Watkins, who lives on School street
near the Bridge, between Nuuanu and
Fort, or at his office, the Hawaiian Fer
tilizer Company, up stairs in Brewers
building, on Queen street.
JOHN GRAHAM"
The Writing was neat and showed no
evidences OF nervousness except in the
signature, which displayed many wa
vering and uncertain markings.
During the forenoon Graham called I
at the residence of Mr. Watkins and |
eft some money in Mrs. watkins keep
Up by telephone but to wait until he !
came home. Mrs. Watkins thought /
was wrong and as soon as
Graham left the door she rang up her
husband. He also suspected that Ora
lam was likely to do something rash
md he at once left the Office and went
20 Graham's room. The moment he
entered his fears were confirmed for
here upon his bed lay Graham, groan-
ng and gasping and apparently in the
hroes OF death. Watkins at once
tarted for the police station He found
Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth at the
Grill having his lunch, and both re-
urned to the room. Graham was evil
lently in a bad way and the police
Don had him en- route to the hospital
n the patrol wagon. A search of the
DOM yielded the almost enptied bot
lie and the note as above.
During Grahams waking moments
he physicians tried to get him to say
mat he had used as poison but be-
ond a few inarticulate mumblings
othing could be got from him. The
ottle which held the fluid is apparent
Z fresh from a drug store, as sawdustl
as chnging to the neck and the cork
as new. There had been a label on
he side, but apparently Graham had
AIKEN the trouble to scrape this off.
,aving only traces of the paper In
MS way he destroyed the means of
scertaining from which drug store the
-un was obtained. What struck
equity Sheriff Chillingworth as pecu-
ar was the odor of the essence of pep
armint which filed the room of Ora
am when he was found, and it is be-
eyed that he must have taken a guam
~ OF this after taking the poison. His
ps were not burned, although the low
one was quite swollen
John Graham is apparently an Ameri-
N, about As years of age, and unmar-
ed. He has not been in the best of
rcumstanees recently and the bust
IS at his lunch stand has not been
cd MI Watkins has helped him on
any occasions and assisted him to es-
bhsh the stand
Late last night the hospital authori- r.
$ reported that Graham was out of
niger and would undoubtedly recover.