The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-03
RYDER DRANK CARBOLIC ACID Crazcd With Grief He At- tempted Suicide. HE DRANK HALF AN OUNCE Poured Drug Into Glass of
 Beer.
 Dpthan Man Would Follow Dead Wife to the drave-Beer Had Negative Effect and He Will
 Probably Recover.

ago, made an unsuccessful attempt dt suicide at 10 o'clock yesterday morning. He drank half of an ounce bottle of carbolic aacoid in a glass of beer in the Exchange bar.
 The beer had a negative influence on the destructive qualities of the acid and this coupled with the fact that he re- ceivcd almost immediate medical atten. ton probably saved his life. The deed was deliberately planned. The unhappy man came to Montgomery to arrange some insurance matters and to commit suicide. The attempt at suicide was made here because Ryder wished to at- tend to some detaaii matters about in- surance policies which he held in three different companies.
 He was driven to that desperate mode of ending his life by grief for his wife. who died on the 18th of March. He had brooded over his loss until life be- came unbearabie and he resolved to end it. His business affairs have not been satisfactory recently and this. too. gave him cause for worry.
 MT. Ryder is a blacksmith and con ducts carriage shop in Dothan under the name of the Eagle Carriage Works lie has been. it is said. moderately suc- cessful in his business affairs. He had one child, a son. bue he and his wife ndQ aOOpteu uauEnteIs oiiCt HtS Wht death he has brooded constantly. Be fore he took the acid yesterday morning he told a friend in Montgomery that he had walked the floor night after night thinking of his dead wife. He could hardly bear to go home. hc said, to be constantly reminded of her.
 Mir. Ryder came to Montgomery yes tcrday morning He went to the Clifton House and left h,s satchcl. He also paid A. in advance for his board. From the Clifton House he went to the insur- ,ancc agenccy or B. J. Well & Co.,. on Lee Street. He had a policy in a com pany that they represented on which premium was due. He paid the premium and took an order on the company's agent at Dothsn to whom the official receipt had been sent for the receipt. He sat some time in the office in con vcrsation with Mir. Well. He said nothing unusual nor was his behavior out of the ordinary.
 He next went over to the Loeb Car riage Works on Commerce Street. a house with which he had done considerable business. He paid a bill which he owed and discussed rather freely his private affairs with J. Loeb of the firm. He told MT. Loeb of his grief and his suf- fering because of the death of his wife. He said that at his home he was haunted with memories of his wife. He said that his business affairs were not satis- factory and he thought of selling out and going to Texas He wrote a note while he was at MT. Loeb's place of business.
 He went from there to the office of James s. Willcox, agent for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. Here he had conversation with Charles Harris of the office force. MT. Ryder li tl,A 4I.o life of his dead wife. Mrs. Ryder at the time of her death was insured for 1000. This policy was made payable to her hus band. Mr. Ryder told Mr. Harris that he wanted the check for the amount of the policy which was expected within three weeks to be paid to his son. Mir. Harris explained to him that 1t would be no trouble at all to transfer the check when he received it to his son.
 But I don't know where I'll be when the check comes. I don't know what will become of me D
 Mir Harris said that he talked incohe- rently for some time. but he paid but lit- tie attention to him. as he thought that perhaps he was under the influence of some intoxicant.
 Mir Ryder appeared in the Exchange bar at 10 o'clock. He was perfectly sober. He walked to the counter and called for a glass of beer. The beer was handed him by Ed Cunningham. He poured half the contents of a small bottle into the glass and drained it down.
 He set the glass back on the counter and with it the ounce bottle half full of carbolic acid. He showed a note to Gun ningham. saying:
 Send this message for a poor man. I have taken a fatal dose."
 He walked to the sidewalk and stood perhaps a minute. returning then to the bar.
 "I didn't pay you for that beer, did I?' he said to Cunningham as he handed him the nickel. He then walked out of the bar and down Commerce Street to the Domestic Drug Store half a block from the Exchange bar. The note which he had left on the counter with the bottle of carbolic acid was poorly written in pencil. It read:
 Please send this message for poor man. J. A. Ryder"
 Miss Annie Ryder Dothan. Ala: Too late to send things. l have taken fatal dose"
 The barkeeper was mystifed at the message and the bottle and could hardly appreciate that tragedy had been all most played out before him.
 When MT. Ryder walked into the Do- mestic Drug Store he told Clerk Huddles- ton that he was very sick and wanted a place to sit down. The clerk directed him to the rear apartment Of the store where he found chair Directly after taking his seat hc was seized with convulsions.