The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-06-20
WITH PISTOL AND POISON.
Determined Effort of Young BUSH
ness Man Of Charlotte to Commit
Suicide.

After telling his mother goodbye
over the phone and taking enough
laudanum to have killed three men,
Thomas Marvin Brookshire> shot him.
self in the office of Long Bros store,
on South College street, last night.
The bullet entered the right breast
above the lungs, and did not make a
mortal wound. The laudanum nause-
ated Brookshire and he threw it up.
But he declares that he intends to
die by his own hands and that he will
kill himself at the first opportunity.
The shooting occurred at IL o'clock.
There was a muff1ed report which a
negro on the outside of the store heard
He peered through the glass in the
front doors and saw a man writing
on the floor He ran to the police sta
ton and reported what he had seen
to the police.
Policeman Pitts and Summerrow
went to the store as fast as the patrol
ago could TAX them. They found
Brookshire sitting in a small chair,
bathed in blood. and weak but per-
fectly conscious. Blood covered the
office; was on the desk. on all papers,
was sprinkled over a revolving chair,
and there was a trail of it in the store,
showing that after Brookshire had
shot himself he had walked or crawl
ed to the outer room and had return
ed before the officers arrived.
A large bottle containing laudanum,
with two-thirds of the contents gone,
lay on the desk. Despite Brook
Shire'S evident nausea the policemen
feared that the poison that he had
absorbed, together with the loss of
blood, might cause his speedy death;
and they began using both phones to
summon physicians.
At this time an Observer reporter
arrived. and heard Brookshire beg
ging the officers not to send for a
doctor. please let me die" he said
again and again. His voice was even
and calm and there was no excitement
in his manner
~"Brookshire, what is all this about?"
asked the reporter.
II am tired he replied, in a defect
ed way. Il have wished to die for
three days. Trouble, yes / nave a
great deal of trouble. Everything has
tired of living. You needn't try to pull
me through this, for 1 shall kill my
self sooner or later"
Two physicians, followed by half a
dozen men. entered the room and made
a hurried examination, which the in
1ured man resented, though not In
a petulant way. What's the use?" he
declared. Il may get well, but / won't
fail next time" Much kind speech
from persons in the office had no eff
feet in decreasing B~rookshire's mel
ancholla. He had a clean-cut, strong
face and clear eyes. and he prayed
for noting but his w death. He was
taken TO the hospital, where an opera
ton was performed: the bullet being
extracted from the right breast close
to the throat. His physicians believe
he will recover
The young mar is a son of Mr.. and
Mrs. Benjamin W. Brookshire. who
live at 402 East Ninth street. His ia
Their is not in town at present. His
relatives and friends have noticed
nothing strange in Brookshire's de-
meanor-no morbidness or detection.
They assign no cause for the deed
Brookshire is n of h book-keep-
ers for Long Bros, and in addition is
a partner in the commission firm OF
Brookshire & Company One Of his
friends said last night that recently
certain commissions hat this firm
had received from b Armour Pack
ing Company had been transferred to
another concern, and that Brookshire
had developed a case Of the blues over
the fact. Beyond this there Is no clue
to the reason in his suicidal mania
Charlotte Observer.