The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-26
into The WOODS
He WENT To Die
SUICIDE WAS DELIBERATE
NO CLUE TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY
OF DEAD MAN.

Lett Note Saying He Committed Sui
eide Because He Was Old, Poor,
and Without EmpIOyment-Haa
No Relatives and County, He Said.
Must Bury Him-Laudanum Bottle
Told How Death Had COme-NO
Clue Furnished at Pharmacy
Where Drug Was Bought.
Homeless, friendless and despairing
of securing employment an unidenti
fed man walked into the woods near
Thunderbolt, and after arranging a
bed swallowed the contents of a two
ounce bottle of laudanum during the
last week. The suicide was deliberate
and the man had taken every precau-
ton to conceal his identity.
The suicide was evidently committed
on Monday or Tuesday night and time
had made such ravages on the face of
the dead that it scarcely resembled
that of a human being when found
yesterday morning. AS soon as he was
notified of the finding of the body Act
ing Coroner Naughtin hurried to the
scene. After viewing the body and re-
moving all articles of clothing, which
he hoped might lead to identification,
he gave the order for burial.
The suicide was man of excep-
tionally good physique. He was about
feet 8 or inches in hight and APP
parently weighed about 1856 pounds He
had a heavy head of gray hair, indi-
eating that he was a man of probably
80 to So years of age. The face was
so disfigured that no idea of the mans
appearance in this regard could be
gained. He was neatly dressed and
his linen was apparently just from the
laundry.
That the suicide had been deliberate
ly planned and calmly and coolly car
ried out, everything about the body in
dictated. The man had taken off his
coat and folded it into a pillow, and
on this his head rested. A few feet
from his head lay his collar, the neck
tie neatly wrapped about it, as though
to hold it in position until it's owner
had finished a short nap. A few feet
farther away lay the empty laudanum
bottle, as though the man had drained
it's contents and then carefully cast it
aside.
His Pathetic Justification.
In the pockets of his coat was a pro-
gramme of the play given at the Ca
sino during the first three days of the
week. In the vest pocket was $1.35,
all in silver. Protruding from the side
pocket of the coat was a small book
let, containing outlines of Bible study,
arranged for use in Sunday schools.
On the front page of the book the
name and address of the suicide had
been written, though this had been
nearly obliterated. The erasure had
been made by wetting the thumb and
then drawing it across the writing,
thus removing the writing and part
of the paper. All that could be made
out of the name and address were the
words ELLIS street." and the first let
ter of the name. Even this was so
badly blurred that it was impossible
to tell whether it was an R a B or
a P.
Left Note to Explain.
On the cover on the other side of the
book the suicide had written a little
note, written in Justification of his
taking his own life This writing,
though slightly blurred by the heavy
dews and rains, was legible. The writ
ing was firm and regular and read:
Il have no desire to live longer. 1
am poor and old and without employ
ment. There Is no use for an under
taker to hold my body, since I have
no relatives. The county will have to
bury me-"
There was nothing else about the
body to indicate whose it was. The
suicide had tried to destroy all evil
dence of his identity and it seems as
though he has succeeded completely
No Clue at Drug store.
The empty laudanum bottle contain
ed the markings of Knights Pharmacy
at Drayton street and Oglethorpe ave-
nue. Inquiry at the pharmacy, how
ever, revealed nothing. Neither the
day nor the night force could recollect
having seen such a man as the suicide
apparently was, in the store, and all
hopes of learning who he was from this
source have vanished.
There is nothing by which we could
tell" said the night man at the drug
store, ito whom we sold the bottle of
laudanum. We sell considerable of 1t,
and if the party asking for 1t appears
reliable, of unsuspicious character and
has a good reason for wishing 1T, we
sell it to him We are constantly get
ting calls for laudanun1. and as 1t is
an article used for external applica--
lions in many cases. we generally sell
1t at once.
Prom the descriptions, I do not be-
lieve the man had been in here, or
some one would have remembered him.
And even had we taken down his name
when we sold the drug, 1t would prove
little. He was. beyond doubt, con-
templating suicide when he bought the
laudanum, and, wishing to conceal his
identity, he would undoubtedly have
given a false name"