The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-01
ENDED LIFE
 WITH RAZOR Thomas H. Sledge Cut. His.
 ThOat. BODY FOUND IN BED Collector For Furniture House Was in Ill Health. Came from Autauga County, Had Been in Montgomery Twelve Years, Unmarried and
 About 45 Years Old.

Suffering from a lingering disease and tired of the hopeless fight Thomas H. Sledge of 26 Wilkerson street, about 45 years old and unmarried. took his life yesterday morning by cutting his throat with a razor.
 No note or statement was left as to his reason for killing himself. The body with a ghastly wound in the throat, was found lying across a bed yesterday morn ing. Nearby was the keen-edged razor. For years. in the employ of the Tennille Furniture Company on South Court street. one of the most trusted employees of the firm. with no family burdens or cares. no cause for the deed is conceived by his friends except that with his body wasted from a lingering disease he de- c1ded to take his fate in his own hands. When the tragedy occurred, 1t is not known. Indications are that between 6 and : o'clock. Thomas Eledge took his own life. while lying actoSs the bed in his own room
 Coroner w. H. Tice, who was summon ed, returned verdict that Mir. Sledge met death by severfhg his jugular vein with a razor.
 MT. Sledge lived with W. M. Hicks at 26 Wilkerson street. Mrs. Hicks was out of Montgomery and the men were alone in the house. Both men worked for the Tennille Furniture Company as collec- tors. Mir. Sledge was an early riser. He generally reported for work at 2 o'clock. When Mir. Hicks went to the store on Court srreet yesterday morning he inquired for Mir. Sledge. He was informed that Mir. sledge had not come down town. Fearing that his friend was l Ill, MT. Hicks hurried back to the house on ,wilkerson Street.
 Knocking on the door to Mir. Sledge's room, MT. Hicks received no answer. He | went to a window and threw back the blinds. He found his friend lying half dressed on his bed with three deep gashes ranging from ear to ear and the stare of death in his unclosed eyes. As- suring himself that life had left the body. MT. Hicks telephoned for Coroner Tice.
 Mir sledge was lying on the bed on his right side. Near him was the death- dealing razor. On the floor was an ounce ] bottle of morphine. On his left cheek there was a deep gash ranging from the ear to the middle of the face From the left ear to the center of the throat, there was deep gash, completely severing the jugular vein. A shallow gash, evidently inflicted after the other two, ranged from his right ear down the throat. Indications were that death occurred
 
 The bottle of morphine had evidently been spilled before the poison was talk en. It was uncorked and the powder was scattered over the floor.
 The body was taken to the coroner's morgue and prepared for burial. Mir. Sledge had % and a watch in his clothes.
 He was a slender man with blonde com- plexion and a light mustache. He ap- peared to be aUout 45 years old. Au nA VA He was a member of Owassa Tribe, Im- proved Order of Red Men and Lomax Lodge of Odd Fellows.
 Frank Tennille, manager of the Ten nile Furniture Company, said yester- day that for twelve years Mir. SIedRe had been with his company. He came to Montgomery from Autauga county He had always been a conscientious and hard-working man and was implicitly trusted by the management.
 The suicide was ev.Aently committed on the spur of the moment" said Mr. Tennille. When MT. Sledge left the store Saturday night he routed his collections and prepared everything for Mondays work. He had no idea of suicide then. know. He was sober and industrious very quiet and unobtrusive and made himself valuable to us."
 The deceased was unmarried. He has single sister living in Selma who was notified of the tragedy and to whom the body will be shipped this morning.
 In the meantime Owassa Tribe has talk en charge of the remains. A large num- Der Of curious persons visited the n1orgue yesterday afternoon and viewed the body,
 The deceased was a brother of Mrs. Aggie Thompson Vaughan of Selma. The body VIII be buried there to-day by the Odd FelloWs of the Central City.