The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-08
TOO AGED TO
LIVE, EXCUSE
FOR SUICIDE
I'm Living on Borrowed
Time Said Octogenarian
to His son.

After saying that he was Giving on
borrowed time and the time had come
to settle the debt, John Miller. SO years
old, of 4s Webster street. committed
suicide sometime yesterday afternoon
between 3:20 and Ais o'clock by shoot
ing himself in the head.
The suicide was so successfully accom-
plisied that when found 1T was thought
the aged man was merely sleeping.
| The deed was done In a little work.
shop hardly large enough for a man to
work in. in rear OF tho house.
Tho old man apparently had sat down
on a bench, and evidently placed the
muzzle OF the revolver in his mouth and
pulled the trigger, as the only mark found
on the face was little powder mark on
his n1ustache.
The bullet passed through the head and
tame out at the back OF the neck and
buried itself in wooden chest on a shelf
behind him. He was found about 4.2o
o'clock by his nephew. Chauncey q. Beck
v.ith who was looking for him.
Miller was last seen about 3 O'clock by
his niece, Mrs Beckwlth, IN the sitting
room.
A little later, Wishing to tell him some
thing, she asked her husband to find her
uncle.
BecKwitIi worked at night and had just
lisen from bed. He went through the
different rooms of the house, and then went
out into the little workshop, in which the
dead man spent SO many hours and fourd
him apparently sleeping.
Just as he wns about TO turn away ne
noticed a revolver lying at the old man :
feet. He then shook the man and found
that he was dead
Beckwith ran to the house and notified
the family Of his discovery.
Immediately the son of the dead man
was notified. and the police Of the Second
Precinct station and County Physician
Elliott were notified.
When Miller arrived home the coun-
ty physician had already visited the scene
Ct the shooting, and after an examination
Of the body pronounced 1t a case Of suicide,
and granted permission for a burial per-
nit
A strange part of the tragedy is, that
though children were playing in the back
yard, near the workshop, and a number Of
workmen were busy in stable next door,
directly adjoining the little shed, no one
heard the discharge of the gun,
When seen this morning, Miller said
! the act of his father was great surprise
to him.
my father had been unwell for dozen
years" he said. His health was poor,
and his eyesight was so affected that he
was compelled to. use cane in walking.
He was also very feeble, being nearly SO
years old
"often he would say to me, in a sad
tone OF voice. My boy, I am only living
on borrowed time My age Of usefulness
is passed, and now T am burden'"
81 would answer: Never mind, pop,
you are good for many moons yet, Just
take things easy Miller said his father
had never been the same man since his
wife died, about eighteen years ago. He
always seemed to think that he was bur
densome to the family, and that they would
be happier with him out of the way
But everyone Of US just loved the dear
old gentleman said Miller, "and / know
his niece, Mrs. Beckwith and her husband
thought the world of him. His sudden end,
and the method he resorted to to reach it
is a shock to us all
The dead man owned the house at 4s
Webster street. but for a long time had
lived with his niece, Mrs. Beckwith
The funeral will be held Sunday after
noon from the late home Of the deceased,
and interment will be in Fairmount Gene
terry.