Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-10-02
KILLED HIMSELF WHILE
DESPONDENT OVER
ILLNESS
Emanuel Matthews. MdChin.
iSt. Fired Shot Into His
Heart While In Bed
This Morning.
NATURAL DEATH
ONLY WEEK AWAY
Physicians Warned Him That He
Could Live But a Short Time
But He Did Not Want
to Burden His
Relatives.

Knowing that he could not live a
week at the longest and respondent
because of long illness Emanuel
Matthews, machinist of San Fran
cisco 81 years old. ended his suffer
ings at O'Clock this morning by
shooting himself through the heart
as he lay in bed after a sleepless
night, in his room at 1104 North
Second street.
The man was in the last stages of
tuberculosis and came to New Mex
leo too late to receive any benefit
from the health restoring climate.
An aged. father was en- route from
California to be at the young mans
bedside when the end came.
A brother, William V. Matthews,
who brought the patient here a short
time ago, was sleeping in the adjoin-
ing room and heard the shot which
ended the sufferers life. He enter
ed the room and then called a doc
tor whose services were never need
ed, death having been almost instan-
taneous.
Held Pistol Under BedcIothes.
Matthews held the pistol with
which he killed himself, under the
bedclothes and the report of the
shot did not awaken any one in the
house except the brother, who was
accustomed to awakening at the
slightest sound or call from the sick
chamber.
1t was several hours before others
In the house learned that the young
man had ended his own life.
The body was removed to the Bor-
der undertaking apartments al
Fourth street and Gold avenue for
embalming. 3
The deceased left a family.
The suicide was a particularly pa
thetic one. The young man had
fought with all his will power to re-
gain his health knowing that a wife
depended upon him for support.
Had Long Been Despondent.
His case was a malignant one and
sapping his strength of will as well
as his physical powers.
He had been despondent ever
since he realized that there was no
hope and It is said he had threaten
ed to end his sufferings by suicide
he was becoming burden upon his
relatives and friends and this also
preyed upon his mind although they
did everything in their power to
make his last days comfortable.
He had not been able to work for
nearly two years and was dependent
upon his family for support.
VIII BE Buried Here.
Another brother, who lives in CAL
ifornia, has also been notified and
may come here to the funeral AS
the family has no relatives in Cali
fornia it is probable that the body
will be buried here. Emanuel Mat
thews has been married three and a
half years and was in vigorous
health until two years ago when he
contracted the dread disease. Upon
coming to Albuquerque he and his
brother first lived in the Highlands,
but for the lasr two months have
-
Emanuel had a dread of hospitals
and preferred to live in a private
house rather than stay in a sanitar-
lum where he could have received
better care From the beginning.
however, he Knew that his days were
numbered and the slow approach Of
death kept him in an almost con-
tinual state of dependency.
A coroner's inquest Will be held
today over the body.