Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-04-11
GRIEF TOO GREAT
Commits Suicide Because of the
Death Of His NeIce.
A LITTLE BABY GIRL

Was Short in His Accounts Several
Hundred Dollars, But His Employ.
ees are Certain That That Had
Nothing to DO With His Killing
Himself, as He Could Have Re.
placed 1t.
| A night Of grief and despondency
IN Oakland cemetary at the grave of
ms Nttie niece. the penciling of
| note at daybreak saying that he was
short $500 in his accounts and two
hours afterwards pistol shot-these
were the final incidents in the trag-
edy OF Robert s. Stewart, who com
mitted suicide near 1913 Gilmer street
Atlanta. Ga, on Wednesday morning
of last week
Tne Journal says Stewart was
bookkeeper for the Harper-Weathers
and Callfcott Mule company, where
for the past six years he has been
one or the most highly valued and
| trusted men in the Office Shortly
after two o'clock Tuesday afternoon
he left his desk. ostensibly for home.
lie lived with his parents in West
End, near Gordon and Cascade ave-
nue.. When night came Stewart had
not returned. No alarm was felt
however. until about O'Clock his
mother telephoned the office and said
that he had not been seen at the
house since breakfast. Apprehen-
sion was increased from the fact that
he was known to be in i'll health A
search was begun for him.
| On going to the safe IN mt IN tho
books for the night. w. c. Harper.
head OF the Harper-Weathers & Cal
licott company. found due bill that
Stewart had left and which stated
that he was indebted to the firm for
something like $500. The next seen
of the bookkeeper was on Moore
street at seven o'clock Wednesday
morning. friend spoke to him and
| tried to persuade nan to go home
| No" he answered. as If in
dream. I'm going back to the Gem
etary. I've spent the night there by
Leonora's grave"
Then he disappeared
In deserted outhouse near 1913
Gilmer street a pistol report rang
out about S:30 o'clock.
negro waeherwoman, frightened
by the noise ran over to the shanty
She found Robert Stewart stretched
|
tol wound through his heart His
hat had fallen behind him and nearby
lay half-smoked cigar, still burn
| ing, that he had laid aside to fire the
shot.
In the dead mans vest pocket was
| found note, penciled in a firm bus
mess hand on three seperate scraps
of paper, one part of a National
bank check and the other two sheets
from scratch pad. In this last mes
sage, he intimated that he had lost
1000 OF the company's money last
Christmas at a place he does not
name, and that he was crazed with
grief for the loss of his sisters lit
tie child, Leonora Sedden, who died
last Thursday. He vaguely hints of
a disappointed love. declared that he
was weary of living and ended with
saying:
Love God. He is good. and you
will know 1t some day, some time"
From this letter 1t also appears
that Stewart had gone to Oakland
Kill himself by the child's grave. He
writes:
II went to the little darling IS
grave to die, but was prevented from
doing SO. My last request Is that you
lay me by the little darling"
That Stewart's self-infiicted death
was the outcome of grief for this
baby as we'll as despohdenCy over his
, shortage in accounts many incidents
Of the past few days go to indicate
With his aged parents, Mr.. and Mrs
W. +. Stewart, he has lived far out
from the city on Cascade avenue, In
, the most thinly settled neighborhoot
Z of West End. In the family were
. also his sisters Mrs Helena Adams
I Mrs. f. u. Stewart and Mrs. Earl!
= Sedden It was little Leonora sed
den, the 20-months-old daughter o
n the later who died last Thursday
a from her birth Stewart had an af
I lection for the child that was almos
d miraculous. All Of his hours from
!. work he spent in playing with he
r. and she returned his love as if h
O had been her father. Last Thursda
, the baby died and was buried in Oak
l. land cemetary two days later. FroT
y then until Tuesday Mr.. Stewart
health, which for a year had bee
o i'll. more and more rapidly declined
Is In speaking of the suicide, w.
,e Harper. of the HarperWeathers
d Callicott Co.. said:
N II am sure that the shortage |
p Mr.. Stewards accounts Is due to n
is criminal intent on his part. His e.
1- penses were heavy. though he wa
" unmarried, and no doubt in time h
would have made good every cent {
his Indebtedness. Prehaps we sha
find on examining the books that til
deficit is not so great as he though
1t was. During the six years he ha
been with us, his work has been
the highest character. and we r.
re garded him very highly, as we sti