Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-27
CRAZED BY
OSLER IDEA
EPISCOPAL CLERGYMAN CUTS
THROAT WITH RAZOR
THOUGHT HIS USEFULNESS HAD
DEPARTED
Was Intimate Friend Of Bishop Potter
and Prominent In Theological
Work In United States
and England

Crazed by brooding on the theory Of
DR.. Osler that all men over sixty should
be chloformed. and broken-hearted be-
was prohibited by extreme age, Rev. Ed
ward H. Jewett 80 years old, and one of
the greatest theologians of his time, COM
mitted suicide yesterday afternoon about
/ o'clock at the foot of Fifth street, on
Manhattan Beach, by cutting his throat
with a razor. He died at 9 o'clock last
night.
\ According to the deceased's son~in-law,
Rev. Angus M. Porter, who has for
three years been rector of the Episcopal
church in Redlands, Cal, the Rev. Jew
ett was an intimate friend of Bishop
Potter and other high dignitaries of the
Episcopal church in the United States
and England, of which latter country the
preacher was a native.
Rev Jewett left the Porter home at the
foot of Sixth street in Manhattan about
noon yesterday, and was not seen by his
son-in-law and daughter again until a
party of strangers, who discovered the
body, carried the dying pastor to the
house.
DR.. Mcmillan of Redondo was summon
ed and worked for hours over the bleed
ing man, who was unconscious, but the
efforts Of science were unavailing.
Mrs Porter, daughter of the deceased,
was driven to the verge of madness by
the horror of her fathers DEATH and Rev.
Porter almost collapsed after the tragedy
When asked what he believed to be the
cause of his father-in-law's suicide Rev.
Porter said: Father has been brooding
for months over the theory of DR.. Osler
"a short time ago he startled my wife
and myself by saying: old men ought to
be killed from pure kindness. 1t is not
just an old man should be compelled to
live by society when he has become so
weak-minded he can no longer benefit So
ciety. / wish some one would end my
life by striking me on the head and
breaking my skull with stick. I am
sick of life. can't read any longer.
am almost blind What is the use of my
being burden on younger people until
slow death sees At to remove me-?
REV. Jewett would sit for hours and
look out on the ocean. 1t was pathetic
He would often say to me- The ocean
so kind. 1t is so warm and peaceful. 1
would like to go into eternity and sleep
my grief and sickness away
Father has suffered all of his life from
pcute rheumatism. Within the last two
weeks w had two fits of apopiexy. The
psin I'm his rheumatism constantly
s,iaTasssE Ahip and robbed him Of happi-
"RevG Sett also became quite de-
sponde4t lscause his eyes were SO weak
that he couldn't read Books have al
ways been the joy of his life.
81 never thought he would ever kill
himself, although he often fell into fits of
dependency.
This noon saw him in his room up
stairs. called him to lunch short time
after and, hearing no reply looked out of
the window in search of him.
"An awful sight met my eyes. Father
was being carried to our house by
strangers who had discovered him after
he had cut his throat with razor.
Il asked him why he tried to kill him
self. He said: I cut deep, deep, Deep
But why did you do it?' I asked. He
said: I sdo not know. 1 did not know
what I was doing
REV. Jewett had long and honorable
life. and even In his eightieth year ha
showed wonderful intelligence on alb
struce subjects, although on material and
practical things of ordinary life he often
showed childishness. He recently took to
abusing my wife and me, and seemed to
believe that we wanted to annoy him. On
the contrary, we have always loved him
and been very kind to him. We realized
that he was a poor old man, the wreck
of a magnificent intellectual giant, and
his seniltty only spurred us to greater
tenderness and pity"
The Porters moved from Redlands to
Manhattan Beach but a few weeks ago,
with the intention of benefting Rev.
Jewetts health. The heavy winds from
the sea, however, the Porters say, tended
to aggravate his rheumatism, and his
melancholy spirit gathered more sorrow
than the ancient brain and exhausted
body could stand.
An inquest will be held today by the
coroner.