The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-04-12
GRIEF TOO GREAT
Commits Suicide Because of the
Death of.His Nelce.
A LITTLE BABY GIRL

Was Short in His Accounts Several
Hundred Dollars, But His Employ.
ccs are Certain That That Had
Nothing to DO With His Killing
Himself, rs IIc Could Have Re-
placed 1t.
night of grief and despondency
III oakland cemetary at the grave of
MS little niece, the penciling OF a
note at daybreak saying that he was
short 5000 In his accounts and two
hofrs afterwards q pistol shot-these
were the final Incidents in the trag-
edy of Robert S. Stewart, who com
mitted suicide near 1913 Gilmer street
Atlanta, Ca, on Wednesday morning
OF last week.
Inc Journal says Stewart was
Dookkeepcr for the Harper-W Gathers
and Callicott Mule company, where
for the past six years he has been
one OF the most highly valued and
trusted men in the office. Shortly
altcr TWO O'Clock Tuesday afternoon
ne iett his desk, ostcnsibly for home.
ne llVed with his parents In West
End, near Gordon and Cascade ava
nue.. When night came Stewart had
not returned No alarm was felt
however, until about 7 O'Clock his
mother telephoncd the Office and said
that he had not been seen at the
mousse since breakfast. Apprehen-
sion was increased from the fact that
ne was known to be in i'll health. A
search was begun for him.
On going to the safe to put up tho
books for the night, w. G. Harper
head of the IIarperWeathers &c Cal
licott company, found due bill that
Stewart had left and which stated
that he was indebted to the firm for
something like $6uV. The next seen
OF the bookkeeper was on Moore
street at seven o'clock Wednesday
morning. A friend spoke to him and
trleG 10 persuade nln to go home.
NO. he answered, as if in a
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 pistol report rang
out about $3.50 O'Clock.
A negro washerwoman, frightened
ny the noise ran over to the shanty.
She found Robert Stewart stretched
on his face and bleeding from ps-
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 firm, bus
mess hand on three seDerate scraps
or paper, one part OF National
bank check and the other two sheets
from a scratch pad. In this last mes
sage, he intimated that he had lost
81 900 Of the cOmpany's money last
Christmas at 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
a disappointed love, declared that he
was weary of living and. ended with
saying:
Love God. He is good, and you
will know it some day, some time"
From this letter 1t also appears
that Stewart had gone to Oakland
cemetary Tuesday night intending to
kill himself by the child's grave. He
writes:
81 went to the little darling's
grave to die, but was prevented from
doing so. My last request is that you
lay me by the little darling"
That S'cwart's self-inficted death
was the outcome of grief for this
baby as we'll as despondcncy over his
shortage in accounts many incidents
Of the past few days go to indicate.
With his aged parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
W. II. Stewart, he has lived far out
from the city on Cascade avenue, in
the most thinly settled neighborhood
OF West End. In the family were
also his sisters, Mrs. Helena Adams.
Mrs. E. u. Stewart and Mrs. EARLY
Sedden 1t was little Leonora Scd-
den, the 20-months-old daughter of
from her birth Stewart had an af-
lection for the child that was almost
miraculous. All OF his hours from
work he spent In playing with her
and she returned his love as If he
had been her father Last Thursday
the baby died and was buried in Oak
land cemetary two days later From
then until Tuesday Mr.. Stewart S
health. which for year had been
| III, more and more rapidly declined
In speaking Of the suicide, W. G.
Harper. OF the Harper-Weatbers &
| Callicott Co., said
81 am sure that the shortage in
Mr.. Stcwart's accounts Is due to no
criminal ntcnt on his part, His eX-
pcnscs were heavy, though he was
unmarried, and no doubt in time he
would have made good every cent OF
his Indebtedness Prehaps we shall
find on examining the books that the
deficit is not so great as he thought
1t was. During the six years he had
been with us, his work has been OF
the highest character, and we re
garded him very highly, as we stil
do.