The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-04-10
GRIEF TOO GREAT
Commits Suicide Because of the
Death ofaaHis Neice.
A LITTLE BABY GIRL

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
his little niece, the penciling Of
note at daybreak saying that he was
short $500 il 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, Ca, on Wednesday morning
of last week.
The Journal says Stewart was
bookkeeper for the Harper-Weathers
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
after two o'clock Tuesday afternoon
he left his desk, ostensibly for home
ne 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 to put up the
books for the night, w. c. Harper,
head of the Harper-W Gathers & Cal
licott company, found due bill that
Stewart had left and which stated
that he was indebted to the firm for
something like s6VU. The next seen
Of the bookkeeper was on Moore
street at seven o'clock Wednesday
morning. A friend spoke to him and
tried to persuade u4ln to go home.
NO" he answered, as if in
dream. I'm going back to the GEM
Leonora's grave.
Then he disappeared.
In deserted outhouse near 1913
Gilmer street a pistol report rang
out about $50 o'clock.
A negro washerwoman, frightened
by the noise ran over to the shanty.
She found Robert Stewart stretched
on his face and bleeding from a pis-
tol wound through his heart. His
hat had fallen behind him and nearby
lay a half-smoked cigar, still burn
ing, that he had laid aside to fire the
shot.
In the dead mans vest pocket was
found a note, peneiled il 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
$1,000 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
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 it some day, some time
From this letter it also appears
that Stewart had gone to Oakland
cemetary Tuesday night intending to
kill himself by the child's grave. He
writes:
Il 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-ewart's self-inf1icted death
was the outcome Of grief for TINS
baby as well as dependency over his
shortage in accounts many incidents
of the past few days go to 1ndlcate.
With his aged parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
". F. Stewart, he has lived far out
from the city on Cascade avenue, ID
the most thinly settled nelghborhood
of West End. In the family were
also his sisters, Mrs. Helena Adams,
Mrs. e. q. Stewart and Mrs: Early
Sedden. It was little Leonora Sed-
den, the 20-months-old daughter OF
the later who died last THURSDAY.
from her birth Stewart had an al
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 II ne
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 $
health. which for year had been
i'll. more and more rapidly decllnea.
In speaking of the suicide, W. Z.
Harper, of the Harper-Weathers &
Callicott Co., said:
II am sure that the shortage IN
Mr.. Stewart's accounts is due 10 no
criminal ntent on his part. HIS eA-
penses were heavy, though ne was
unmarried, and no doubt IN time ne
would have made good every cens o. o.
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