The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1909-03-25
THEN ". P. WATSON
TOOK FATAL DOSE
INSURANCE SOLICITOR ENDED
LIFE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
AT HIS BOARDING PLACE.
pespondent Because of Continued III
Health, Twenty Two Year Old Man
GuIped Down Four Ounces of Car
bolic Acid and is Relieved by Death.

Stretched at full length on the floor
OF his room on the second story of
No. 1907 Reynolds street, the boarding
house OF Mrs. A. E. Coins, and writh
Ing with the agony coming from the
fearful burns of four ounces of car
bolic acid which he had gulped down
but a few minutes before, William
Penn Watson, a 22-year- old insurance
solicitor, presented a fearful sight to
Mrs. Coins and her son Robert when
they broke in the door to ascertain the
cause of a noise in the room. Lying
outstretched, half turned on his face in
his shirt sleeves. his clothes party
torn away during his struggles, the
fast dying man gazed at his visitors
unable to humble or even to
comprehend that eternity was at hand,
Physicians Aid Needless.
Quickly giving an alarm and sum-
moning every one about the house,
Mrs. Coins and her son made the last
moments of the dying man comfort
able DR.. G. w Blanton summoned
to the house. arrived after the final
struggle had come. Everything point
ed to the fact that from the moment
Watson swallowed the fatal dose moth
ing could have been done to save
him.
Planned His Death.
That Watson planned his death,
carrying out every detail carefully.
was brought out at the hearing of the
coroner's jury late in the afternoon.
Receiving two letters at the Grand
Tuesday night from his employer. l.
Cofield, local manager of the Cont
mental Aid Association, Watson read
them closely and to Cofield and others
showed that he was in mental dis
tiess.
Saying that he was not feeling well
Watson refused breakfast yesterday
morning when Mrs. Coins called at his
door At noon he appeared, however.
and seemed to enjoy his dinner going
down the street with a fellow solici.
tor. l.. E. Boone, about o'clock.
Bought Fatal Dose.
Promising Boone that he would re-
port to Manager Cofield during the
afternoon for work, Watson separated
from him at the postoffice, walking out
Norwich street to Gates drug store,
where he purchased a four ounce bot
tie of carbolic acid Showing no
c;ons IF bie ;ntautfO,,- N-a+co, e+oOd
around for several minutes, finally re-
turning the same route and passing
by the court house.
Reaching the house about 3 O'Clock,
Watson ran up the steps quickly and
entering his room fastened the door
Mrs. Coins was bidding goodbye to a
visitor and noted Watson's arrival
For him to visit his room at such an
hour seemed strange and this aroused
the attention of the landlady. Calling
to her son Robert, who had just en-
tered the house to see If Mr. Watson
was i'll. Mrs Coins walked to the rear
of the house.
Finding of Body.
Il tried the door," said young Coins
to Coroner Jennings and the jury last
night and found it was fastened. Il
went on to the bathroom and was
there when mother came to the door
and called again to me, saying she
had heard something fall
Il went to Watson's room and pulled
on the door. Finally we got it open.
The door knob had been fastened to
the bedpost by two strong leather
straps.
watson was unconscious when we
got in. | tried to raise him up He
was dying and put pillow under his
head and then went for help"
Farewell Messages.
There was something piteously pa
thetic about the two farewell mes
sages left by young Watson on the
trunk near which he fell Taking off
his coat and hanging it uD In its &C.
customed place the boy had unfastened
his leather belt and taking a second
one from his trunk had used both N
fastening the door so as to keep ont
any intruder while he was completing
the work of self destruction. Then
sitting down by his trunk he had pour
ed the four ounces of carbonic acid in
to drinking glass which he placed
on the bureau in front Of him as he
wrote a note to his sweetheart and
another to his father. Both were
written on correspondence paper il
pencil and in a firm hand. The one
to the father was the shorter OF th'
two and at the end there was 'lir