The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-20
MAN
 SUICIDES BY
 CUTTING WRIST
Jack Starling, Who Had the Lords Prayer on His Back, Ends His Life
 With a Razor.
Act Followed An Interview With His Wife, Who Promised to Meet Him A gain Today.

Aga1n Today.
 Jack Startling, well known about
 town as the ''tattooed man.. was found
 dead on the floor of his apartments, | 534 Water street, this noon, by his
 wife. A deep gash in his left wrist,
 a blood soaked bed and a bloody razor
 told the story of his death. Last De- | cember Jack attempted suicide, but his | purpose was defeated.
 Today his body was discovered by his wife who had come to have a con- ference with him as the result of an appointment made last night. Starl- ing was the victim of opium and ex- isted upon the large quantities of the drug which he daily forced into his system. Life had become unbearable to him.
 Upon his back the Lords prayer was tattooed indelibly and they are
 the only words he left as he crossed John Starling came to this city ten years ago from no one knows where. He was a genius. His unattractive quarters in the rear of the second floor of rbe Water street building showed
 many signs of the taste and ingenuity of the occupant. Ancient furniture,
 old pictures, curios from all parts of the earth. wreaths ingeniously con structed of feathers, tools and various articles in process of manufacture are scattered about the place. A bed. cook stove and other articles of furni- ture in good order are in the apart ments.
 The place was originally one large room but the occupant had ingeniously constructed partitions of show cards
 which were fastened to a net made by himself. These flimsy partitions di- vide the place into three rooms. One was his shop, another his kitchen and the third his bedroom
 In January, 19O7 Starling was mar ried to Alice Corteson of 72 Milne street. The couple lived together un- til six months ago, when Mrs. Starling left her husband and went to live with her mother in Milne street. The wife feared for her life when her husband was under the influence of the deadly drugs which he took necessarily. Yes terday she visited him at his quarters ins- Water street. He seemed to be very much depressed. She left about midnight and told him she would meet Eim again today. Starling wanted her to come back and live with him. When she called at the place at noon today she found the door locked. The key she had would not open the door. Jack had slipped the bolt so that the key would not open it. She called on Okey Patten, the janitor of the Colored Walters club which is on the same floor. He broke in the door and Mrs. Startling found her husband lying on the floor dead. She called in Pa trolman Bernard Glennon who took charge of the body and sent for. Med ical Examiner F. B. Downs, who au- thorized the removal of the remains to the morgue.
 The suicide was born on the Island of Corsica, g years ago. After wan derlng about the earth, by sea. and land, until six years ago he came to this city and had remained here since. He was known as the most inoffensive man in the city and never did anyone l,.,, IT, r,1, 1-,., ed and the pet cat on which he law ished much affection was the only witness of his desperate act. It was said by the other occupants of the building that he spent at least 8 week in providing dainties for this pet.
 For several years he was a stage hand at the Park City theatre and since then has been a, scene shifter at made him a valued employe. At the theatre today it was said that Jack Startling did not have an enemy in the world. The vice which caused his morphine and cocaine He never drank to excess and is spoken of in the highest terms by all who knew him.
 the body was taken away. It is evil dent from her story and from the ap- pearance of the rooms after the body was found that Starling must have ldln OH Lue pou diIO WltH HIS TlSHl ndnO gashed his left wrist severing the ar teries. The wound indicates that sev- eral slashes were required to accom- plish this result. The bed was Soak ed with blood. Starling was found ebout six feet from the bed lying on the floor. In his death throes he must have risen and staggered through the flimsy partition tearing down the wires which held it. Rigor de mortis had set in when the body was found and the attendants of the morgue said that death must have taken place sev- eral hours previously. It is probable that Starling cut his wrist soon after his wife left him last night and that he slowly bled to death.