Year: 1859

The New Orleans Crescent of the oath ult,
gives the following remarkable story of a sui
eide:


Sylvester Rupert, 81 years of age, an English
man by birth, and by trade a ship carpenter,
lived with his wife and two children IN house
on Perdido street. In October last the yellow
fever, then prevailing, counted among its VIC
Tins the youngest child of the Ruperts-their
little girl Lizzie, about four years old, and the
particular pet of the father. This was blow
from which the father never recovered. Not
| able to buy tomb, he had the child buried in
| the ground in Greenwood Cemetery. The grief
| preyed heavily upon him. 1t was his only


thought; and being out of his regular employ


ment, he found employment in his grief


He bought burial lot, and some bricks and
other material, and with his own hands, and all


alone in the cemetery, built him brick tomb.
| He had not the means TO make the tomb sty-


lish one; so in its mouth or entrance he fitted


wooden frame, and on this frame he fitted piece
of board, and secured it with screws in its four


corners. On this board with which be enclosed
the vault lin lieu of the usual brick and mortar


or marble slab, he has carved nicely with his


knife the burial inscription of his child. The


tomb finished, he disinterred the childs body
| and placed it there. He fastened the board with
screws, in order that he might afterwards have


no trouble In removing it when he felt like gazing
upon the decaymg remains of his child .atI
This employment finished, it was his habit to


visit the cemetery, open the tomb, and look at


the corpse of his pet. He always carried screw
| driver in his pocket with which to remove and


replace the board, and also to remove and re-


aspect Of the shrinking little corpse, nor the
foul odor of lis decay, could repel him in bis
morbid grief. His visits were frequent, and


sometimes his wife went with him. He frequent
ly complained to her that he could not get


work; and this inability doubtless fostered the


dependency which was drawing him to death.
He frequently spoke of having no faith in the
future, and of death as q desirable thing


On Wednesday he went to the cemetery with
two shrubs which he had purchased, and planted


them in front of the tomb. On Thursday when


he left home, he told his wife that if he had no


better luck in finding work she would never see


him again. He also said something about hav-


ing place in which to rest


That evening, or that night--for no one sa'es


him In his gloomy prOceedings-he visited the


cemetery; taking with him his screw driver, an


iron trunk handle, small rod of iron, piece O.


wire, some new screws, and large vial Of Ian


danum. Unscrewing the board of the tomb, b.


threw away the screws and filed the screw-holel
in the board with clay.


With his new screws he then secured the
trunk handle to the inside of the board. Thii
work, of course, had to be done outside thi
tomb. Pushing his child's coffin aside. he 90
in by its side, taking with him his poison an,
the other articles with which he had proYideC


himself His hat he placed upon the coffin
his coat, which he had taken off, he wrappe,
around brick for pillow. He shut himsel
! In with the board, by means of the handle b
had screwed to it; the board fitting outside th
wooden frame. The iron bar, which was of tn
proper length, he placed across the frame in
side. The thickness of the frame would not al
: low the bar to pass through the trunk handl
: on the inside of the board 30 he secured tn
handle and the bar by means of his wire, coil
9 ing it through the one and around the other
I, He did not succeed in fitting the board squarel
: upon the frame One corner of it caught upo
J the brickwork outside the frame this he di
= not discover, probably owing to the darkness c
j the night: and but for this little circumstane
his fate would probably have never been discov


cred, or not at least for many wears. Hayin
!. thus hid himself away, as he fancied, beyon
= mortal discovery, he drained off the contents O
u his laudanum bottle, composed himself on hi
/ back, placed the brick and coat beneath hi
c head, and went to sleep, and off into the un
d known region of the suicides. ~. ig
= AS he did not return home on Thursda
J night, his wife feared the worst, rememberin
; well the tendency of his late conduct and th
; tenor of his parting words. On Friday mon
: ing she rose early, and went out to the cemet'
ry. She looked all around, and failed to I'm
'e her husband. She went and looked at the
+ tomb, and was about to leave, when she haI
p pened to notice that the board did not fit snul
u y into the frame as usual Looking close
'e she discovered the mud in the screw-holes an
10 putting her hand on the board, found it Wa


standing loosely. She pulled it out little, an


the first thing she saw was the dead face of h


husband. She tainted away, and laid IN tt
lie grass she could not tell how long. She recO
,e cred at last, got up and went and informed Il
t, sexton, Mr. Merritt, of her. discovery. The Ia
it ter went and looked at things, and sent for Il
y coroner and the inquest was held, as We hA'
a. stated, on Saturday. s11si-- aEI
te The coroner's verdict was In accordance wi


the facts SO plainly apparent-suicids by laud
o. mum. rsI ---G .aa1-1-J cav al-l-zi