Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1905 — JACK LEAHY SUICIDES. [ARTICLE]

JACK LEAHY SUICIDES.

Found Monday Morning In Court House Yard, Cold In Death. Despondent because of ill health apd concluding that life was not worth the living, John J. Leahy, generally called Jack Leahy, ended his trouble by taking an ounce of carbolic acid early Monday morning and his lifeless body was found in the court house yard, lying under the trees, just south of the public hydrant, soon after daylight by landlord Brenner of the Makeever House. When found he was lying on his back, his hands were not clenched nor was there other evidence that death had been painful, aa is generally the case in poisons of this character. A four-ounce bottle and a small whiskey glass from which he had evidently taken the poision was found near by, the bottle being still about two-thirds full. Help was summoned and the remains removed to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Honan, who had been foster parents of the unfortunate young man for the past twenty years. The young man was a member of the Catholic church and a devout communicant, but suicides are denied burial on the consecrated ground of cemeteries of this church, and the service over the remains was conducted by G. A. K. Post No. 84, of Rensselaer, at Weston cemetery Tuesday at 3 p. m., where interment was made, and all that was mortal of poor Jack Leahy was consigned to the earth. In a pocket of the dead man’s vest the following note was found:

"Dear Uncle and Aunt Madge:—l am tired of living. It seems that I have received nothing but abuse and hard knocks all my life. I have wasted my whole life. I hope God will forgive me for doing this act. I don’t believe heli can be any worse than this world. The world seems against me. I hope this will reach you in a few days and that you will forgive me for taking this step. Giye my love to Aunty B. and family. Your loving nephew, Jack Leahy.” Jack was born in Delphi, July 25, 1875, and was therefore 29 years, 11 months and 8 days of age at the time of his death. His mother died when he was but a few years of age, and he lived with an aunt (the one mentioned in the letter published above) for a few years. When nine years of age he came here and has since made his home with his uncle, E. P. Honan, in Rensselaer. He attended school here and was well liked by everyone. He enlisted in 1896 and served 3 years in the U. S. cavalry and was promoted for bravery at Porto Rico. He later served three years in the navy, and returned to Rensselaer about a year ago. Jack, like many other young men of a roving disposition, never saved any money, and was sick in Bellevue hospital, in New York City, for some time before Mr. Honan sent him money to come back home on last July. He told the latter at that time that he (Mr. Honan) saved his life by sending for him, as he had intended to “end it all” by jumping from the Brooklyn bridge, for he was out of money and without friends there. As a result of an injury received in New York he was paralyzed in one arm and could not do much manual labor. He had lately been laboring awhile out at James Walters’ but finished work there last Thursday and returnd to town. Saturday afternoon and Sunday be was out to Mrs. Gwin’s, near Pleasant Ridge, Jack and Marion Gwin having been together in the naval service. Young Gwin saw the bottle of acid in his pocket, also the glass from which he took the poison, but thought it was medicine he bad. Jack made some remarks to him about life not being worth living, but Marion thought little of it. Some time ago he bad also made some such remarks to Mr. Honan, but the latter had talked to him and be had promised faithfully to put such notions out of his head and not to do anything of the kind. The bottle containing the acid was different from that used by the Rensselaer druggists it is said, and they say that none of them sold him the poison. The druggist’s label was nearly all torn off, so that it was impossible to tell where it was procured. He might, however, have bad the poison for quite a while, contemplating such an act. Mr. Brenner of the Makeever House states that he was awaken-

ed about 1:30 a. m., by some one moaning over in the court house yard. He paid little attention to it, however. When he arose, about daylight the next morning, he saw the form of a man lying under one of the trees. This was no unusual circumstance, for this particular part of the yard seems to be a favorite place for sleeping off drunks, and he had often seen at an early hour during the summer time people of both sexes lying under the trees. The moaning he bad heard, though, prompted him to go over and look at the, as he thought, sleeping man. He soon saw that the man was dead, and he at once notified the marshal and undertaker. Jack had lately been afflicted with epilepsy and heart trouble and the doctors state that his death was practically painless, that the acid at once affected the heart, producing paralysis and unconsciousness. Mr. and Mrs. Honan, who had been foster parents of the young man for so many years were nearly prostrated by his tragic death, for the former had felt confident after .the serious talk with him about self-destruction and Jack had promised faithfully that he would do nothing of the kind, that he would keep that promise.