Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1892 — A JUDGE SUICIDES. [ARTICLE]

A JUDGE SUICIDES.

Judge Jeptha D. New Shoots Himself Through the Heart. He Dies Instantly—lll Health the Probable Cause—Brief Sketch of His Life, Judge* Jeptha D. New, of the Indian® Appellate Court, and Democratic candidate for Judge of the Supreme Court, Second District, shot himself through the heart at his home at Verno»,lnd., at 6:30 o’clock Saturday merging, and died instantly. ■ The Judge and his wife awoke a little after 6 o’clock, and upon her inquiring as to his gpndltion he declared that he felt better than usual. She spoke kindly words of encouragement to him, whereupon he embraced her. Scarcely had she left the room when she heard, the pistol rpport, and upon ’returning found him as described above. is no doubt but that the act was committed through temporary derangement occasioned by an attack of la grippe Id the early spring, from which he had never fully recovered. His domestic and financial relations were all he could ask. Jeptha Dudley New was born at Vernon, Ind., in 1830. He wks educated at the Vernon Seminary and at Bethany College Virginia. During his extra hours he worked with his father at the cabinet .trade and became a skilled workman. He left college in 1850 and for two years Following this he studied law with N. C. Newcomb at Indianapolis and Lucius Bingham at Vernon. He found a partnership with Thos. W. Wallen iu 1856 and they opened an office at Franklin. He was a candidate for prosecutor, but was defeated at the polls. He returned to Vernon in 1857,, He was elected prosecutor in the Vernon district in 1862, and in 18C4 was elected Common Pleas Judge declining a re-election in 1868. He was nominated and elected to Congressgin 1874 and in 1876 declined a renomination. 1n4878-hewas again nominated anj again elected, He occupied a prominent position in the House. After the presidential election of 1876 he was one of the committee of fifteen sent to Louisiana to Investigate the election there. On reaching New Orleans the committee was divided and Judge New was made-cbainnan -of the sub-committee that went into the parishes where the notorious Weber and Jim Anderson lived. When the finding of the electoral Commission was made for Louisianaho was one of the six members of the House selected by the Democratic members to argue the objections filW tte that finding. fdrty-sixth Congress he was a member of the judiciary committee and the committee on expenditures in the Department of Justice. He ws also chairman of the special com - nilttee to investigate charges preferred against Minister to China Seward, and was a member of the special committee sent to Cincinnati to investigate the Congressional elections in that city. The Indiana Morgan-raid claims received attention from him, and he was instrumental in having them transferred from the office of the Adjutant General of Indiana to the War Department at Washington, just in time to save them from being debarred_by statute limitation. During the long Session of the Forty-Sixth Congress he took an active part in the preparation and advocacy of a bill amending the laws as to the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts* After retiring from Congress Judge New returned to Vernon law and afterward serve as judge of the County Court. It was tion that he was apporntedsby the late Governor Hovey as Judge of the Appellate Court for the Second district. He was nominated for Judge of the Supreme Court by ihe Democratic State convention this spring. He was married in 1857 to Miss Sallie Butler, who with three children survive him.