Sunday's Obituary: Albert Beavers

Manassas Democrat (Va)
12 June 1913

Albert Beavers, of Brentsville, who shot himself in the head with a shotgun last Wednesday morning died early last Sunday morning. It is said that Beavers left his home to hunt squirrels, and soon after he left the house a shot was heard, but little attention was paid to it and when he failed to put in his appearance at bed time a search was instituted which was a failure that night. Early next morning the search was renewed and Beavers was found in a lonely thicket, within two hundred yards of his home, lying near a fallen tree, with the shotgun by his side. Beavers was unmarried and had been in a melancholy mood for several months.

Sunday's Obituary: Albert Keys

Alexandria Gazette (Va)
3 November 1897

HANGED HIMSELF IN HIS CELL.

Albert Keys committed suicide in jail in Manassas yesterday to avoid being tried for the attempted murder of Stuart McInteer. A few years ago Keys was a prosperous and respected merchant of Potomac City, in Prince William county. Reverses in business and dissipation changed him from a useful citizen to a reckless man. About three weeks ago he got into a difficulty with Stuart McInteer over a house. Being under the influence of liquor he made a murderous assault upon McInteer, inflicting a painful gunshot wound in his left arm. He was immediately apprehended and placed in the county jail to await the action of the grand jury. Instead of showing remorse he expressed regret that his effort had been so unsuccessful, saying he "had shot to kill." He hanged himself with a cord to a brace in his cell.

Sunday's Obituary: Caleb S. Deats

Daily Dispatch (Va)
18 May 1915

CONFEDERATE VETERAN VICTIM OF HIS OWN HAND

[Special to the Times-Dispatch]

MANASSAS, VA., May 17. -- News was received here to-day that Caylor (Caleb?) S. Deats, seventy-seven years old, a Confederate veteran, committed suicide at the home of his son, W. T. Deats, near Orlando, Prince William County, yesterday evening about 7 o'clock. No cause is given. Mr. Deats had seated himself beneath some trees in the yard. He placed a gun in front of him and pulled the trigger with his cane. The discharge of the weapon blew off the top of his head. He was found by members of the household who had gone to a nearby spring for water. Surviving is a son, W. T. Deats; three sisters, one living in Manassas, and two brothers. The funeral services will take place tomorrow at Orlando with interment at that place.

Sunday's Obituary: W. D. Wilcoxen (1888)

Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland)
1 May 1888

W. D. Wilcoxen committed suicide at his home, in Prince William county, Va., last Friday night. He climbed to the rafters of his barn, put a rope noose around his neck, and discharged a pistol into his head as he leaped down. He was found dead both by shooting and strangulation. He is well known in the District, having married Miss Mollie Manning of Georgetown.

Sunday's Obituary: Latham / Metzger / Renoe / Speaks

Richmond Times
22 May 1909

METZGER A SUICIDE

Wealthy Farmer Throws Himself in Front of Train

Manassas, Va., May 21 -- William Metzger, seventy-four years of age, one of the most prosperous farmers and largest land owners of this county, committed suicide near his home yesterday by throwing himself in front of a Southern Railway train.

Mr. Metzger arose early in the morning, and after telling his wife that, as no one cared for him, she would not see him again alive, left the house. Mrs. Metzger, thoroughly alarmed, aroused the hands on the farm and sent them in search of her husband. They found the dead body near the railway track.

Mr. Metzger lived on a splendid farm near Wood[b]ridge.




Richmond Times Dispatch
21 August 1908

FARMER SUICIDES

Joseph Speaks, of Manassas, Despondent, Shoots Himself

Manassas, Va., August 20 -- Mr. Joseph Speaks, a respected farmer of this county, living about two miles from Manassas, committed suicide at  his home this morning by shooting himself with a shotgun. The entire load took effect in the right side and death was almost instantaneous. Mr. Speaks had been in ill health for some time past. He was very despondent, and his act is attributed to the condition of his health.




Augusta Chronicle (Georgia)
8 January 1909

Virginian Found Dead.

Manassas, Va., Jan. 7 -- Carroll Latham, a member of the board of supervisors of Prince William county, was found dead in his room today shot through the heart. Whether death was the result of an accident or suicide is not yet definitely known, though the latter theory prevails.




Richmond Whig
3 July 1855

SHOT HIMSELF. -- William Rennoe, residing near Brentsville, Prince William county, shot himself last week, and died soon afterwards.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK(8255), the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in our national network of more than 150 crisis centers. The Lifeline’s national network of local crisis centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals day and night.

Thriller Thursday: Dobson / Burkle

1 October 1916
Richmond Times Dispatch (VA)

KILLS EMPLOYER AND SELF

Mystery Surrounds Double Shooting That Occurred at Nokesville on Thursday

Manassas, VA., September 30 - Mystery still surrounds the tragedy which occurred at Nokesville on Thursday.  Eugene Dobson, colored, who shot and killed his employer, Jacob R. Burkle, a Prince William County farmer, and then committed suicide, was known throughout the neighborhood as an exemplary specimen of his race.

The bodies of the two men were found in separate rooms of the barn on the Burkle place.  A shotgun lying beside the body of Dobson told the story.  He was about fifty years old.

Reports state that Dobson went to the house several hours before the shooting for the gun "to kill a black snake at the barn."  The report of the gun was heard and farmhands in a neighboring cornfield hurried to the barn.

Mr. Burkle was about fifty-five years old and is survived by his wife.

Sunday's Obituary: William E. Howard

Richmond Times Dispatch (Richmond, VA)
November 29, 1909

WEARY OF HIS LIFE, HE THROWS IT AWAY

[Special to the Dispatch]

Manassas, Va., November 28 -- William E. Howard, sixty years of age, for a number of years timekeeper for the Southern Railway Company here, committed suicide at his home last night about 11 o'clock by drinking a quantity of chlorofom.

That the act was deliberate and premeditated is shown by the fact that Mr. Howard, just before he drank the poison, wrote several letters, arranging his  business affairs.  To his wife and their three children he wrote letters stating that he killed himself owing to ill health.  In a letter addressed to P. H. Lynch, Mr. Howard stated whom he owed and what disposition he wanted made with his money.

Mr. Howard had been a great sufferer for a number of years, but so patiently did he bear his sufferings that many of his friends did not now his health was not good.

He was accustomed to having spells of despondency, and it was noticed that he was very much depressed on Saturday.  He went home as usual, when he closed his office, and after he had eaten supper wrote the letters which he addressed to the members of his family.  After writing the letters, Mr. Howard went upstairs, the other members of the family retired.  About 11 o'clock Mr. Howard was heard returning to the lower part of the house.  His son, Thomas W. Howard, fearing something was wrong with his father, went down to see about him and found him acting in a very strange manner.  Mr. Howard told his son that he was not well and wanted to lie down on the lounge.  Young Howard suspecting that all was not right, hastened for a doctor, but the drug had gotten in its deadly work, and Mr. Howard died shortly after a physician arrived.