April 23, 1891- Dallas Daily Times Herald
PIERCE MAKES A PLUNGE
INTO ETERNITY
FROM AN ELM
STREET HOSTELRIE
--------
He Was a Justice of the Peace,
Loved Whisky and Could
Not Provide for His
Family
J. J. Pierce, Justice of the Peace in Fate, Rockwall County, held court in his breast, and after weighing his sins and sorrows against his desire to live and a gloomy future, he pronounced death sentence on himself and chose last night for the execution, then launched his soul into a dark eternity.
This morning at sunrise, he was found in his room at the Texas & Pacific boarding house, corner of Elm and Lamar streets, all but dead. Dr. Burton was hastily summoned and responded in haste, but before he reached Pierce's bedside, his spirit had departed for the great beyond.
Pierce came to Dallas three days ago and put up at the boarding house where he suicided. He was in depressed spirits and drank a great deal. To an old acquaintance, R. B. Willis, he threatened killing himself several times by going and jumping off the railroad bridge.
He had a wife and child in Rockwall county whom he talked about continually and said he could not take decent care of them and desired to kill himself for that reason.
Yesterday, after having spent all of his money for liquor, he borrowed $1 from Willis and invested part of it in morphine, which Willis took away from him.
Last night, the two went up to their room and went to bed. They talked from their beds until Willis dropped off to sleep. During the night, Willis was awakened by a noise and found Pierce up, who said he was going to step out for a moment. Willis went to sleep again and when he woke this morning, found Pierce dying with signs of morphine plentiful. He summoned a physician with fruitless results, as stated above.
Pierce was about 25 years old and a Mississippian by birth. He was born and raised on a farm which he left and came to Texas several years ago. It is said that he was a bright fellow, and when he could let whisky alone, was a fine business man and made money.
His wife, at Fate in Rockwall County, and a sister in Forney , Kaufman County, will be notified of his suicide to-day.
A royal good fellow with a bright mind, but couldn't stop drinking.
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