Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade

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FRANK E. WHITMARSH

New York


Death of Frank E. Whitmarsh

Frank E. Whitmarsh, who was well known in the trade, having been connected as salesman with several manufacturing companies, committed suicide Sunday last by drinking poison in his home, 206 W. 86th St., New York, where he had lived with his wife and their seven-year-old son.

Mr. Whitmarsh was formerly a salesman in the Pairpoint Corporation’s salesrooms in New York for a number of years, and also made trips for that company into Long Island and other nearby territory. Altogether he was with this company about seven years. Then he took a position as salesman in the Maiden Lane store of the Gorham Co., remaining with that company upward of a year. About two or three years ago he began to travel in the middle west and south for the Alvin Mfg. Co., continuing in this position until last month.

The causes which led Mr. Whitmarsh to commit suicide are not known. He was of a genial temperament and had a large number of warm personal friends. He was about 55 years of age.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular- 3rd April 1907

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HUGO C. METZL

St. Cloud, Minnesota


His Wealth Gone, He Killed Himself

St. Cloud, Minn., Aug. 26 - Hugo C. Metzl, a prominent jeweler, believed to be worth $100,000, during the night shot himself in the temple. He left this note: "I have lost nearly everything, and this is my last step."

Mr. Metzl's parents are wealthy and reside in Milwaukee, Wis. His body will be sent there.

Source: The Jewelers' Weekly - 29th August 1894

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CHARLES W. GREVILLE

New York


Charles W. Greville Commits Suicide

Charles W. Greville, sixty-one years old, who had been employed at Tiffany & Co., nearly twenty years, committed suicide last Sunday night, in his home at 58, Barrow street, New York, by cutting his throat with a razor.

Mr. Greville was born in England. Early last July he was incapacitated for work by an attack sciatic rheumatism, from which he seemed to be recovering. While visiting his son, Monday of last week, he fell, injuring his thigh, and was able to leave his bed last Sunday for the first time since. Yesterday afternoon he went to his room to sleep, and was found dead in the evening by his daughter.

Source: The Jewelers' Weekly - 29th August 1894

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ANTON LECKEL

New York


DIAMOND SETTER GOES INSANE

One of Tiffany's Employes Taken to Bellevue After a Fire

Anton Leckel, forty years of age, employed as a diamond setter at Tiffany's, lost all control of himself at 5.30 yesterday morning when a fire broke out in his lodgings, 140, East Seventeenth street. In his pocket were found seven scarf pins and twenty-nine diamonds.

Leckel was divorced from his wife in Vienna, and during the past three months he has suffered from ill-health and nervous prostration.

Source: The Jewelers' Review - 5th March 1895

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CHARLES CORY

Newark, New Jersey


While a carboy of strong nitric acid was being hoisted to the third floor of 90 Mechanic St. Newark, Thursday, the rope sling slipped and the carboy fell to the second floor and broke. Charles Cory, an employe of A. J. Hedges A Co., manufacturing jewelers, who was superintending the hoisting, was drenched with the acid and badly burned. An ambulance was summoned and Cory was removed to St. Barnabas Hospital. He was frenzied with pain, but it was thought that his burns were not necessarily mortal injuries. Cory is 39 years old and has a wife and family.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 10th June 1896

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MARTIN, HALL & Co.

Sheffield


PLAYING WITH A REVOLVER

An errand-boy, who had obtained possession of a revolver at Messrs. Martin Hall and Co.'s works, Sheffield, yesterday, was pointing it in play at Annie Slater, a temporary timekeeper at the works, when it went off, the bullet passing through the woman's left eye. She is in a precarious condition.

Source: Evening Express and Evening Mail - 9th August 1907

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GEORGE W. YOUNG

Los Angeles


Mrs. George W. Young, wife of the head watchmaker for Montgomery Bros., died May 23, from the effects of ptomaine poisoning, the result of eating Hamburg steak. She and her husband both ate of the meat, but he did not suffer so severely. Mr. and Mrs. Young were Canadians, their former home being at Ottawa, and Mr. Young took the body of his wife to that city for burial.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 3rd June 1908

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CARLOS E.W. BOWERS

Salt Lake City, Utah


Salt Lake City Jeweler Run Down by Electric Car and Dangerously Injured

Salt Lake City, Utah, June 4.—Carlos E. W. Bowers, 235 S. Main St., was run down while on horseback by an electric car near his home, 780 5th E. St., Tuesday, his horse killed underneath him, and he himself possibly fatally injured.

The impact of the car threw Mr. Bowers’ horse from the track and broke its back. Mr. Bowers himself was dashed against the front glass, which was shattered into bits, and then hurled over his horse off the track.

The physicians believe that Mr. Bowers will recover unless there are internal injuries. There are two severe gashes in his head and many contusions on his body.

The horse was slightly unruly at the time of the accident and shied on the car tracks. The car was said to be going at high speed.

Mr. Bowers, who is 47 years of age has conducted a jewelry store on S. Main St. for eight years.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 10th June 1908

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GEORGE H. ALLEN

New York


George H. Allen, a jeweler, thirty-two year old, in attempting to step on the front platform of a Broadway cable car last Saturday, slipped and fell with his foot under the fender. He was taken to Roosevelt Hospital.

Source: The Jewelers' Weekly - 26th December 1894

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PAUL GODARD

New York


Despondent because he had failed to make a success of his business, Paul Godard, a French expert in precious stones, jumped from one of the approaches of the new Williamsburg bridge, and was dashed to death on the stone pavement, 125 feet below.

Source: The Retail Merchants' Journal of Canada - October 1904

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T.S. SPEAR

Columbus, Georgia


T. S. Spear Slashes His Stomach With a Pocket Knife

Columbus, Ga., Sept. 4.—Shortly before daybreak Sunday morning, T. S. Spear was found in his room in the cottage of his son-in-law at Warm Springs, 50 miles from Columbus, in great pain. His groaning had awakened one of the inmates, who, on entering his room, found him bleeding profusely from a terrible gash across the stomach, which he had inflicted with a common pocket knife. No reason is known or assigned for the act. Physicians were at once summoned from the city. He lingered until 10 o’clock Monday when death ensued.

Mr. Spear was 70 years of age. He was born in New Jersey, from which place he removed to Columbus in 1850. He was one of the oldest and most respected citizens of this city, and had been in the jewelry business for nearly 40 years. He was a man of imposing appearance, and a prominent
member of the Presbyterian church. He leaves several children. His remains were brought to Columbus and interment took place in the Linwood cemetery.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 11th September 1895

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JOHN DAVIDSON

Geneseo, New York


John Davidson Commits Suicide

Geneseo, N.Y., - Feb.5. John Davidson committed suicide yesterday at his home by shooting himself. A few days ago Mr. Davidson began to exhibit indications of aberration. He labored under the hallucination that he was to be indicted by the grand jury and imprisoned for some imaginary offence.

Mr. Davidson was wealthy and there was no known cause for his insanity. He left a widow.

Source: The Jewelers' Weekly - 6th February 1895

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MALLORY URBAN

Lancaster, Pennsylvania


Mallory Urban, formerly of this city, where he learned the jewelry trade, died Aug. 22 at Denver, Colo., from injuries received several weeks before in a railroad accident near Pueblo. He was 42 years old and leaves a widow and five children.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 30th August 1911

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EMIL FEISS

Hoboken, New Jersey


Death of Emil Feiss

Hoboken, N. J., Aug. 14. — Emil Feiss, who formerly conducted a jewelry store at 213 Washington St., Hoboken, and who has been in the Morris Plains Insane Asylum since last December as the result of a blow on the head, inflicted by thieves who attacked him in his store, died there yesterday. Death was caused, according to the certificate given by the physicians at the insane asylum, by tuberculosis of the lungs, although it is believed that the man’s death was hastened by the blow which rendered him insane.

John O’Shaughnessy, together with two companions, entered Feiss’ store last winter for the purpose of robbery. Pretending to be desirous of making a purchase, O’Shaughnessy struck Feiss over the head with a hammer when the jeweler stooped over to get some articles out of one of the cases. The blow affected the jeweler’s brain, and he was removed shortly afterward to the State Hospital for the Insane at Morris Plains.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 16th August 1911

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MARCUS KATZ

Yonkers, New York


While his brother and sister were within a few yards of him Samuel Katz, the 17-year-old son of Marcus Katz, a jeweler, of 6 School St, Yonkers, N. Y., was swept to death in the Hudson River, off Empire Grove, Sunday afternoon. The boy and his brother and sister were in an excursion party which left here early in the morning. In the afternoon he and his brother Louis, aged 19, hired a boat and went for a row and swim. Their sister stood and watched them from the steamboat Ben Franklin. Samuel was caught in a treacherous current and before his brother could reach their boat was swept away and sank. His body was not found.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 16th August 1911

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GAMALIEL BRADFORD

Chicopee, Massachusetts


Gamaliel Bradford, lineal descendant of Governor Bradford, of Colonial times in Massachusetts, was killed by being struck by a trolley car at Wellesley, Mass., Aug. 20. He had been treasurer of the Ames Sword Co., of Chicopee, Mass., since 1886, and his death follows close upon that of the president of the same company, John D. Bryant, of Boston.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 30th August 1911

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AARON PRITCHARD

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania


Aaron Pritchard died Oct. 17 at Des Moines, Ia., from injuries received nearly a month before in a driving accident, his horse running away. The body was brought to Lancaster County, where the deceased was formerly a jeweler, for burial. His son will carry on the business.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 25th October 1911

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GREVILLE

London


DEATH BEFORE THE WORKHOUSE

On the 11th inst., Mr. S. F. Langham, the Westminster deputy coroner, held an inquest at St. George's Hospital on the body of Harriet Greville, the wife of a silversmith. Her husband had been separated from her for some time, and allowed her 12s. a week, but some three months since ceased the maintenance, and left England, necessitating her going into Newington workhouse. She came out some days ago in a most desponding state of mind, and threw herself off a raft at Thames bank into 10 feet of water, but, though rescued, was persistent in her endeavours to drag herself down into the water again by seizing the chains of the raft and thrusting her head under the water. She was conveyed to the hospital, but even there, some days after her rash attempt, she repeatedly said to her niece, "Better that," referring to the river, "than the workhouse." Death resulted, according to the post-mortem, from inflammation of the lungs, produced by immersion in the water, the unhappy woman being at the time in a state of unsound mind, and the jury found their verdict accordingly.

Source: The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian - 16th January 1869

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DESMOND WEST

Dublin


One of Ireland's leading jewellers, Mr. Desmond West, was killed in a car crash on the night of 31st May, near Pallaskenry, Ireland. The last male member of the Dublin family of jewellers and silversmiths and internationally known, he was aged about 40.

West & Co. have been in business in Dublin for the past 244 years. The founder was Matthew West, whose silver work is world famous.

In 1962 Mr. Desmond West bought the biggest teak motor yacht built in Ireland for more than £70,000. He intended to use it as a floating showroom for £250,000 worth of silver plate and jewellery but met unforeseen difficulties and had to give up the idea.

Source: Jeweller and Metalworker - 15th June 1964

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JACOB BARSKY

Chicago


Jacob Barsky, 24 years old, an employe of S. Wechter & Co., manufacturing jewelers in the Masonic Temple, was seriously injured last Friday, when an elevator in that building in which he was riding fell from the 18th floor to the bottom of the shaft. Barsky broke his left leg and fractured his right ankle, in addition to sustaining internal injuries, and is in a critical condition at a hospital here.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 13th September 1911

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