Barnes, Ephraim

DELIBERATE SUICIDE.
A Georgetown Young Man End's His Life
By Hanging.
One of those occurrences which are not rare, and yet seem unaccountable, took place near Georgetown, on Sunday. We refer to the case of a respectable, industrious young man, Ephraim Barnes, who deliberately took his life by hanging in the barn of his father, Mr. Barnes, who, recently purchased and took possession of the farm owned by Mr. Robt. A. Reid, of Georgetown. The sad deed was performed while the remainder of the family were at church, Sabbath morning. The grandmother and one little brother only remained at home with Ephraim. The brothers were in the barn. Ephraim having a plow line in his hand, said to his brother that he was "tired of life" and was going to hang himself. The little fellow didn't believe it until he saw his brother go up on the scaffold, fasten the rope to a pole and doubling it, prepare to put it round his neck. He then ran to the house and told his grandmother, who said that Ephraim was only trying to fool him. However, the little fellow still insisted on it being so, and the old lady proceeded to the barn where, to her horror, she saw the young man hanging by the neck, but she was unable to reach him to rescue him from his self-assumed danger, and by the time help arrived he was quite dead. The neighbors were notified and word sent to the father, mother and family, who were well nigh distracted on being informed of the sad and unfortunate occurrence.
The causes of the commission of the rash act are not known. Different rumors are afloat, but they only amount to conjecture. It is probable that the young man's mind was in a state of despondency over matters which perhaps no one but himself would be able to explain. The synmpathy of friends and neighbors is with the bereaved family in their unspeakable loss. - Herald.