James
Masterson
The Penny Press, Friday, 9 September 1859, page 4
A peddler whose body was found suspended to a tree, near Newport, was found a few days earlier. He rented a room some time since on Front street and for a short time trafficked in his small way unmolested. Having paid his rent for a month in advance, he informed his landlord that he was without money and wanted to borrow enough to buy a loaf of bread. The landlord gave him four coppers to buy a loaf a bread. Soon after he disappeared. In his room, he had bills from houses in St Louis in the name of J Merriweth and other bills from Chicago merchants in which he figures as James Smith.
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The Penny Press, Tuesday, 20 September 1859, page 4
A box containing a great number of things were found yesterday morning, the property of the recent suicide by Robert Hook, of Cincinnati. A number of letters were in the box from his brothers and one from his father, the latter written two years ago. From these letters we gather the following:
His name was James Masterson, his father resided in Cavan, Ireland and had been in good circumstances once, but by some means was reduced to poverty. The three older boys, of whom James was one, were reckless and came to America and added much to the weight which was pulling the old man down to the grave. The youngest, John, was a steady man and supported the old man in his declining years. The father died about one year ago and his last days were embittered by the conduct of three of his sons. The was told to James by his brother John, now of Dublin, and acknowledged with great grief by Patrick, one of the three and whose residence is at 135 Greenwich street, New York.
Whether reflections upon these things distracted him and caused him to commit suicide or not, we can never know, but this we do know, that remorse is always the result of folly and that he would live to a happy old age must "honor his father and mother."