John W Martin
Cincinnati Enquirer, Saturday, 4 August 1900, page 8
BELLEVUE
Mrs. French, 953 Hill street saw an old man climb over the rail
on the third span of the L and N bridge on the Ohio side about 8 o'clock last
evening and drop himself in the river. She told the ticket taker about what she
had seen and when he got to the place where the man had made his fatal leap, he
found a coat and hate. In the pocket of the coat was found a bank book on the
German National Bank of Newport. On a page was written the following lines:
"Tell my wife I am in the river and gone to the bottom forever. It's her fault. I can't live in peace with her any longer. May God have mercy on me. I was born in 1822, May 1. I am 78 years old, 3 months and 3 days, and lived with my wife 55 years and she was the cause of my taking my life. I live at 119 Poplar street, Bellevue Ky. Tell my wife I am dead. J Martin."
On another page was written an account of John W and Mrs. A R Martin. Martin's wife was found at her home. She said her husband asked yesterday for a dollar, saying that he had some work to do for Superintendent Alley of the public schools of Bellevue, but had no money to buy the material. She refused and he left the house, telling her goodbye. She did not exhibit much grief at the death of her husband and when her daughter, Mrs. John Loesch, who accompanied the reporter knocked at the door the old lady's first question was if her husband was dead.
Mrs. Martin said that her husband was crazy and had upbraided her before he left. This is denied by the children and those residing in the same house, who say that he was of a very amiable disposition. There are three other children all grown, Mrs. Robert Carr, residing in Cincinnati; Mrs. Waddell of Union street; Joseph Martin, residing at Connersville Ind. and John Martin, who has just returned to Bellevue after an absence of many years.