The Collinsville Times
Friday, August 7, 1914
pg 1

Negro Kills Himself in Grayson County Jail

John Perry, an aged negro who was brought over from Denison a few days ago and placed in the county jail on a charge of lunacy and that night attempted suicide by cutting his throat from one ear to the other and also making thirteen other stabs on his body, cutting his wrists, ankles, and arms, succeeded in killing himself just after noon today.
He had been taken to the hospital ward of the jail after his wounds had been dressed by City Physician J. A. Swafford and
Dr. Andrew Swafford, and while left momentarily alone about 12:20 this afternoon, jumped from the second floor of the building to the concrete floor of the jail. He made the plunge head foremost and literally cracked his skull, across the forehead, in two.  Death was instantaneous.
Perry was brought to Sherman and placed in jail on a charge of lunacy. He was placed in one of the cells with three other negroes, and that night locked to himself as were the others. The next morning when Jailer Dickey went to look after these men he found Perry with his throat cut from one ear to the other and he was cut and gashed all over the body. His wounds looked to be fatal, but he improved under treatment and was gaining strength daily. He gave as his reason for wanting to die that Denison people were coming over to burn him. He was reassured that no one wanted to harm him, and then expressed a desire to get well.
He was removed to the second floor of the jail where a pleasant breeze could strike him and a negro was put in charge to nurse him. He was doing nicely and this afternoon the negro nurse had to step down in the basement for a moment and Perry was in the best of spirits, seemingly until he returned.  Jailer Dickey was standing on the lower floor of the jail when the body shot by him like a bullet and fell almost at his feet. He rushed to the prostrate form and turned Perry over, but he only gave a gasp or two and was dead.
The body was turned over to Dan Childs, the colored undertaker, and will be held pending word from relatives. Perry was
a powerful man physically, and since he had attempted to kill himself by cutting his throat he had seemed to be rational and the second attempt came as a great surprise.

Susan Hawkins
©2025

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