Collection: Directories and Documents > Nevada County News & Advertisments

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Title: 1872 Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Nevada County News & Advertisments # of Pages: 281 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-14 06:12:40 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:08:22 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:08:22

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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78 MARCH 26, 1872 GRASS VALLEY UNION DR. JAMES SIMPSON testified. I am a practicing physician; reside at Grass Valley; I saw Little previous to his death; I was called to the case on Sunday morning, and when I heard of the condition of the man I was satisfied that he would die. I took Dr. Kibbe with me to see the patient; we arrived at the cabin of deceased about half past 10 o’clock; Little was found to be in a comatose condition; muscular system relaxed; pulse irregular and weak; breathing slow and stentorous; pupils contracted, and we concluded he was under the influence of some narcotic poison. I found on a box by the bedside a drachm vial which was about half full of morphine, and a tea-cup about half full of water, was also on the box; the water in the cup evidently contained morphine. Dr. Kibbe and myself used all the means we could to resuscitate him, but we found it impossible. My opinion is that he died from the effects of morphine, self-administered, for the purpose of committing suicide. Dr. Simpson than related his opinion as to how the drug was taken. Little evidently prepared himself deliberately for death, as his bed was nicely arranged with clean bed clothing. He must have taken the dry morphine into his mouth and then washed it down with water, as the water in the cup contained very little of the drug, while the outside and the inside of the cup, where his lips touched it, had dry morphine upon it. MATTHEW WALLACE. I have known deceased about ten years. I reside on Cincinnati Hill, Grass Valley township. Little told me he was a native of the State of Virginia. He had been in the habit of taking morphine for the last six or eight years. I have often heard him say that a man was better off out of the world than in it, but I never heard him say that he would kill himself. I think his age was about 57 years. REUBEN LEECH.I have known deceased about 17 years. I employed him for the first time five years ago, and have given him employment at intervals ever since that time. He has been diseased and unable to do much work. I employed him in the Summer time to watch the mill at night. He was in the habit of getting on a spree when he came into Grass Valley, though the last time he came in he was very moderate in drinking. His last visit to the town was about a week ago. I saw him on Saturday at noon. I saw nothing unusual about him. I joked him somewhat about getting well. The jury then retired and brought in a verdict of death by suicide. The age of deceased is we think about 57 years. THAT TRAMWAY. The proposed tramway, or iron track over which horse cars could run, between Nevada city, via Grass Valley to Colfax, is a failure, as we understand the situation of the affair. The whole thing has been snatched bald headed and its goose has been cooked. The way all this happened is about this: Parties were ready with money to put down an iron track from Nevada city, via Grass Valley to Colfax on the road bed of the toll road. From Grass Valley the iron track would have been based on the lower, or Coleman road. To make the undertaking profitable the tramway company would have to have had exclusive use of that road. If that could not be had as a road bed for the iron track the parties who were ready to advance money for the superstructure would not “put up.” A bill was introduced to allow the Supervisors of Placer and Nevada to regulate rates of fare and freight and yet which did not allow the Supervisors to fix such rates under a certain figure. The road had to have more for fares and freights per mile, than is allowed by the law under the more general railroad act. No subsidy was asked; none was expected. Senator O’Connor introduced a bill giving the parties the privilege they asked. The bill was referred to the delegation, we believe, and to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate. It was reported back to the Senate, and then came the damage. A provision was adopted as an amendment which prevented the tramway men from having the exclusive use of the toll road on which to put down an iron track. That killed the practical part of the bill. The Senate passed the amended bill and it was sent to the Assembly. In that illustrious body the