Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1889-10-11
source date: 1889
availability: public-domain

Tired Of Life A Well-Known Georgetown Miner Suicides. A Dream That Proved But Too True. Thomas Nolan, the “father of the camp,” as he is known in Georgetown, died from an overdose of morphine, taken with suicidal in- tent, on the morning of the 3rd instant. On the afternoon of the 2nd inst., he pro- cured a considerable quantity of morphine from ( 22 ) Dr. Brown, under the pretense that he wanted it for an old friend staying with him who was addicted to the morphine habit and was suffer- ing for the want of the drug. After giving Nolan the poison Dr. B. became suspicious that all was not right, and mentioned the subject to John A. Deemer and other friends of the deceased, who also were apprehensive that Tom had suicidal intentions, he having made a similar attempt once before, but no further action was taken. On the forenoon of the 4th Mr. Deemer called on Dr. Brown and requested the latter to accompany him to Nolan’s place of residence, saying that he had seen old Tom in a dream last night, lying on his bed dead. On opening Nolan’s bed-room door, there he lay, dead, sure enough, with the bottle of morphine lying beside him empty.

wn and requested the latter to accompany him to Nolan’s place of residence, saying that he had seen old Tom in a dream last night, lying on his bed dead. On opening Nolan’s bed-room door, there he lay, dead, sure enough, with the bottle of morphine lying beside him empty. Tom Nolan was, in appearance and habits, a typical British soldier, of Irish extraction, aged about 56 years. After serving through the Crimean war, he went through the Sepoy mutiny in India, and afterwards served in the United States army. He was the oldest settler of Georgetown, and at one time he owned nearly the whole place, being an expert miner, but his fondness for strong drink, threatened to make him an object of charity in his old age, and he was too high spirited to beg. He had a heart as big as a mountain, and all that can be said against poor old Tom, is that “he was his own worst enemy.” He sat in his door at noonday, lonesome and glum and sad ; the flies were buzzing about him, led by a blue winged “gad.” Not a sign of business was there, but the flies kept on buzz- ing about the old man’s hair. At last in misery he shouted: “Great Scott! I’m covered with flies.” And the zephyrs that toyed with his whiskers whispered, “Why don’t you adver- tise?”

led by a blue winged “gad.” Not a sign of business was there, but the flies kept on buzz- ing about the old man’s hair. At last in misery he shouted: “Great Scott! I’m covered with flies.” And the zephyrs that toyed with his whiskers whispered, “Why don’t you adver- tise?” J. H. Gordon was in town Wednesday, and to an Enterprise man stated that the ravages of bear in the neighborhood of Black Hawk, were becoming monotonous. Bear have killed no less than twenty-five head of calves within the past two weeks. Ada Hume's Case The Fair Prisoner Gets Three Years in the PenitentiaryProbably one of the most remarkable as well as most interesting trials that has ever occurred in southern New Mexico, or for that matter, in the southwest, was that of the trial of Ada Humes, charged with the murder of Jack V. Brown, of this place, last winter. The case was taken to Las Cruces from Grant County on a change of venue. The trial took place last week, occupying nearly five days. Counsel for the prosecution were Messrs. Rynerson & Wade; those for the defense were Messrs. Fountain, Fielder & Fielder and Bantz. What lent so much interest to the case was that in the first place she was looked upon as a good looking, well-developed young woman of 30 years, with a bright and intelligent countenance, and pos- sessed a very high nervous temperament.

Fountain, Fielder & Fielder and Bantz. What lent so much interest to the case was that in the first place she was looked upon as a good looking, well-developed young woman of 30 years, with a bright and intelligent countenance, and pos- sessed a very high nervous temperament. Those who knew nothing about the circumstances of the killing, lost sight of the fact that a murder had been committed, and with heroic and true western magnanimity, all sympathy was creat- ed in favor of the good looking defendant. Those who lived in Silver City at the time of the occurrence, looked upon it as a cold- blooded and unprovoked murder. Two minutes before the death of Brown he had no idea that he was going to be killed, or indeed, that any assault would be made upon him. The prisoner left her room with the pistol concealed in the bosom of her dress, wrapped in a silk hand- kerchief; from there she went to the saloon where she ascertained Brown was. She passed through the bar-room of the saloon, entering the gambling department. Brown, her victim, wras dreamily or lazily looking on a game of cards. She made some remark to him about killing him which attracted his attention, and losing his presence of mind for the time being, instead of grasping and taking hold of the prisoner, he retreated; it was this retreat that cost him his life.

ly looking on a game of cards. She made some remark to him about killing him which attracted his attention, and losing his presence of mind for the time being, instead of grasping and taking hold of the prisoner, he retreated; it was this retreat that cost him his life. While in the act of running around the stove, thinking that he could place the stove between himself and the danger, and throwing up his hands as though to ward off the shot, the bullet struck the left side, passing between the ribs and imbedded itself in the flesh on the opposite side of the body, producing almost instant death. ( 23 )jealousy existing between her and a woman known as Claude Lewis. Immeditely before the killing a little boy by the name of Rosecranse was requested to bring two notes sealed in en- velopes, one to the woman Claude, and the other to the prisoner. These notes were written by the deceased, Brown, from the Centennial saloon. One of the notes informed Claude that he desired to see her at the saloon; the other informed the defendant that he wished to break off all further familiarity with her. The note that was sent to Claude so incensed the defend- ant that she jumped up in the presence of the little boy who delivered the notes, and said that she was going down to kill the s- of a b-. She asked Claude to go along.

eak off all further familiarity with her. The note that was sent to Claude so incensed the defend- ant that she jumped up in the presence of the little boy who delivered the notes, and said that she was going down to kill the s- of a b-. She asked Claude to go along. Claude remonstrated, saying, “If you are going to have any trouble, I will not go with you.” She replied to Claude, “I will have no difficulty with him.” Where- upon they both started to go to the saloon. Claude stopped at the bar-room on her way in, inviting, the defendant saying in reply, “I don’t want anything to drink.” Claude stopped to wait for her drink, and while waiting for it, the fatal shot was fired. The position of the parties, the manner in which the shooting was done, and all the circumstances attending the tragedy, were clearly and comprehensively detailed by some four or five witnesses who were present at the time of the perpetration of the act and saw it.

fired. The position of the parties, the manner in which the shooting was done, and all the circumstances attending the tragedy, were clearly and comprehensively detailed by some four or five witnesses who were present at the time of the perpetration of the act and saw it. The Phoenix Herald says: Captain W. A. Hancock, on coming to town from his ranch across the river and some four miles distant from town, reported that a Mexican, while following bees, informed him that he had found a deserted dry well on the old road from Phoe- nix to Maricopa Wells around the last end of the Maricopa mountains and about two miles southeast of Captain Hankack’s ranch. In the bottom of the well he discovered the remains of what appeared to be a human being. Captain Hancock hitched up his team and drove back with the Mexican to the spot indicated, where he found a dry well about twenty-five feet deep and six feet across, in the bottom of which were the remains of a dead man, apparently dried up, as no scent of decay came from them, and indicating that they had been in the well for a considerable length of time. A straw hat lay near the body, but from the surface there was no means of identification. The clothes were

he remains of a dead man, apparently dried up, as no scent of decay came from them, and indicating that they had been in the well for a considerable length of time. A straw hat lay near the body, but from the surface there was no means of identification. The clothes were yet on the body. Whether the remains were of a white or colored man it was impossible to tell. A pole some ten feet in length stood in the bot- tom of the well by which means it seemed the unfortunate man had attempted to escape from his awful situation. He probably starved to death in his lonely and living tomb.