Mr. Judson Lowe, a Thrifty Citizen of Bartow, Takes his Life.

On Friday last the town of Cassville, in this county, was thrown into a state of excitement over the suicide of Mr. JUDSON LOWE, who lived about two miles and a half distant from that place.

For several days previous he had been slightly indisposed, and would frequently tell his wife that he wouldn’t live long—that he wasn’t long for this world, which was a source of grief and misery to her, and suspecting that he might perhaps attempt his own life she kept a careful and rigid surveillance of his comings and goings.  He would frequently proffer to do little chores that would necessarily take him from her presence, but she would assure him that she could perform them with ease, and that as he was ailing he should remain in doors and keep quiet.

On Friday morning he went out to the horse lot.  His wife having lost her fears in regard to him, supposing that he had gone out to feed the stock, paid no attention to his absence.  He remained too long, however, and his wife growing anxious, rushed to the lot, only to find her husband laying flat on his back a corpse, with his throat cut from ear to ear, and his pocket knife laying open under his body.

There are several theories in regard to the motive of Mr. Lowe’s act.  We talked with several of his friends in regard to it, but none were able to give a positive cause for the suicide.  It was said that some time ago a negro dealt him a heavy blow on the head with a bludgeon, and that it was in a fit on mental aberration produced by this blow that he took his life, but it is said that never before had he given any evidence that the stroke had injured his mind, and that he was a clear-thinking, sensible man on all subjects and in all his transactions.  A neighbor says that for the past fifteen years there had been a tremendous load on Mr. Lowe’s mind, and that he seemed to brood over some act he had committed during the war, and that he often heard him say he would give anything to live over the past fifteen years.

Mr. Lowe was a thrifty, well-to-do farmer of about forty years of age.  He was industrious at all times, and it was but a few days before his death he remarked to a friend that he didn’t owe but $1.40 in the world.  He was not addicted to drink or dissipation, but for the past five or six years had been a strict member of the church.

He belonged, during the war, to Phillip’s cavalry, legion and to Col. Rich’s regiment.  Col. Rich tells us he made a good soldier, discharging every duty to the best of his ability.

The sad suicide of Mr. Lowe is deplored by his whole circle of acquaintances, because he was highly esteemed by them all.

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August 16, 1877
Page 3.

OBITUARY.
To the Memory of William Judson Lowe.

The subject of this memoir was born in Newberry district, South Carolina, the 7th of April, 1841 and moved to Bartow county, Georgia, with his father’s family in the fall of 1860.  In the Spring of 1862 he entered the Confederate army, in the cavalry battalion commanded by Col. W. W. Rich, in which service he did his whole duty as a soldier, often distinguishing himself for personal bravery and noble daring.

After the close of the war he returned to his home, and devoted his time and energy to relieving his father of the embarrassments which the fortunes of war left him.  Having aided in paying the last dollar, relieving the old homestead of its encumbrance, and bringing comfort and ease to his aged parents, he commenced the structure of his own fortune, taking as his wife and companion Miss Sallie Hannah, the daughter of a sturdy, well-to-do farmer in his own neighborhood.  The consummation of his long-plighted vows to Miss Sallie was made the 23d day of July, 1868, and well and happily did they travel along life’s journey together, building to themselves a comfortable home and gathering comforts around them as the years rolled by.  In the summer of 1874 at a revival at Best’s chapel he professed religion and united himself with the Methodist church.  Since that time he has lived a consistent Christian life, often professing to enjoy the love of his Savior.

For the past year he had been in bad health, and for a week before his tragic death, spoke many times of his belief that his time on earth was short.  On Wednesday, July 18, (the morning of his death) he got up as early as usual and attended to his morning duties.  After breakfast he put his arm around his wife (to whom he was most devoted) and said: “Darling, let us go into our room, I want to pray with you once again.” They prayed together for a long time.  He most earnestly asked God’s protecting care over his aged parents and his wife, and invoked God’s blessings upon all his neighbors.  After finishing prayer and arising from his knees he lay down upon his couch and still continued in prayer.  A little nephew and niece coming into the room at this time, he called them to him. And after embracing them many times, he blessed them, and reverently raising his eyes to Heaven asked God to adopt them as his own and train them in his holy religion.  His wife asked him if he loved Jesus, and if it was God’s will to take him if he felt willing and prepared to go.  He responded immediately that he did, and was willing to be at rest.  Later in the day he professed a desire to see his wife’s parents.  They were immediately sent for.  After engaging with them in social converse for some time, he walked out to his horse lot, where a while afterwards he was found by his wife in the agonies of death, the blood flowing profusely from the severed artery in the right side of his neck—his pocket knife being close by, the bloody implement of his self-destruction.

There can be no cause assigned for the deed save that of temporary or impulsive insanity.  He has been heard repeatedly to express his abhorrence of the crime of suicide.  But a few weeks since he was speaking to one of his brothers-in-law of an attempted suicide and upon that occasion spoke his mind feely in it condemnation.  In his untimely death his devoted wife has lost a kind and affectionate husband, his parents a dutiful son and the country a worthy and most estimable citizen. Requiescat in pace.