ROMANTIC SUICIDE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 402, 14 September 1889, Page 4

ROMANTIC SUICIDE.

In these prosaic days ib is nob often thab one hears of such a romantic suicide as that which took place recently at the foot of Eildon Hill, Brisbane. From what we have been able to gather, ib appears that since April last a young man about twenty - three years of age, named John Foulkes, has been keeping company with an attractive young lady named Lawrie, HvLig near theOakwal Estate, just beyond Swan Hill. Foulkes visited the residence of the object of his attachment occasionally, but so far as we have been able to learn, was nob encouraged to any very great extent. His short acquaintanceship with her, however, kindled a flame of love within him, which grew to such an extent that on Sunday night he asked her to share with him the joys and cares of married life. The passion within him was not to be repulsed by a first refusal, and he earnestly pressed his suit. The appeal was, however, of no avail, and Miss Lawrie told him plainly she could not marry him. The nighb before the tragedy he purchased a bottle of laudanum and a revolver and ammunition. He then appears to have gone out by omnibus to Eildon Hill. He must have been roaming about all night, with no other companion than his own unenviable thoughts, for his clothes next morning were wet through. The spot he choose on which to bid farewell to the world was within a few yards of the house of Mrs Lawrie ; a stately gum spread its sheltering branches overhead as if to hide from the very stars the committal of so fearful an act, and here with naught but the grey dawn of morning, which brought no ray of hope to him, to witness the deed, he put an end to his now miserable existence. He appears to have first fired a shot into the air as if to direct attention to himself, and fully 10 minutes elapsed ere the second shot which ended his misery was heard. The body fell in a natural position, the left hand covering his breast, and his right slightly extended, the revolver falling between the arm and the body. In this way ib lay till after daylight, when a little boy, a son of Mr Bredin, was on his morning rounds delivering milk. He then saw a body lying at the foot of a gum-tree on the road-side. On being searched, 'hO cartridges were found distributed in all his pockets, the bottle just mentioned, which was empty, a pocket book, a photograph of Miss Lawrie, and a couple of lebbers, which, however, do nob throw any light on the unfortunate occurrence. •