Obit. of Mrs. Rueben D. PERRY Obituary-Suicide Abstracted by Sloan S. Mason "Carolina Messenger", Goldsboro, N.C., Thursday-August, 22, 1872. THE RECENT BOON HILL TRAGEDY We have seen and heard so many conflicting reports and rumors touching this affair that we have taken the trouble to procure correct information and full particulars. The unfortunate lady was the wife of Mr. Rueben D. PERRY, a young merchant of Boon Hill. She was the daughter of Joshua HERRING, Esq. Of Lenoir Co., and had been married to Mr. P. only about ten weeks. The young couple were comfortably settled in the village of Boon Hill, and nothing occurred in their household generally known as family disturbances. The young bride was esteemed and visited by all the ladies of the town, and no one suspected that she could even entertain the idea of self destruction. It is true however, that on several occasions, when alone with her husband or while riding out with him, she exhibited melancholy symptoms. Thus one occasion she desired to know how many apples one could eat to produce death. Again she enquired the surest place to shoot a body if death was desired. On another occasion a pistol fired accidentally while she was handling it in her own room. It is also stated that she went to the turpentine distillery of her husband, a short distance from the residence, and asked the superintendent how to manipulate a small Smith and Wesson pistol that she exhibited. But nothing in her demeanor had excited the lease suspicion of those around her. ON the day preceding the tragedy her father, Mr. HERRING, who had paid her a visit, returned home. She bid him a hearty farewell and remarked that she felt as if she would never see him and her mother again. On the same day a married sister of Mr. PERRY'S came to the house to remain on a visit. That night she retires as usual and apparently in the best of spirit. On the following morning, Aug. 14th, she was seen going to the garden house. Shortly after the report of a pistol was heard in the house but nothing thought of. ON her not returning search was made. A brother of Mr. PERRY'S opened the garden house door and found Mrs. P. in the last agonies of death, kneeling on the floor with her arms and body resting on the bench. The pistol had fallen to the ground. When taken hold of she rolled her eyes and expired. Three shots had penetrated under her chin and two others had glanced her head. The weapon was a small Smith and Wesson, and the balls had not sufficient force to penetrate her brains. She is supposed to have bleed to death. That she did the work herself was very evident and beyond a doubt. The coroner's jury, all agreed so, and rendered their verdict accordingly. The following is a verbatim copy of a note found in her husbands tobacco pouch, which was in Mrs. P.'S own hand writing: My husband, I love you better than life but I must leave you. My mind mind ******* Farewell, God Bless you. Your wife, R. No cause can be assigned for the rash act. The general impression is that she committed the deed while in a state of temporary mental aberration. Her age was 20 years. Some weeks ago, while riding out with her husband and passing the cemetery and Mr. PERRY'S fathers place she melancholy asked that she be buried there when she died and said she desired to be dressed in white. This we learn was done.
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