Suicide at Crosswicks, 1866

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New Jersey Mirror 12 Apr 1866

Mr. Aaron Middleton, a highly respected and esteemed citizen of Crosswicks, committed suicide at that place, on Wednesday afternoon last. From the accounts received, it would appear that the act was a premeditated one. Mr. Middleton visited Bordentown on Wednesday, and returned home about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. After his return, Mrs. Middleton left home to attend the funeral of a neighbor--her husband refusing to accompany her. After her departure he loaded a gun, and seating himself in a chair, fixed the muzzle directly over the region of the heart, and pulled the trigger by means of a string attached thereto. Death must have taken place instantly, for the deceased was found sitting in the chair apparently asleep. Mr. Middleton leaves a wife and three children--two sons and a daughter. One of the sons is a practicing physician in Philadelphia
On Nov 29 1905, another death is mentioned in that paper from Crosswicks:
The body of Miss Emma R. Atkinson, daughter of the late Jacob Atkinson, who resided at Crosswicks, was found in the water power at Trenton on Sunday morning. Miss Atkinson left her boarding place in Trenton on November 17 and is believed not to have been seen alive after that date. The young woman had suffered from nervous prostration for some time. It is not known whether she committed suicide of fell into the water power accidentally and was drowned.
Location: Crosswicks, Chesterfield Township, NJ 08515, USA

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