The State vs. the Dead Body of Patrick Bell

Date (Partial/Ambiguous): 
1888--

Deceased

Patrick Bell
Sex: 
Male
Race: 
White
COD Category: 
Suicide
COD: 
Firearm
COD Inquest Finding: 

upon their oaths do say that the said Patrick Bell came to his death by Felony of his own hands. That he killed himself in the same place he is now lying , Middlesex Plantation that he came to his death by a gun shot wound fired from a 38 calibre Wesson & Harrington pistolin his ownhand the ball entering the body between the third and fourth ribs to the right of the sternum.

Coroner

Coroner: 
G. M. Cathcart
Coroner Title: 
Trial Justice

Location

Inquest Location: 
at Middlesex
County: 
Fairfield County, SC

Source

South Carolina Department of Archives & History
Columbia, SC
Inquest Images: 
L20149_0185_01.jpg
L20149_0185_02.jpg
L20149_0185_03.jpg
L20149_0185_04.jpg
L20149_0185_05.jpg
L20149_0185_06.jpg
L20149_0185_07.jpg
L20149_0185_08.jpg
L20149_0185_09.jpg
L20149_0185_10.jpg
L20149_0185_11.jpg
L20149_0185_12.jpg
L20149_0185_13.jpg
L20149_0185_14.jpg
L20149_0185_15.jpg
L20149_0185_16.jpg
Transcription: 

Alex Milligan sworn says that he saw Pat go in the cotton house. He called me to the door. He said to me before I pull my clothes off I will kill myself I said to him I would not kill myself for a gold unit of clothes. He said that he wanted Pinner [?] to go to town with him so he could pay him for them. He said before he would pull them off he would rather eat his dinner in Hell. I then came in the house. A short time after then I heard the report of the pistol.I did not heat any sound of him falling.

Get in touch

  • Department of History
    220 LeConte Hall, Baldwin Street
    University of Georgia
    Athens, GA 30602-1602
  • 706-542-2053
  • admin@ehistory.org

eHistory was founded at the University of Georgia in 2011 by historians Claudio Saunt and Stephen Berry

Learn More about eHistory

Supporters

+ American Council of Learned Societies
+ DigiLab, Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, University of Georgia