“John K. Duke, who was convicted last week at Portsmouth of embezzling the funds of two of the Building & Loan Associations of that city, thwarted the aims of justice by shooting himself through the head with a revolver, a few minutes before he was to have been sentenced to a term of years in the Ohio Penitentiary.”

“As all our readers are familiar with the history of this case, it is needless for us to refer to it further than to state that the jury to which the case was tried last week, returned a verdict of guilty after being out a short time. Last Friday was the day set for hearing a motion for a new trial, which was overruled. At the time the motion for a new hearing was denied, Duke was at home in bed suffering from a total collapse of the nervous system. At About 2 o’clock the Judge ordered that the prisoner be brought into court for sentence. It was urged by the attorneys that Duke was not able to appear in court and asked that sentence be suspended for a few days, but the Judge would not hear to further delay, and ordered that carriage be sent for the prisoner and that he be brought into court at once. This intelligence was telephoned to Mr. Duke at his home, and he at once placed a revolver that he had secreted in his bed, to his right ear and sent a bullet crashing through his brain, causing death in a few minutes.”
“John Kline Duke, the unfortunate victim of this terrible tragedy, was nearly 60 years of age. He was born in Piketon, August 20, 1844. His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth A. Duke were most excellent people and were prominently identified with the early history of Piketon. The father died in 1849, leaving to the care of the mother three small children, John K. being the youngest and only son. The mother died a number years ago, as also did the daughters. John K. continued to reside in Piketon until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when he enlisted under Captain Percy in the 53rd Ohio Regiment and served through the war.”

“Some time after the war he went to Chicago and engaged in business, and from there went to New York, where, it is said, he had, good success in business. After an absence of several years he returned to his old home at Piketon, where he attempted to run a gilt edged store after city style, but the venture proved a disastrous one and at the end of year he made an assignment and returned to Portsmouth and engaged in the business he was conducting at the time misfortune came upon him and wrecked his life.”
“The writer knew the unfortunate man well in his boyhood days. We went to the same school for years, stood in the same classes and played together on the school grounds at Piketon, waded together in the old pond at the foot of Stony Hill and rested together beneath the shadows of Parson Rollin’s mansion. He was a bright boy, but was not popular with his schoolmates. He was carefully reared by a Christian mother and was not known to have any evil habits in his younger days. His besetting sin seemed to be in aspiring to a position in life that he was not able to maintain.”

“His ending was truly a sad one – And now that he is dead, let us remember him, only for his good deeds and throw the mantle of charity over his shortcomings.”1