Tobias Lear’s Suicide

On October 11, 1816, Tobias Lear was found in his Georgetown home with a gunshot wound to the head and the bloodied pistol still in his hand. An apparent suicide, although his ultimate motivation remains unclear. Tobias suffered from headaches and episodic depression, but he was more likely haunted by his vilification in the press for his dubious dealings, leading him to be ostracised by his political party and costing him a cabinet-level position in the Executive Branch. Despite all these issues, Tobias remained well-employed with a high-level job at the War Department, financially secure, and happily living in posh Georgetown with his beloved wife, Frances “Fanny” Washington Lear, Martha Washington’s niece. Adding to his mysterious death, it’s also odd that Tobias, well-known as a scrupulous record keeper, didn’t leave behind a suicide note or a will.

In The Hesperus Prophecy, Tobias Lear’s suicide has a clearer motivation. In 1816, Tobias Lear is the Commander of the Clypeate and now the focus of a ghoulish prophecy:

He will know the time approaches when the natural world enters a great upheaval, and the day arrives when his lintel is marked.

Having just lived through the summer of 1816, known as the year without a summer, and finding his lintel marked, Tobias gathers the Clypeate to prepare for his untimely demise. He knows the wicked Obturavi have come for him, and no matter the torture or threats they make, he must guard the Clypeate’s secrets.

On the night of October 11, 1816, Tobias returns to his Georgetown home, pours a glass of Cherry Bounce, and retrieves his journal. He applies a liquid to some of the pages, erasing their contents. Today, Tobias Lear’s journal is housed in the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The journal is 70 pages long, and in addition to documenting important events like George Washington’s final words, there are interspersed blank pages. These are the pages Tobias erased, not wanting Clypeate secrets to fall into Obturavi hands. Finally, Tobias pulls out a pistol, afraid he will be unable to withstand the Obturavi’s interrogation, he takes matters into his own hands.