On Thursday 24 July 1879 the Ballarat Courier wrote,

'Suicide of Mr J.H. Harris: It appears that for some time past he had been in indifferent health, and had had recourse to stimulants and sedatives to obtain mental and physical relief. It was well known to the members of the house in which he lived, but it was never anticipated that Mr Harris would lay violent hands upon himself…

…the unfortunate man was discovered lying on his bed, dressed, and quite dead and with a gaping wound across the front of the head, the frontal bone and both eyes having been blown away. Near him upon the bed lay a horse-pistol, which had recently been discharged, and with which he had evidently shot himself, and the bullet, a large one, was lying underneath his head and on the pillow. The deceased was left-handed, and he had evidently held the pistol with that hand when discharging it, for the bullet had entered his left temple, coming out at the right eye, and the discharge had carried away the upper part of his face.

…the deceased for some time previous to his death had been in a very unsettled state of mind, and had endeavoured to purchase drugs ostensibly for allaying certain pains from which he suffered, but on account of the poisonous nature of the drugs he wanted they were not given to him, as he was not considered in a fit condition to be trusted with their use.'