New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-04-13
a.yed 6nt FRIDAY noon bore date the same Thursday

oGsyeo unui FRIDAY noon, bore Date 'no '"
1igh< Of tho inquest. t.,.;.u
"a letter TO the Postmaster, at this place, containing
Ne same sad news for my father bore the sae e'T IT,
There was No necessity for this hurried inquest Inc
Immediate cause of death perfectly e9Vo. at os
That It was caused by his own mana ~" al the .Jurv
fount The only necessity, or legitimate oo!Su' y,
Jnr- ,der the circumstances was 20 ascertain "n"r
rroinSl ID the act, and no proper e,ti oh;ect
tl.s information given to ehec. c;, han nrasen,
:: .nv member Of his fathers famii! oec,i P'eeon;
,sst the facts were placed before the jury 10 ald
4sn In tracing the act to its cause nave no uouo''
sAsir vcrdict would have BEEN that the ac. was cue re-
f Of temporary insanity caused py SOLUTION Vi iol-
sSi,s taken as medicine. 1t could have been shown,
r., - 1876 he was taken sick the march to Monte
v -, left az his comrades supposed, to die at Ca.
usrso In the spring of 1917, he reappeareo among
them as one risen from the dead stu suffering from
chronic diarhea contracted IN Meco, anu p leo
o v yhys;cisn of which opium was prominent, if not
the principal ingredient g.. ,,-.-
In rho IAN of lS4S he returned from Mexico, much
,nrnrea in health but still suffering to some extent
from the same disease and oolgeu 20 use occasonany
Sa ssme medicine In November OF that year ne sailed
ra.or h command of the first military force sent
~ - Terrtory, taking with him large supply of the
same medicine .aor tbo ins,onoo Sc ,,o.
medicine. las believe from all | nave been able to
% Se made an attempt upon his life, with the same
which finally endedit for which he expressed
- Ssnest regret and horror, when reluctantly
red that he had ever been In state OF mind to in
1cs spch an attempt An account OF that occurrence
WAS copied in The Ir'onae anu o'iei Jourais' from an
W. be recovered from the sickness which followed
he aattered himself the disease was cured
and discontinued the use Of the medicine.
ne LAS left with nervous system exceedingly sens-
tiye-cisy unstrung and Frustrated by stlmuants Of
~" ~ Jmdav evening the 2Sth March last he and the
sar ieutenants attached to his Oregon command ar
,tved in the Georgia, and took rooms at the AstOr
Honse Their route by San Francisco and the 18th
,rus passinc through the enervating climate in
bch the disease was contracted, and very likely TO
roauce in its former victim relapse. On Tuesday he
em.rked to his senior Lieutenant Talbot that he
not we'll. and was taking little medicine. "Wednesday
~ reported in accordance with the directions OF the
on.rtnent 10 the Superintendent of the recruiting
.erv;ce ordered his clothing, and did all necessary bust
ness, preparatory to leaving the City visit to his
father and family, in pursuance of letter written by
him advising them Of that intention At evening" alter
aoue and cheerful conversation with Lieut. CHAPLIN and
ether friends in the sitting rOOm in which he exhibited
his usually Joyous and happy flow Ofspirits he bid them
pleasant good night and went TO his ROOM as they
started for the opera which he declined attending on
sccomt Of fatigue. He was seen no more alive.
Lieut. CHAPLIN who broke open his door the next day
between and p NJ, found his clothes upon chairs as
one would usually place them when undressing his
watch and purse under his pillow his table drawn up to
his bedside and upon it candestck, IN which the can
die had burned out amusing book, Tin harmony with
hs oWncheer tone of mind when last SEEM which he
had evidently been reading in bed anda phal about
thirj full of solution of morphine.
The fact that phia found thetabe by his bed
side or in his rOom even not brought before the
jury nor indeed, its contents then knOwnto Lieut.
CHAPLIN or any other witness.
The information have in regard TO his nervous sys
tenn; the effect of opium in that form upon such sys
tem and the peculiar mania to which he was liable when
under ID influence accounts to my mind for an act which
il otherwise entirely unaccountable No fact exists
tending to show the act premedtated. He was man
who emphatically enjoyed life He bad the happy fac
uly Of always extracting something of pleasure where
others found unminged pain He had done his duty tie
had nothing to fear from the past and enough to hope
in the future to satisfy reasonable ambition But L
came here TO bury my brother, "nOt to praise him.
Nv belief is that after his unaccusOmed exercise on
Wednesday he felt or fanced he felt symptoms OF re-
turn Of his old complaint and attempted to check by
taking opium in that form, and either mstOOk the guam
ty the strength of the solution, forgot that guam
y proper when he was accustomed to its use might be
unsafe now. Had he taken a less quantity, no harm
would probably have resulted. Had he taken still lar
ger quantity, stupor would have followed The effect OF
what he took was to excite his delicate and shattered ner
system to frenzy, causing fire to dart along every
nerve as lightning does along the wires, and driving
clouds and darkness before his mental vison which were
only dissipated when he awOke in the eternal world
The hand and not the mind consented to the deed
am wen persuaded that in the great day my deceased
brother will be held to no higher accountability than the
steel he used Their intelligence at the fatal moment
was equal SAMUEL G. HATHAWAY, Jr.
Sc4on, Cortland Co., April 6, 1853.
Murder and Suicide.