The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-02-05
DEATH OF HUGH MILLER,
or EpINprneH. SCOTT AN1

cuustances, OF this eminent man. 1t seems
but yesterday that he received us in his
own house, conducted us through the mu-
scum which cost him SO much labor TO col,
lect, and in the imaginary defence of which
he seems to have perished by his own hand.
We respond 10 the remarks of the Scottish
Guardian:
The announcement OF the death of Hugh
Miller will he heard with a thrill OF genl,-
inc sorrow throughout the Church in which
he was a astandaid bearer. throughoutS Scot
land, OF which he was one Of the most con-
spicuous ornaments--throughou the world
of science, which associates his honored
name with those of the men most distin-
guished in our day, as fellow-workers in
building up the stately fabric of the modern
geology. The intelligence was. communi-
Gated to the public in the following terms
from the Office Of the paper Of which he was
editor:
WIrSEss OFfTcE, DEC. "a.
SUDDEN DEATH OF Mn. HUGH MILLER.
ut is our melancholy duty to announce
this sad event. Mr.. Miller had been in for
some time e-working hard aud late at night,
IN completing his new work on Geology.
lie had become, in consequence, subject to
aggravated attacks of nigltt,mare, which
partook Of the nature Of somnambu.
lism. Some time ago attempts had been
made to break into his museum; and he. /.
IN consequence, had always slept with a
loaded revolver on the table by his side.
Yesterday, on account of headache and un.
refreshing sleep, he had seen his medical
advisors, who had warned him Of oyerwork,
and prescribed suitably. Last night, accor-
ding to their request, he had taken warm
sponge. bath, and retired early to rest.
After having slept some considerable time.
he had apparently awaked in a ft of night
mare, and, taking up the pistol, had reach
ed the bedroom door, as far as the bath,
which had been left, aftor use, in the ad.
Joining apartment. There the pistol had
exploded, the bullet passing though the
chest, and death must have been instants-
neous. The sound not having been heard
q, this hour of the night by any Of the
household, Mr.. Miller's body was not dis.
covered till this morning. Under existing
circumstances, we cannot at present dwell
further on this sad calamity"
To the above distressing particulars the
,Scotsnaan adds the following remarks:
"However sadly this narrative may touch
Mr.. Miller's immediate friends, it will be to
them less startling than to others uuware
OF his peculiar temperament, and of his re.
cent state of health rs a sufferer from ner-
voussdepression and irritation. Mr.. Miller
has fallen a victim to oyerwork of the brain
tho peculiar malady of these days, aud of
men of hissclass. Such, We know, was and
had long been his own conviction. Years
ago, and again within these two or three
days, he was pleassd in the goodness OF his
heart, to warn the writer OF these few has
ty and hating words against what he
thought dangers of that class, pointing to
his own case as an example delerring from
continuous efforts and auxieties. In this
respect, however, Mr.. Miller suffered. we
suspect, from somewhat peculiar temper
ament--he did not work easy, but with
laborious special preparation, aud then with
ihroes that tortured him during the process,
and left him exhausted afterward. In say.
ng this, however, we speak only of the
more recent yeats; aud il is at least six or
seven years since we heard him complain
that hard work had left him only half a
man, and that lie could do only half work
with coubIe TOLL
Although apparently man Of physical
AS well rs moral courage, he had a curious
tendency TO keep fire arms about his house
and person. When he lived Mt Sylvan
Place, to the south of The Meadows, he was
accustomed when going home after night.
fall, to carry q loaded pistol, and. from
some ellusions in his work, First Impres.
sions of England il appears that ne follow.
ed the same practice when travelling, or at
least when on his pedestrian excursions.
One Of his very Oldest friends, ordinarily
residing in adistant part of the country, ioc
uarly surprised him one night two or three
years ago in wel.frequented Edinburgh
street, and was amazed by his suddenly
turning round and presenting pistol. We
believe that the habit was acquired by Mr..
Miller when he was accountant in a bank
at Cromarty, and employed occasionally to
carry specie to the other branches. To
that habit we have apparently in great
part to ascribe the event We to-day deplore,
and which large proportion Of the Scot
iisssi people viii hear with startling and
gief''
The principal incidents of Mr. MiIler's life
have been made familiar to the public in
his delightful autobiographical volume, any
Schools and School-masters" His FIRST lit
erary productions appeared in the columns
OF the Inverness Courier, when Mr.. Miller
was working as journeyman mason in
Cromarty; and the accomplished editor Of
that journal, Mr.. Carrtliers, has told us, as
illustrating his homely habits AZ that time,
and which never altogethet forsook him
when he was placed in morc elevated
social position, that he was accustomed 10
walk up to Inverness with his communica.
tions on the Saturday afternoons, always
wearing his mason's leathern apron. His
collected papers, written between the years
1929 and 1882, sin leisure hours snatched
from a laborious employment, OF during
the storms Of winter, when the worker in
the open air has to seek shelter at home,p