Daily national Democrat., 1858-12-15

THE UNHAPPY SuIcIDE.-We give below,
from the Bulletin, the full particulars of the
suicide of the druggist ODowd:
Since the issue of last SATURDAYS Bulletin
the druggist, by whose criminal negligence
the death of John |. Bradley was occasioneJ
has evaded such punishment as would have
been his due, by committing suicide; thus can.
ping story the most tragic that has occur.
red for some time in San Francisco. Il was
stated on Saturday, the death of Bradley was
caused by opinm. 1t appears that on Thurs
day evening, feeling unwell, he applied for
medicine to DIR. James j. O'Dowd who kent
drug store near the corner of Battery and
Commercial streets, and received an ounce
wal, said to contain fifteen drops of lnuda.
mum, fifteen of tincture of ginger, and the
rest water, which he was directed to take
Subsequently, O'Dowd gave him two powders
of morphine, directing him take one immedi-
ately, and the other in half an hour, provided
his pains were not alleviated. Bradley took
the fluid and also one of the powders, and
died in twenty-four hours afterwards, with
all the symptoms ofdeath by opium.
1t is supposed that the morphine powder
which was intended to be half grain, con
tanned nearly grain and a half; the second
powder, which was to have been untouched
contained Just a grain. The laudanum was
poured out, not dropped, and was deadly
DOSE which could not have been prescribed
except by the most culpable Ignorance, care.
lessness, or malice There is no reason to
suspect the last, and, as O'Dowd was bred
physician, Ignorance seems improbable; and
consequently, criminal carelessness was in all
likelihood the occasion of the unfortunate
mans untimely DEATH
Having learned the main facts in regard to
Bradley's death, Coroner McNulty on Satur-
day afternoon went to the drug store and had
a conversation with ODowd, in the course of
which the latter seemed much agitated He
had the door locked, but opened it upon the
Coroners knocking and when the Coroner
went away he seems to have again locked it,
Nothing more was known of him until to-
wards evening, when groans were heard in
his room-a miserable small place, partition
ed off from the store-by person who occu-
pies an adjoining room. This person knock
ed at ODowd's door, but receiving no reply,
broke the door in and found the miserable
man stretched upon his bed, a corpse. A
glass was found near the bed, and upon the
counter in the store a vial containing prussic
acid. He had evidently committed suicide
by drinking a portion of this deadly poison,
having probably poured it out from the vial
into the glass and taken it with him to the
bed room. At a post mortem examination of
the body on Saturday evening, it was posi-.
lively ascertained that he died from the ef-
fects of prussic acid, the peculiar smell of
which was very perceptible upon opening
the stomach. The examination showed that
nil the organs of the deceased had been in
healthy condition, and that death must have
resulted from the poison.
A strange circumstance connected with the
subject was the following note, which was
found upon the counter near the vial of prus
sic acid, and which is supposed to have been
written Immediately preceding the suicidal
act to mislead suspicion
My DEAR DoCToR: | am suffering fron an
other attack, and from its severity it is likely
to prove fatal. | have been taking the acid
as usual, but it occasions such disagreeable
sensations that l have resolved to discontinue
it, at all events, until see you, which will,
hope, he as soon as possible.
am, dear Doctor, yours, etc.
JAMES j. O'DowD.