Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1871-11-23
4 Terrible Death Scene.

The citizens of this community were
greatly shocked yesterday evening by the
intelligence of the death of Charles a..
Durham and wife, the one dying from the
effects of a pistol ball in the head fred by
his own hand, and the wife dying in the
same room of consumption, ten minutes
after her husband. The circumstances Of
this painful occurrence, as near as we can
gather them, are as follows:
Mr.. Charles n. Durham, son Of our we'll
known citizen Thomas Durham, Esq. ,
about % years of age, a practising attor-
ney, was married last spring to Miss Lucy
Seaman. After marriage, owing to the
failing health of Mrs. Durham, they resi-
ded at Judge Evans's. The disease with
which she was afflicted was that Of con-
sumption of the lungs. Mr.. Durham,
from the testimony of all, was the most
devoted of husbands, kind, generous, and
noblehearted of sons. She continued to
grow worse, and as the prospects Of her
recovery faded away Mr.. Durham grew
sad and gloomy.
DR.. Ball visited Mrs. Durham yesterday
morning and found that she could not
long survive, few days a. the most.
In the evening he was sent for again, and
arrived at the bedside ofthe sufferer ten
minutes before 6:o'clock. Mrs. Durham
wished to take some medicine, morphine
and chloroform, prescribed by the Doctor
when she was restless and could not
sleep. Her husband asked the doctor
about giving it, expressing himself as if
fearing the desire for the sedative might
increase. The doctor requested him to
give her the medicine, which he did, at
the same tine seeming very nervous and
excited. He walked partially around
the room with his hands in his pockets,
and finally stopped at the foot of the
bed. The remedy did not seem to pro-
duce relief. She was then breathing very
hard. The doctor then gave her some
valeriate of ammonia, Mr.. Durham still
standing at the foot ofthe bed, and SEEM
ed to be suffering intensely.
He said to the physician: "Doctor, for
Gods sake, can't you give Lucy (his wife's
name) something to relieve her?" The
doctor told him to wait, that the remedy
had not had time to act. As the difficult
ty of breathing seemed to increase, the
doctor told Mr.. Durham to bring some un-
Stacked lime, that she might inhale it
while it Stacked. He did so, and attempted
to hold it to her face, but seemed to be un-
able from nervousness. She then took q
severe fit of coughing, when the doctor
took his place and Mr.. Durham passed to
the foot of the bed, saying, as he did 80,
"Doctor. can't you do anything more for
her, she is dyingG" The doctor found that
she would sufocate unless her position
in the bed was changed, and with the as
sistance of her mother and Mrs. Evans
was trying to change her position, when
a report rang out which filed the room
with the sound. The doctor, glancing
up, noticed Mr.. Durham staggering, and
supposing that he might have accidental
ly shot himself, rushed to him and laid
him on the floor. He did not breathe,
seemingly, after the shot.
His wife seemed fully conscious of what
had taken place: said she was sorry, but
conldn't cry. She tried to speak again,
but the words were not understood, when
she breathed her last, there being five to
ten minutes in the time between their
deaths. The ball took effect in the right
temple, little above and back of the eye.
In his pocket was found letter addressed
to his wife, saying that he could not live
without her, and if he died first that he
would meet her in Paradise. There were
letters also to his parents, and note re-
questing that no Coroner's Inquest be held
upon his body; that it was a matter be-
tween himself and his God.