The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-19
CITY NEWS.
Attempted Suicide-A Former Mer.
chant and Well Known Citizen shoots
Himself Through the Head-IIis
CnvxdttiOuS CratlCal

Himself Through the Head-IIis
Condition Critical.
This morning about IL o'clock Mr.. e.
8. Hutchinson, o salesman in the notion
house of Messrs. Blair 4 Thaxton, shot
himself through the head with a SINGLE
barrel derringer pistol. The circumstances
of the affair are, that about the hour
named Mr.. Hutchinson, who had been in
the main sales.room for some time, walked
into the office or to the Office door,
looked at the clock, and then went down
stairs into the packing-room, In few
minutes noise was heard as II something
had fallen down on the floor. MIR. Pow
ers, a salesman in the establishment, went
down stairs and found Mr.. Hutchinson
lying on the floor with blood streaming
from his face. He ran back up stairs and
informed Mr.. Thaxton, one of the firm, that
Mr.. Hutchinson had hurt himself dread
fully. Mr.. Thaxton Immediately went down
stairs and made the discovery that Mr..
Hutchinson had shot himself in the head
with derringer pistol. Drs. Grattan,
Cabell, and o. A. Fairfax were at once
called in to the assistance of the wounded
man. Upon an examination of his head it
was found that the ball, which was of con-
ical shape, had entered the head to the right
and Immediately under the right eye, passed
almost entirely through the head and had
lodged just above the left eye, on line par
allel with the eye-lash.
The ball was Immediately extracted, and
all that could be done to alleviate the suf-
fering Of the unfortunate man was done.
The physicians say that the ball did not
strike the brain, but that the wound was OF
such nature that it will probably produce
death. Should the wounded man recover
he will probably be totally blind, as
the sight of the left eye is now totally
destroyed, and that Of the right affected to
such an extent as will, in all probability,
destroy its sight. Strange to say, that not
withstanding this is his condition, he was
perfectly rational and expressed desire
not to be removed. He was removed to
the medical college about two O'Clock p.
m. 1t is said that he has been depressed
| in spirits for some weeks, but no reason is
alleged for the commitment of the act.
Edgar Snowden Hutchinson, the gentle
man who attempted his life as above stated,
is native of Alexandra, Virginia. His
named after Edgar Snowden, senior editor
| Ol He OdZtttcs VI IliS udtlfS Cnys AAS
married, we understand, a daughter OF Mr.
William W. McVeigh. president of bank
and prominent property holder of Alex
andria, and was, at the beginning of the
late war, book-keeper and tinancier o.
no small merit in the bank presided
over by his father-in-law. In 1851, or
the inception of hostilities, he came
south, and was thereafter chic
clerk in the Office Of the Confederat,
States treasury department under Rober
Tyler, auditor, son of the late ex-Presi
dent John Tyler. He shared the fortune
, Of the Confsderacy, and went down in tn
general wreck, but remained in Richmond
In '67 and '68 the notion house of Hall
!, Hutchinson was established in this city
, but on account Of that business being over
done at the time, or some othe
reason, the firm did not succeed
) and was finally compelled to suspend
Subsequently he engaged with Messrs
Blair l. Thaxton, wholesale notion an
i white good dealers, as salesman an
J. book-keeper, and was thus engaged, al
|, parently to his own satisfaction or
certainly 10 those of his employers, uni
J. the happening Of the event above narrate