The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1878-06-20
THE McNAMEE TRAGEDY.

THE McNAMEE TRAGEDY.
The people of the State will be startled
| by the news of the McNamee tragedy when
they learn, as they now will, the scandalous
cause OF the trouble that made this man
take the life of his wife and then slav
himself.
McNamee was young man and was the
husband of a young wife. He was en-
ployed at the Southern Insane Asylum,
located about mile and a half from
Anna, as an assistant. He was faithful
in the discharge of his duty. His wife
lived at Anna, and Dr. Barnes, the superin.
tendent Of the asylum, was in the habit of
calling upon her without her husbands
knowledge. The doctor says his visits Were
innocent, and We give him credit for truth.
fulness. Finally Mrs. McNamee was also
engaged as an assistant at the asy-
lum; and, on the day she intended
to go out to the asylum and take her
place, Dr. Barnes, the superintendent of the
asylum, happened TO be at Anna in his
buggy. Ascertaining that Mrs. McNamee
was DESTROYS of going out to the asylum,
the doctor proposed 10 her a ride by his
side. She accepted the kind offer, and
the eccentric horse Of the doctor drew
the buggy, with its load, out
of the usual road to the asylum down :by
certain unused lime kilns, out beyond the
line Of the asylum farm farthest from Anna,
and back TO the asylum. Some person met
the doctor and Mrs. McNamee while they
were enjoying this ride. and this same per-
son wrote TO McNamee an anonymous letter
telling him-well something that frenzied
him. He Immediately had an interview
with his wife. He concluded 10 take her
away from the doctor. He accordingly led !
her out of the house; and, passing
from the porch, saw the doctor sitting on
one of the steps Drawing a pistol, he
dubbed the doctor on the head with is
butt. The doctor fell from the step 10 |
the ground, and McNamee shot at him. |
McNamee missed his aim, and the doctor !
soon recovered from the slight injuries he |
had received McNamee fed 10 Tennes-
see, but he soon went back to Anna and |
expressed his willingness to be tried for the |
assault he had made upon his former
employer. Dr. Barnes, however, evidently !
desired no real investigation of the event,
and he accordingly refused to appeal to the
law for the punishment Of man who had |
blackened his character by false charge
and had attempted to take his life.
After the scandal had been noised about !
a little, the Trustees Of the Asylum met I,
ostensibly for the purpose Of making an
investigation concerning it. The
inquiry was made in an honest but
peculiar and very stupid manner; and, after
doing what they were forced to do by the
evidence they had heard, which was not
the evidence they might have heard, the
Trustees made report that DR.. Barnes was
innocent Of any oifcnse against McNamee,
and was the man of all others for the posi-
ton he now occupies.
Very we'll McNanec was not salts
fed Jealousy was still ranking in
his breast. He was almost fit
subject for the asylum in which
he had lost his peace Of mind He dwelt
upon his wrongs, and when Mr.. DIETRICH,
the chairman of the Board Of Trustees,
abused him in the public prints, he replied
in bitter manner. Finally, on Tuesday
night last, at Tamaroa, to which place he
had followed his wife, he shot at her, send
ing a bullet into her head behind the right
ear, and then killed himself by shooting a
bullet through his own heart,
This is the whole of the story.