The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-05-30
KILLED THEMSELVES.
AMERICAN CONGREsSMEN WHO HAVE
COMMITTED SUICIDE,


dies suicide is simply the last of a
list which begins with the foundation
Of the government. His us similar,
lin some respects, TO That Of James
Blair, Representative from South
Carolina, in the Twenty4first, Twen-
ty-second and Twentyrthird Congress-
es. During the first -session Of the
Twenty-third Congress, Blair attend
ed the Washington Theatre one, night,
and, being displeased with tho actors,
fired loaded pistol at them, for
which he was arrested aud fined SIS.
Physicians testified that he was under
the influence of brandy and opium,
taken to alleviate pain from chronic
rheumatism. Three weeks afterward,
April ], 1884, he blew ont his brains
with pistol ct his boarding house,
on Capital Hill.
Similar in many points of The case,
was that of Felix G. Mcconnell, a
Representative from Alabama, in the
Twenty-eighth and Twenty.nintb
Congresses, WHO committed suicide in
q fit of delirium, in the St. Charles
Hotel, Washington, by stabbing HIM
self in the abdomen and then cutting
his throat, September 10, 1846.
Elijah Hise, n Representative in
the Thirty ninth and Fortieth Con.
crosses, committed suicide at Russoll-
vile, May s, 1876. Hise was the
Democratic candidate for Lieutenant
Governor Of Kentucky in 1886, but
was defeated was Charge sd'1tdires
at Guatemala from March 81, l94s,
to June 80, 1849; was Presidential
Elector on the Buchanan and Breck-
enridge ticket in 1856, and served in
Congress from December 8, 1866, to
March 8, 1869.
John While is to be added to the
list. He was born in 1905; received
an academic education studied law
was admitted TO the bar, and prac-
ticed at Richmond, Ky; was elected
q Representative from Kentucky in
the Twenty-fourth Congress, as a
Wing, without opposition, and was
successfully reelected to The Twenty.
fifth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty-seventh
and Twenty-eighth Congresses with
out opposition, serving from Deem
ber Z, 1885, to March 8, 1s45; was
Speaker Of the House during the
Twenty-seventh Congress was Judge
of the Nineteenth judicial Circuit of
Kentucky committed suicide at Rich.
mond, Kentucky, September %,
1916.
James G.. Wilson, United States
Senator from Now Jersey, from De-
cember 4, lSl5, to 1921, was severe
ly injured in 1882, by imagining in
a fit Of delirium That his house was
on fire and throwing himself from a
second-story window. He had been
editor of the True American; clerk
for many years Of the State House of
Representatives; was appointed by
President Monroe postmaster at
Trenton, and at the limo pf his fit OF
dclirium was a member Of the State
House.
William Ramsey, Of Pennsylvania,
is another Congressman who died by
his own hand: Born in 1910 he was
attached to the American Legation
at London, under Minister Steven
son; was elected Representative
from Pennsylvania in the Twenty
sixth Congress as q Van Buren Dem.
ocrat, serving from December 2,
1889, to October Z, 1910, and re-
elected 10 the Twenty-seventh Con-
gress. A few weeks after he com.
nitted suicide at Barnum's Hotel,
Baltimore, by shooting himself in the
right eye.
John Ewing, of Indiana, was found
dead IN his room at Vinccnnes, Indi.
ana, in December, 1857. He had
been Representative IN the Twenty
third and Twenty-iifth Congresses,
serving until 1889, and had served in
tho State Senate. On his table was
found the following epitaph, appa-
rently just written by himself:
Here lies man who loved his friends,
His God, his country and Yincennes."
A mournful and tragic suicide was
that of Alfred r. White, of Ohio.
White had been member of the