Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-01-29

DR.. q. 81. George Hopkins and wife
formerly resided in Virginia and both are
we'll known on the Comstock. Follow
ing account Of the accident last wsdnes-
day at their residence In oakland. Cali.
fornis, condensed from the Oakland
Times Of Friday. will Be read with in.
tsrest:
Between 9 and 10 O'Clock Wednesday
morning 0 terrible accident happened st
the residence Of . prominent physician
Of this city, DR.. d. 81. George Hopkins,
who lives at 1417 Grove street. II sp.
pears that Dr.. Hopkins was In the habit
OF placing . pistol under his pillow. and
had lately prepared the weapon for in
slant use In case burglars entered the
house. Mrs. Hopkins usually entered
the room In the morning and knseled BY
the bedside and removed the pistol and
watch before making up the bed. As she
was found knseling BY the bed Wednss.
day morning. with . bullet wound In her
head, Il IL supposed that In taking the
pistol from under the pillow Il was acci.
dsutally discharged. Dr.. Adams Was
called at onoe and did all that was posi-.
BILE, bat at $50 yesterday morning Mrs.
Hopkins expired.
At the inquest held last ThurSlay Dr..
Hopkins testified, among other things,
As follows concerning the deceased: She
has been very sick for . day or two; she
has been subject to neuralgia tho last
Ave or six years. On yesterday morn.
ing, the 26th instant, she was sitting on
the edge Of her bed and / asked her
how she was feeling. Bhs replied that
she felt . great deal better. She then
went int the room to make up the bed.
have been In the habit for q long time
Of keeping Q pistol under my head. She
has been In the habit Of coming In In the
morning and knesling down BY me and
putting her head on the pillow and talk
ing to me. Just before she would rise
shs would put her hand under the pillsw.
take the pistol out and put 1t on the
stand. I had warned her about 1t many
times. a. 1t was dangerous. / went to
the waier.closet. and while there my
mothxr.in-law came and called me. I
returned to my room and found my
mother. In law lifting my wife from the
floor. She lay with her head and one
arm on the bed; the other arm was down
by her side. On Monday night, the
Gath, I thought that SEINE ons was break.
mo into the house. took the pistol
and left the hammer OF Il N the car
fridge. It Ia not q self. cooking pistol;it
is q dsrriuesr. She lived until 8 o'clock
this morning. She became conscious
about eight hours after she was found.
The mother Of the deceased testihed:
About 10 O'Clock yesterday morning. the
26th, before I had gone down stairs. /
heard Q report in the room In trent next
10 mine, and after q few seconds I went
Into the room. Ny daughter slept 10
the roar OF mine and not hnding her l
went into the front room where DR..
Hopkins slept. I saw her kneeling at
the bedside with her head on the bed.
I thought that she had tainted. went
to her when, on raising her head, l saw
the blood and noticed the pistol laying
at her side. Inever saw the pistol before.
I called Dr.. Hopkins and with bis assist.
snoe placed her on the bed. For about
ten minutes she appeared to be dead but
after that showed signs Of life though
abe did not speak. She had been sick
the day before and was III all the night
taking some opists TO quiet her nerves.
She bad suffered from severe nervous at
tacks. The pistol was qsite near to her.
I had seen her Q half an hsur before.
She did not appear any more Respondent
lately than people usually are. suffering
from neuralgia. I have NO reason to
suppose that she would ever commit the
deed Voluntarily. The pistol was near
her side on the floor.
Dr.. Mookler testified /: I examined the
deceased. 1 found that the ball had
entered the head above the back OF the
right ear. and had passed inward and
downward. The pistol must have been
CLOSE to the head. not to exceed two feet.
The hair around. the wound va, not
sipged by the powder. think 1t almost
q physical impossibility for her to COM
NIT the act herself. / am intimately
acquainted with the family and think
from her religious belief and natural
adherence Of suicide that for her 1t was
q matter OF sure impossibility for her to
commit the deed herself.
DIR. Adams testified, among other
things. that IL was possible for the de-
ceased to have inflicted the wound her
self. The scalp was burned BY powder.
On cross-eIamination BY . juror Dr..
Adams said that It was possible that the
deceased could have committed The act
herself but not probable that she did II.