The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-03-31
WEARY or LIFE.
Brevet Rrig. Gen. Emory Upton Kills
HIMSELF.

San FRANCISCO, Call, March 10
About II o'clock this morning a tele-
phone message from Preside, three
miles from the city, announced the sui
eide of Gen. Emory Upton, of the Unit
ed States army, commanding the mill
tary post, and we'll known authority on
military tactics.
The facts Of the suicide, as far as can
be learned, are as follows: Gen. Upton
had retired to rest about his usual hour
last night, to certain extent depressed,
but not very noticeably yso. .sr In fact,
some of his friends say that he was in
good spirits, although for some time
past he has fretted much over t. re-
vision of his "Tactics," the main point
being that he was afraid that unless he
could make his mark perfectly, show
ing how to handle regiments contain
ing companies of more than 100 men,
he would lose the name he had already
acquired. He has also been suffering
for some time past from Il severe at
tack of catarrh. Early this morning
his Chinese servant BACKED his boots,
performed his usual menial duties and,
although the General was rather late in
rising, for a time thought nothing of it,
but when an hour or so afterwards,
breakfast being ready, he entered the
Generals room, he found the officer
lying outstretched upon the bed, his
mouth and body covered with
blood, and a revolver firmly
clutched in his right hand. The
body was cold and stiff, and
life had been extinct for several hours.
The supposition is that deceased shot
himself somewhere about midnight.
H was found lying upon the bed, his
head slightly inclined towards the
right, as if in restless sleep, his hands
lying under his half bare breast. His
face was livid in death, and from under
the heavy brown mustache and down
the sides of the luxuriant imperial had
flowed streams of blood, which passed
around the shoulders and fell on the
floor, leaving two great pools. The
deceased had placed a large army re-
vclver in his mouth, holding it with
both hands, and fired it while in re-
clining position. The large bullet
crushed through the brain: passed
through the head penetrating the
top of the hair pillow, and dented the
wood the head of the bedstead. No
report of the pistol was heard by his
brother officers. Glancing around the
room it was seen that deceased must
have sat for several hours into the night
writing and destroying the manuscript
he had written, and burning vast
number of papers, for the CRATE in the
room was filled with such ashes.
Around the room were works on mill
tary tactics in several languages. He
left also two letters-one to his sister,
in which he intimated that something
might happen; and one to Adjutant
Capt. Dyer, in which he expressed his
opinion that his "revised tactics" would
be a failure. From an intimate friend of
the general it was ascertained that he
was man of very genial habits, but q
devoted student. Since the death Of
his wife by consumption in Nassau,
two or three years ago, he was to GER
tain extent a charged man. He Was
devotedly attached to her, and had her
photographs before him in his rooms
and about his person wherever he
went. Letters Of coincidence to him
from her lady friends, speaking in her
praise, he had printed and framed as
mementoes of her. He left no chill
dren. He was one of the best-known
officers in the American army, and was
famous as the author of "Upton's Re-
vised Tactics" adopted as the stand
ard formula in the regular and militia
services of the United States. For
several years he was in command at
West Point, and thence was transferred
to duty at the artillery school at For
tress Monroe. He wrote several stand
ard works. the most prominently
known of which was "The Armies Of
Asia and Europe" published in 1878,
for the collection of data of which he
made a tour of the world. Gen. Up
ton was a native Of New York State,
and was in his 42d year. In the army
he had a high reputation While one
of the strictest disciplinarians in the
service, he was no martinez. He only
arrived at Presidio to TAX. command
last December.