The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-04-03
MORPHINE AND sELF-MuRnER.

Colonel A. j. Mcneil ina Mad Moment
Blows His Brains Out While Under the
influence OF tho Deadly Drug.
Saturday morning the little town OF Mes
quite, in the eastern part of the county. was
thrown into high state of excitement by
the news that Colonel A. ]. Mcneil, re-
spected citizen of that place, had committed
suicide by shooting himself through the
right temple, along the roadside about one
mile west of Mesquite. Ever since the
death OF his brother, Captain John Mcneil,
which occurred some two years since, the
deceased appeared to be de-
pressed In spirits. and in his
grief, il is alleged, he resorted to morphine,
as comforter, and his grief being no
doubt intensified by the sale of the old
homestead, Saturday, caused him in mo.
ment of madness to commit the rash act.
THE INQUEST.
Justice Lanier, of that precinct, empan.
neled jury of inquest, and the following
testimony Of witnesses was adduced;
LEWIS rILEN,
tho first witness sworn, testified as follows:
About II or | o'clock, March 81, 1888,
was going from Mesquite to Scyene,
and when | got within about
twenty yards of branch emptying into
South Mesquite creek, about one mile west
of Mesquite depot near the old Moss
place, my morse became frightened, and at
the same time | discovered man lying
near the road, and white horse, with sad
die and bride on, tied to tree near by;
rode up to within about fifteen steps Of
him; did not know him; | called to him,
but he did not answer; saw blood on his
hat and forehead; his hat was lying within
two or three inches of his head returned
to Mesquite and reported that there was
man dead ut that place;
| recognize the man before me rs the same
man, and he is lying in the same position
he was when | first discovered him.
A. j. sTANFIELD,
the second witness, testified: | understood
that there was Il man dead at this place,
and W. z. Porter, mysefand another man,
don't recollect who, came here about 10
O'Clock; | recognize the decea,ed before me
us the man | found here when first came,
lying in the same position, with q pistol on
| the ground near him; ! do not know the
man.
JOHN RNoX,
the third witness, testified ! came here
about 10 O'Clock, having heard that there
was man dead here; | found the deceased
whom | recognized rs A. j. McNe ELL, who
resides in this county near Scyene, lying in
the same position he is now in with q pistol
by his side near his right hand; q five
shooter with four chambers loaded and one
empty; he had bullet hole IN his right
temple.
". +. woBTHINGToN,
the fourth witness, testified; | recog
nlze the deceased as A, j. Mcneil
of the Scyene neghborhood the
deceased has been taking morphine tC
excess for two years; some eight days age
the wife OF the deceased said to me that hei
husband was using morphine to excess, and
said that he said TO her that he did moi
want to live without using so much NOR
phine; | am told that the pistol lying by
his side is the property of Mr.. bennington
and that deceased borrowed tia few days
ago. as he said, to kill rats with.
DIR, j, A. CULLEN,
the fifth wituess, testified upon examina-
ton of the body of deceased: | found d
| wound in the right temple, about half way
between the eye and ear, rather above the
line OF the eyebrow; the wound was, in my
opinion, caused by pistol shot and ranged
directly through the head; ! find the bull
let Just under the skin on the left temple
almost exactly opposite the point of en-.
trance the mouth of deceased was
much blackened and powder-bu the
hair on the temple and len
eyebrow was burned almost entirely off,
After hearing the evidence the Jury re.
turned the following
VERDICT:
I'VE, the jury, having been duly sworn 10
diligently inquire into the cause, manner
time and circumstance of the death Of the
person whose body lies before us, find the
deceased to be A. J. Mcneil, VINO reside,
near Scyene, Dallas county. Texas, and that
he came to his death by pistol shot from
his own hand, the 3lst of March 1883"