The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-10

An Old Gunner Talks Over the Last
Days OF the tonfederacy, and
then Gives Up the Ghost.

Days Of the tOnfed eracy, and
then Gives Up the Ghost.
A stranger Of respectable appearance,
aged about fifty years, died at the residence
OF DR.. j. F. Carter yesterday morning OF
morphine administered by himself, and
with intent to commit suicide, II is be-
lieved.
DIR. Carter lives on the Scuffletown road
a road which runs short distance from
the corporate limits between the Grove
road and Broad-Street road-and about
sundown Sunday stranger stopped at his
gate and asked for drink OF water and a
piece OF bread. The man was five feet nine
inches high; was about fifty years Of age !;
wore good black felt hat and well-worn
suit OF black diagonal goods. He was blind
in the left eye. His night eve was BLUSH
gray. His hair was gray and about two or
three inches long, and inclined to curl. His
goatee and moustache were both white, and
the latter was nicely trimmed.
MORPHINE IN A BIG DOSE.
DIR. Carter took the man under q shed
near his office and gave him seat, and he
ate and drank heartily. He said that he
had been having chiIs; that physician
had prescribed morphine pills for him !;
that the directions were to take three at a
time and he had taken six at time; that
he had been up the road all day asleep un-
der tree, and had eaten nothing except a
few blackberries which he had gathered,
and which he complained had set his teeth
on edge.
His conversation was that OF man OF
fair education. Seeming TO be very unwell,
DR.. Carter invited him to stay to supper
and to spend the night; both OF which in
vitations he gladly accepted.
"MY NAME Is THOMAS"
In order to introduce the stranger to his
wife Dr.. Carter asked him his name. He
said "My name is Thomas" The Doctor
thereafter called him Mr.. Thomas. The
Doctor having inquired where he was from,
he said "From Virginia; am a Virgin
ian."
From his conversation 1t seemed that he
had spent good portion OF his life near
Portsmouth. He spoke Of navy-yard peo-
pie whom the Doctor knew before the war.
He gave good account OF the evacuation
OF the Gosport navy-yard by the Federal
authorities, and said that he was in the
Confederate naval service on James river
and at Drewry's Bluff, and that at the
evacuation OF Richmond he and party Of
marines landed on the Chesterfield shore
opposite Richmond, and found an engine
on the track, which they fired up. got on,
and followed after Lee, surrendering with
him at AppomattOX Courthouse.
From his war "reminiscences, DR.. Carter
nn nllIda1 fhat a n al hof
he had been in Richmond several times
since the war; but that he was not much
acquainted here was proved by his asking
DR.. Carter what building Richmond Col
lege was.
FOUND DEAD.
About supper-time, seeing how feeble
the stranger was, the Doctor made him
lie down on the sofa in his office. About
an hour later he discovered that the sick
man was in stupor, and he dashed good
deal of water in his face, with but partially
good effect.
Later, finding that he was again settling
into stupor, the Doctor went for stout
young neighbor, and the two did what
they could to rouse him, but with no great
success. About or 10 O'Clock they left
him, and the Doctor went to bed, having
felt the mans pulse and reached the con.
cusion that there were no signs OF imme-
diate danger.
When DR.. Carter got up Yesterday morn
ing Mrs. Carter told him that the stranger
was all right; that she had heard him
snoring. The Doctor, after q little while,
went into the office to offer him breakfast,
and found him dead. He was cold, except
Il little warmth about the throat. What
Mrs. Carter had heard was probably his
dying gurgle.
DR.. Carter now thinks it probable that
when left to himself on the sofa the man
took last dose OF pills. There were none
found on his person, nor any plll-bOx, or
anything else that could identify him.
FROM THE DEAD TO THE LIVING.
A small tablet, so called-a collection OF
paper such as physicians use to write pre-
scriptions on-was found in one pocket OF
his pants. On one page was the following,
written evidently some time before he came
to DR.. Carter's, and with the charreG end
OF a match, it seemed "Let me die. Do
not disturb me. May God have mercy upon
me is my last prayer"
And on another leaf and with pencil :
Shttb OhNes may oOu Dltso
YOU"
The handwriting is a good one, and the
characters large and rather business-like.
HIS GRAVE.
Justice Anderson was notified, and, with
DR.. Morris, held IN inquest. and the jury
rendered verdict of suicide from NOR
phine.
The body was buried in ScOtt's old field,
q piece Of ground west OF the new reser.
yOir. 1t would have been much better had
the county authorities kept it out OF the
ground till this evening. Disinterment
will now be necessary before any absolute
Identification can take place.
Deceased probably weighed 140 pounds.
He measured 5 feet o inches. Soon after
he arrived at DR.. Carter's he said that
physically he was in bad condition, but
that mentally he was all right"