The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-06
NOTHING TO LIVE FOR.
A PENNILEsS AND HEART BROKEN
MANS DESPERATE DEED.
A Week Ago the Wife Of Walter Cum
difr Committed Suicide, and Last
Night He Attempted the Same
Thing and VIII Die.

About $50 o'clock last night DIR. McGee
was hastily summoned to No. SO Fourth
street to sec man who was thought to be
rapidly dying Tho occupant Of the house
is Mrs. Sallie Myers apd the man who was
in such critical state was Walter CundiT.
He was the husband Of the woman, who
found her lying by his side in bed one
week ago, this morning, at their room No.
248 Poplar street. As will be remembered
the wifo was addicted to the use Of NOR
phine and liquor, and bad been drinking
excessively for few days. On the evening
before her death she had sent q negro
boy to drug store near by for 20 cents
worth OF morphine, and evidently having
taken an overdose OF ii, II is supposed that
the drug and whisky SO nauseated her that
she was attacked with violent vomiting
spells, and that during one Of these spells
her head foil from exhaustion into the YES
sci into which she was vomiting, and being
partially filed with water she was thus
strangled. She and her husband were
both poor and in the neediest circum-
stances. He was unable 10 give her n
burial, and Mrs. Myers generously went
out among the neighbors and secured the
necessary amount TO bury the body
of the Inflated woman. The husband
was inconsolable over the death
Of his wife, and after disposing
of the few effects in their room, he took
his trunk and life-size picture of his
dead wife and went 10 the house OF Mrs.
Myers. He only asked that he be permit
ted to stay there until he got work. The
permission was granted. On the Thurs
day following he sent boy for twenty-five
cents worth OF morphine and rot il. A
Mrs. Burgett, who also lives in the house.
had seen that Cundif was drinking ex-
cessively, and heard him say that he
wanted 10 die. Learning from tho boy
the contents OF the package, she
went into the room where
CundiiT was lying on the bed and after
some difficulty succeeded in getting the
deadly drug from him, since that time
every time the man has appeared at the
house he has been under the influence Of
liquor. He had gotten work at Williams
saw-mil, but paid little attention To IT,
Yesterday afternoon, about O'Clock, he
came 10 the house, and after talking TO
Mrs. Burgelt for a short time asked her TO
send out for 10 cent? worth OF
whisky. She did 30. Alter drinking
IL be asked permission 10 go
in the rear room and lie down. lie was
soon asleep, and no ono paid any further
attention 10 him until about s o'clock,
when Mrs. Myers was attracted by bis
heavy and loud breathing. All efforts b.
arouse him were Intellectual and she then
sent for the doctor. Ii was quite plain 10
the physician that the unconscious man
had taken morphine, but how much could
not be ascertaincd. asno one had seen him
tako il, nor was there any box or phial
in the room, which had been used for that
purpose. The probabilities are that he
took the drug before coming 10 the house.
and evidently dill 80 deliberately. DR..
MCGEE worked faithfully TO revive him,
and applied every known antidotc, but
none OF them seemed TO have the desired
effect. Still life remained, and Mt 2 o'clock
this morning tho patient was in coma.
lose condition. Cundif is q man
of handsome appearance, apparently
about thirty years old. lie was
formerly well 10 do merchant nj Cairo,
ILL.,. but failed in business, and seemed
devoid Of the pluck and energy 10 cndcay-
or TO rebuild bis fortunes. Dr. MCGEE
was Of the opinion thai the patient would
certainly die from the overdose OF poison.
A telephone message received at 2:30
o'clock a. M, announced that Cundili had
died from the effects OF the self-admlnis.
tered poison.