Wichita eagle., 1888-12-05

/ Ed Smith, a telephone liReman, at
tempted 70 commit suicide by taking ar
! senic in a drink OF whisky in a house Of
unsaeory reputation on South Ida avenue,
/ near Prince street, last night. There was
/ a gang OF liuemen sent TO Wellington On
/ last nights south bound Santa Fe train 20
/ put in a toe line from that city to Wichita
and Smith was one OF the men. About 3
o'clock ne went TO the house Of a Mrs.
! Gurnsey, not unknown to police circles,
/ ard in company with number Of friends
/ began to i'll himself up with whisky.
Smith had been drinking considerably be-
/ fore but nothing strange was noticed IN
{ his manner or behavior. The party in the
/ house was composed Of a number OF other
/ men employed by the telephone company
/ and all were intimately acquainted with
/ Smith, but none Of them saw him drink
I the liquor which contained the poison
The first thing that attracted the attention
( of any one was when Smith sank into
{ chair and remarked that ''he was done
/ for" When asked what was the matter
( he said that be had taken morphine
/ IN a drink OF whisky and that he wanted
to die. His friends could not scarcely be
lieve his words, but Immediately sent up
! town for a physician. Drs. Purdue and
+ St John were taken into a cab and hastily
driven TO the house and found Smith
suffering intensely with pains III the
( stomach and unconscious. He could not
f be aroused for some time and every lndI-
cation pointed 10 d speedy dissolution.
+ Those who had been With Smith when he
was first taken told the physicians that lie
J = Ia
lieyed the poison was arsenic and their
! conclusion was variied b. the intense
/ griDings in the stomach OF the would be
suicide. The physicians set 10 work with
Femetics and resto' atives and labored with
! him for an hour and half when the first
/ signs Of recovery were manifested.
+ As soon as Smith regained consciousness
he began to call tor Joe GarveN one OF his
friends who mad been with him during the
afternoon. He Was asked what he had
taken and first replied that ne had swal-
/ lowed some morphine, but finally said 1t
was arsenic He could not be induced TO
say where he had got the poison and the
/ only reason he would assign for taking 1t
was because he wanted to- He re-
manned IL q setli-cOnscIous condition
+ for some time and 10 amount OF ques-
tioning either by the physicians or
/ ais friends could induce him to say where
( lie got the poison or why he wanted to end
his lie. His only reply to most of the
! questions was the monotOnOus cali tor
Joe ice, " meaning Joe Carney, and il
was not until Mr.. Garvey returned to the
house could Smith be induced to talk.
This was about S:l5 and the train on
which the gang OF telephone linemen ex-
pected 10 90 south was due IN a few min
utes. Smith said he wanted to 90 with
the other men and although against the
wishes and intentions Of the physicians,
lie was loaded into a Gao ami
taken to the train. Il required
two men to carry Smith into
the coach. but 10 amount OF
coaxing or persuasion to induce him to re-
main behind.
C. L BurzeII foreman OF the gang OF
Unemeu, said that he did not think Smith
had taken poison. lie was inclined to be-
Iieve tn4J the only poison ne had taken
was the natural Ingredients OF some poor
whisky. which &c mad been drink copiously
for several days. The doctors think dif-
ferenrly and say he must have taken ar
senic but that the poison was counter
acted by the whisky. Those who claimed
20 be in i position 60 know said last L ght
that the cause Of Smiths attempt 10 take
his life was a love affair. IL was intl-
mated that long a-o that he was rejected
by i young lady IL this city, upon whom
he has been calling regularly OF late, and
this 50 weighed upon his mind that he
took the poison IN hopes that 1t would end
smith IS young man about y years of
age and has a widowed mother living or
South Laura avenue.