The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-11
BOUNDED TO HIS DEATH.
JUDGE NoRMILE VICTIM OF PU-
LIIzER,s ST LOUIS NEWSPAPER

LIIZER's ST. LOUIS NEWSPAPER
sFor More Than n Year." He Wrote, -the
Atrocious Iibeiiers of tho Post.D Dispatch
Have Had Me on the Rack"-Then. De-
spairiur OF Redress, lie Swallowed Fol-
son A sensitive Nature Wrought Upon
sy False Accusations and by Malicious
Reminders OF Humble Birth-No
Mercy From the Assaiinnt Even After
che yIctIu's Death Editor McCaiiash
Moved to u severe Characterization OF
the Founder of Pulitzer Journalism"
81. LOUIS. Aug 10.-Judge James G. Normils
Of the st. Louis Criminal Court committed
suicide by taking poison ut 1880 o'clock yes
terday morning In his bedroom on the third
noor OF .422 Washington avenue. Death en-
sued within n few minutes after. he took the
draught. and at 2 p. NJ the body OF tho widely
known Justice was on bier in Coroner Twins
back OHIO. According to the last writing OF
the Judge he sought by suicide to escape the
virulent attacks OF the Post-Dispatch. tho even
ing newspaper published here by Joseph
Pulitzer. proprietor OF the Now York World.
He had been pushing a libel suit against the
editors OF the Post Dispatch. but. as he says in
his last note. 1t would have been long before
The case could have been brought to an Issue
In the courts. and. mean time. the paper was
harassing him beyond endurance. 30 he re-
solved to put himself beyond the reach OF Its
malice .,......
Judge Normilo had requested the house
keeper to call him at IL A. M. Receiving no
response to her knocks. she summoned others
In the house. and whom the door was opened.
the Judge was found upon his bed dead. On
tho south side Of the bed. the head OF which
was to the east, stood q revolving cane-seated
chair. On tho chair was stenograpbers
thick-ruled book. with covers closed. q
"smoothbore" glass. the sides OF which
showed whitish deposit or stain. and beside
the glass 3S-calibre Colts revolver. all its
chambers loaded II the poison failed to work
or gave him pain. he had the revolver ready
for use. No deposit was noticeable In the bot
tom Of the glass. On the first and second
pages Of the stenographers book. written with
lead pencil in the Judges running hand. ap-
parently mistaken by nervousness or fear. and
neither dated. addressed. nor signed. was this:
e For p;ore than year the atrocious libellers
Of the Post Dispatch have had mo on the rack.
They have almost untitled me from perform
ing my judicial duties. and made life little
less than o protracted torture. For the past
week have slept little. concluded to 60 to
the office and kill Florence White. but have
Just this morning abandoned this purpose. as
l shrink from taking human life. especially
while being IL Judge. cannot fight this paper
IN the courts. The law is slow. and 1t would
be more than u year before could get tho
damage case brought to trial. l crave rest.
which. alas! i must seek in the grave. upon
whose brink l pencil these closing lines"
There is only one sentiment in st. Louis re-
garding tho death o! Judge Normilo: that Is.
that he is another victim Of the Post Dispach'S
4 h, oil Of
iem' He was literally bounded to his death.
For year or more the POST Dispatch had bee n
pursuing hin with ridiculo and abuse. His
every public act was held up to scorn. No one
knew better than the conLmctors OF The lost,
the man and his scrupuous regard for all the
niceties and pr"rriciies OF life they knew.
"ns am
waite and in public Ito was his overwcening de-
care to lie MEYER Esye as tsnaer M
woman and ti Gallant as Knight Of old hut he
unprecedented the dignity OF the bench and up;
or with the nd Illustration Of the citys affairs,
'h he pHbs %ea fs papsf knew Ills
Still for some inscrutanle reason he was
Became P r"us as than his enas thousHt IL
should stand. and they advised him to bring
actions for. criminal libel and for damages
long wanted and the lioodgates OF its vitupera
ton were opened wide upon him.
sst. 9 and yet the as Ssnsse f"rrssenis'
ton ana demeanor were those of a gentleman
and yet the pnlitzssE PAPER pictured hin as
III. ani sc one at
easm alike were, hurled, at him. He was in
Without being boastiul or ostentatious. prou,
OF his public. career without being arrogant
naughty He couldn't understand how sucl
cruel things could be said OF him as wer
dTy HT1 hs sy ss 4S wes tE thought tina
first entered his mind. and to XIII not only II
managing editor Of the paper. but to enter tn
nected with the editorial department was tn
idea that for u while was ,uppermost., But h
methods Of revsnging his wounded honor h
would be remembered as q slayer II me
Thas VIII trA his Bride Sut crushad and ar
of,prussic acid, ended his life.
cuiiash. editor OF the Giobr; S'movG;. whir
A a. ~a.v vns
plored was largely due to and promoted by
sHpeEsensitivsness OF mind and hlsp9sitio
Tie criticism. drove, him to the deed Ii
knew to be unjust and knew to be malicious
but this only intensified his grief and agra
ysted his emotion, ,II He saw that sui
no conceiy"d to DO persecution. con
sisting Of an exposure of certain fact
OF his early life. Of which most men would b
proud. hut of which, truth compels mo to say
N9ITmnile character Perhaps it = better t
him to silence on the SUBJECT Of his earl
days. There was nothing in his histor
to DO ashamed OF, hut much in hi
youthful struggle Of when most men woul
be proud: Int ho hated to 10 he'll
up before the world as the Irish 80
ofan Irish peasant aud alterwar!a struggling
workman OF humble sort in Kansas and else
where. He wanted his biography TO begin an
end with lawyer and Judge. lie would hay
himself appear always u butterfly and never
grub. so thai there wrr" two kinds. # sensi
tiveness constantly working at him to hi
detrimcnt. tho first As 10 his origin and I'll
second as T. anything said OF his "nrinl act,
He found his coniurtas II Judge continual
Assalled from tho same source. Thai his as
sailants were not quHlljel t. he his critics di
not lessen the force of the attacks. From tn
restiveness under which h. received the in