Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-09-01
THROUGH THE HEAD.
4 DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE, YES
TERDAY,
Which Resulted in Death at Ten O'Clock Las
Night-Edward Morgan, of Rrnayille, Fires
a Bulle. InO His Skull.

At twenty minutes past one O'Clock
Yesterday afternoon Edward Morgan,
OF Etuavile, fired a bullet through his
head. and while 1t did not cause his I'M
mediate death, as the would-be-suicide
intended, yet death occurred In about
nine hours afterwards.
The pistol used was 80 caliore Smith
& Wesson, and Morgan had tel thin
stick about the size Of an ordinary
match to the barrel and with this pro-
truding about two inches, he pressed 1t
firmly against his right temple and
fired. The stick was intended TO hold
the weapon in one place so that the
shot might prove true aud sure. \ 1T
withstanding this precaution, however,
the bullet entered the head just above
the temple, instead OF at that point,
and passed directly through his head to
the opposite side. That be was cot in
stantly killed was matter Of wonder
TO all who saw the wound.
Morgan has been rooming for some
time with John Herbert, 10 a room Just
over Herberts saloon, on Third street.
Mr.. Herbert was eating his dinner in
the rear Of the saloon, when Morgan
came in and told Herbert that he was
going TO commence work at four O'Clock
that afternoon at the Standard mill. de
asked Herbert 10 wake him before that
time, and upon being assured that he
would be called be walked upstairs to
his room. Shortly afterward Mr.. Her
bert heard a shot. He went outside
and looked around, but could not see
anything which indicated the place OF
the firing. BY some impulse be went
behind his bar and looked into draw
er where he usually keeps two pistols.
One of them was gone, and as Morgan
had taken a razor in the morning he
suspicioned that he had taken the re-
vover at the same time. Mr.. Herbert
then made his way upstairs, and at the
head of the stairs he soon noticed the
smoke Issuing from the room. Upon
going inside he found Morgan lying
stretched out on the bed with his face
turned upwards. His right hand lay on
his breast with the pistol tightly grasped
ia his fingers His body was motionless
and blood was spouting from the wound
above the temple. Herbert opened the
windows to allow the smoke TO escape,
sent for q physician and tried to. stop
the flow of blood. Drs. Fisher, Eobert,
Howells aud Williams were all there In
q short time. The bleeding was stop
ped and DR.. Fisher by removing the
skin easily extracted the bullet from
the left side Of the head. The wounded
man fingered until about ten o'clock
last night.
He had written a letter to his brother
Fred Morgan, OF Martins Ferry, telling
him what he was going to do. This he
placed on q chair, and after shaving
himself, he lay down on the bed and
put the razor on the pillow beside him.
1t is presumed that he intended using
the razor in the event OF the pistol
droving failure.
The young man was about twenty
eight years of age and was unmarried.
He had been employed in the sheet de-
partment OF the Etna-Standard mill,
but had been compelled to quit work
because of i'll health about three
weeks before the mill shut down.
He was troubled with consumption, one
of his lungs being entirely gone. This
had troubled him great deal, and in
spells Of melancholy he had declared TO
different parties that some day he
would shoot himself. He was we'll
known and well liked by all who knew
him, and great surprise was manifested
when the news OF the suicide had
spread, as they never believed he would
carry out mis- threats. His parents
formerly resided in Martins Ferry,
but now are located in Demler Station,
Pa.