The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-03-24
SUNDAYS SUICIDE.

1
| A Strange Case-A Man Brings His wife IL
4 Town to See Him DO It-And Still HI
r. Didn't Expect to Die-An Enormous Dos,
| OF Morphine.
George Adams of White River Junction
aged ~, and painter by trade, died SUNDAY
about $40 p. IN. from the effects of apparently
an enormous dose of morphine which ht
| took 10 hours and II hours before. He, wa
| worked over all through the day by halt
dozen people and every appliance of med
ical skill was brought to bear by Drs. Web
ster and Pratt, bur without averting tht
resistless working OF the dread effects Of the
drug. The case was q curious one. Twice
before within two weeks according to hi'
wifes statement Adams had attempted tC
make way with himself in the same way
| The last time was at the hotel at White River
Junction the Tuesday night before and after
he had slept off the effects OF that dose, ht
| wrote his wife who had separated from MIN
and gone to her folks at West Lebanon, N
H., and prevailed upon her to come back
| They spent the night at White River juno
tion, and Thursday afternoon came dowr
here, secured board at Mrs. E. Bnshnelps on
| Elliot street and Adams engaged himself t.
| work at his trade for Thomas Cain. He did
| work Saturday afternoon. He met former
acquaintance at West Lebanon, N. H., Max
Sevegny, who works at Rates barber
shop, after he came here and he told him
that be had been on drunk. had lately been
In New York state and that he had had
trouble with his wife. 1t does seem that be
had been drinking quite heavily for some
after the poisoning, be had swallowed bottle
of Jamaica ginger and one OF check
erberry or some similar essence. He
had revolver when he came here, hut his
wife, fearing that be would do something
with 1t. prevailed on him to sell II. Saturday
night they went to bed all right, he taking g
dose of morphine to make him sleep. Shortly
after five O'Clock she was aroused by hearing
him groanlng. and learned that he had taken
two more doses of morphine. the heaviest
one at one O'Clock, and the other Just before.
A 60-grain bottle of morphine which she SAYS
was full the night before, was empty on the
stand. She rushed to Fred Clark's, said her
husband was dying from morphine, and
asked bin to 60 tor the doctor, which be did.
Mr.. Walker, new b0arder at Mrs. Bush
nelPs, heard 1t from an adjoining room, and
was on the scene in moment, asked Adams
II 1t was true, and he replied "Yes. sin't
sd evidently did ' not sspes0'es sspess to de. ns
DR.. Webster arrived In q few minutes,
made hypodermic injections of brandy, gave
emetics &C., and tried every other means to
save him. Adams had himself, at bis wife's
solicitation, tried In vain to throw up his dose
by sticking his finger In his throat and gsg-
glpg himself.
A half dozen of the boarders and neighbsrs,
under the doctors orders. kept the man
walking about the street until about 8 o clock
when he got too stiff to walk more and had
to be almost carried towards the end. In the
early part of this pedestrian work he talked
quite gllbly. He said he hadn't eaten anything
for week before be came here. He repeat
edly observed that none of them began to
know what there was back of this. Then be
would talk OF his plans for the future. While
walking with Mr.. Walker he asked II the lat.
ter couldn't get some whiskey for him to
keep nv courage up after l get out Of
this" In the morning he had told
his wife that be couldn't get enough
of the stuff down to kill him. Soon
after It was found impossible to walk
BIN more, and he was brought back Into the
house, he sank into stupor that grew more
heavy to the end. Occasionally he would say
word or TWO. Asked once If he wanted to
die, he replied that he bad only one thing to
live for to take care of his wife. For the last
two or three hours he was only Kept alive by
forced respiration, like that with drowned
The case looks as II he had carefully plan-
ned the deed and brought his wife along to
witness 1t. though perhaps be had only In
tended to impress her with narrow escape
from death. Mrs. OLare of this place who
knew them at West Lebanon. N. H.. and
lived In the same house with them. saws be
was thought insane by people who had met
him lately, and many queer actions and say.
ings lately are now recalled to indicate this.
liz talked and Inquired about the asylum
after be got here and Friday he visited the In.
The body was returned to White River
Junction Monday, and the wife was aided by
the town to go back to ber home at West
Lebanon, n. H, as 1t was found that Adams
Lad no money from the end.
Interviews with Mrs. O'Lare and Max |
Sevegny, the only people in town vino had |
previously known him, show him four years |
'go to have been hard working citizen. but |
a'ely to have got into drinking habits. Mrs.
Adams people at West Lebanon are highly |
'espected. The couple had had two children.
)ut both are dead.