The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-27
DEATH STOPS PROSECUTION.
JOHN }. CUNNEEN DIED ~ JAIL
FROM ALCOHOLISM

/ Found Dead at q O'Clock Yesterday
MOrning-IIe Was Alive After 1
O'CIOck-He Was Taken 40 Jail nj
His own Request 90 Keep Him
Away From LIquOr-On Trial Twice
Under the same Charge OF Keep
ing a Policy Lottery, He Secured "A
second New Trial From the SUI
preme Court and Was 10 Have
Been Tried in OctOber-The Fu-
neral This Morning.
John ]. Cunneen. well known among the
sporting fraternity Of the city. was found
dead in his cell at the jail yesterday morn
| ing at o'clock. As he was stin awake
and rather lively when the watch was
changed, at / o'clock. 1t is evident that ne
died some time between that hour an1
morning.
He had been on a spree for several days
and had gone TO jail to sober up. The ef-
fort was too great for him. however. and
brought on the delirium tremens, which
ended in death. Cunneen, who had man
aged to hold up drinking some time,
went on one OF the owls picnics about ten
days ago, on which he INDUCED freely
in intoxicants. his thirst got the upper
hand Of him, and he continued drinking.
His friends seeing that this course was
especially dangerous for him, on account
Of the severe heat. persuaded him to go
to the Savannah hospital just week ago
to-day for treatment. He went there, re-
naming only one day, leaving about mid
night DR.. Morrison, the house physician,
stated to friends Of Cunneen who called
to inquire about him the next day thar
Cunneen was in a serious condition, ana
that he could not go on in that way and
live. The efforts Of his friends We're use
less, however. and Cunneen continued his
spree until Friday, when he again sought
admission to the hospital. He was re-
fused, it being against the rules of the
hospital to receive back a patient who
has left without permission.
Cunneen left the hospital and went into
the park, where he met Policeman Farr,
whom he asked to arrest him. The officer
demurred at first, but Cunneen stated the
case to him and insisted that his only
chance OF getting sober was to be put I'M
der arrest Farr consented and sent him
in. The case was explained to Recorder
Wilson Saturday morning, and he imposed
a nominal fine with the alternative of
five days confinement in Jail. Cunneen
was transferred to the Jail Saturday and
given cell on the third floor His friends
visited him Sunday and did what they
could to make him comfortable. He was in
very restless and excited state how
ever, and Sunday night he was attacked
with deIerium.
DR.. 7. d. Chisholm, the county physi-
clan, was summoned, and attended Gun
neen. DR.. Chisholm spent some time with
him, remaining at the jail until after mid
night, at which time the patient had be-
come quiet.
The watch at the jail was changed at
l o'clock, at which time Cunneen was
still awake. His death occurred some
time between 1 and o'clock, but at
just what hour is not known. He had
evidently been dead two or three hours,
when discovered.
A friend of Cunneen's, VINO called to
see him shortly after breakfast, was
horrihed to learn that he had died in the
night Arrangements we're at once made
to remove the body from the Jail. Dr.
Chisholm gave certificate of death from
alcoholism and the body was taken
charge of by Undertaken Goette. The
funeral will take place at 10 o'clock
this morning. Cunneen was born in Sa-
vannah and spent his life here. He was a
very bright young fellow and held several
lucrative positions in the cotton business.
He found gambling more attractive, and,
as he thought more lucrative, and en-
barked in the business professionally
Like most others in that business, the
money which came easy was spent in
reckless living and in fighting cases in
the courts. 1t is doubtful if he had
money enough to bury him when he
died.
Cunneen has been through the mills
of the courts frequently His experience
within the last year has been peculiar
and a remarkable one, different from that,
perhaps, which is the lot of many other
gamblers. Last summer he was convicted
on a charge of keeping a policy lottery
He was sentenced to pay fine of $500 and
costs or spend six months in jail. Twice
before that he had gotten off on account
Of a faulty Indictment. The first time
his name was wrongly spelled and the
second one Of the grand jurors who found
the indictment was improperly drawn.
He carried the case to the supreme court,
defended by Maj. p. w. Meldrim, and
was granted new trial on the ground
that he had not been given opportunity
to secure an absent witness He was tried,
convicted and sentenced a second time,
but only after several successive post
ponements of his trial for one cause and
another At the last term of the supreme
court he was a second time granted a new
trial on the ground that Jurors who APP
peared on a former trial that was declared
a mistrial, were not allowed to serve. He
was to have been tried again in October,
but death stops all prosecutions on this
earth at least.
Undertaken Goette took charge of the
| body, and the funeral will take place
this morning at 10 o clock from the Cathed-
raj, and the interment will be at the Ca
| thedral cemetery.
NO CYCLONE NEWS.