Evening star., 1896-12-01
WROTE AS HE WAS DYING.
A Man Who Took n Does of Laudn Inn
Describes His SensatiOns.


Describes His Sensntions.
After destroying all marks on his cloth
Ing, well-dressed man. about thirty years
old, committed suicide in Chicago the other
night, by taking laudanum.
He described the effects of the drug in
writing until his hand could no longer hold
the pencil. The body was not found until
the next afternoon. The man registered at
the hotel as E. L. Bryan, but the police be-
lieve this was not his name
Before taking the drug he wrote a letter
to the hotel proprietor and another to the
newspaper in which he gave no cause for
MS act other than that his life had ter
minated in failure. In the letters he made
humorous remarks He continued his de-
scriptioE in his note book of the effects of
the drug until all the strength had failed
him. and some of the last of the writing
could not be deciphered. AS much of 1t as
could be made out is:
Drank one ounce Of laudanum After
five minutes feel little or no pain. Heart ac-
ton now pronounced A slight pain in stom-
ach. Note-My stomach is very weak, hav-
ing suffered for years from acute dyspepsia.
Ten minutes-Condition about the same
Pulse rapid and pains in wrists and light
pain in region Of heart. Hand trembles A
feeling of dullnesS, with more pain in all
parts of the body. Note-Will keep UP this
description of effects as long IS possible
Hope it will be of use to medical science.
Eyes show change. A feeling of drowsi-
ness coming on. Sort of feeling of intoxi-
cation, accompanied by slight fever
Twenty minutes - Pain increa sing A
slight perspiratfon started. Am getting
sleepy: Have sort of numb feeling and no
pain
The last sentences were scarcely legible
SO unsteady had the writer's hand become,
and although he attempted to write a few
more lines, the words could not be made
out
The words Of the final bulletin became
larger the end of the bulletin was near
ed. They were scrawled So as to be almost
beyond decfphering, and their completion
was evidently the final effor, of the suicide.
The other statements which were in the
memorandum We're und ouhtediy written be-
fore the 0rug had been taken. as they were
In clear. bold hand. The first is address,
ed: "To the man that keeps the hotel:
Dear sir: 1 am awful sorry to cause
you this annoyance. You will get some un-
desirable advertising out Of it; but. on the
whole. it won't pay you. Still. such things
must occur somewhere In all sincerity, l
hope that you won't think I would have
harmed your house for any motive except
accident. Regretting the trouble 1 cause
you, and trusting that You will regard the
incident as trifiing, 1 am. sir, with great
regrets, no more. E. l.. BRYAN.
''P. S.: No relation to w. J.''
The man started TO write a second letter
in the notebook, but, changing his mind
after starting 1t, scratched 1t ou. with his
lead pencil, and recommended en- the hotel
letterhead. The letter is as follows:
ITO Any Old Authority, Newspaper, Coro-
ner, ETC.:
This is just a case of shuf'iihg or this
mortal coil, or attempting &c do SO, for one
can never be sure that the most carefully
laid plans will be successful, and this like
almost every act of my life, is careless and
bungling, SO far.
who am 1? My name is on the register
downstairs. I have no friends. 1 am glad
of that, for there will be no mourners
Byron said his one regret was that he left
nothing that caused a tear. My case Is the
same, but 1 don't regret it at all. People
die sometimes and others are glad. Well
1 am glad that in my case nobody will be
made either happy or unhappy.
do with mech, most anything-just
don't bother to look for friends. You could
not find any with a searchlight or micro
scope. OF course, the reason l haven't any
friends Is because I've been bad. Well,
maybe SO. maybe not. This world is a big
place. Students of right and wrong are Off
ferent. Circumstances often compel actions
without consulting diseases. have known
both success and failure, tasted life's
sweetest and bittercst potions, and drained
to the dregs the cup of life at the threshold
of existence. Hopelessly handicapped by
bad health, by injustice and by disappoint-