The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-01
Instantly Killed by Falling from n
SecOnd-StOry Window to the Ground,
Twenty-Five Feet Below.
RISE OF A PRINTERS DEVIL
HOW AN IRISH BOY ATTAINED FAME
IN THE NEWSPAPER WORLD.
"reminiscences of Mr.. Hasselman,
Who Was Once Associated with
Mr.. McCullash i'm Business.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-. Dec. 3l.-JOSepn Is. NC
| Culagh. editor of the st. Louis Globe
! Democrat and one of the best-known news
paper men in the country is dead as the
result of fall of twenty-five feet from
| a 5econd-stOry of his apartments, at the
residence of his sister-in-law. Mrs. Kate
Manion. at No. 1887 West Pine boulevard.
| The body which was cold in death and clad
only in a nightgown. discovered by
| Mrs. Manion's colored man servant about
Z O'Clock this morning. Waters, the col
| ored servant. without touching the body,
| ran frightened into the house, where lie
| told the cook of the discovery. She imme-
| diately called Mrs. Manion. who had not
! yet arisen, and told her that Mr.. McCul-
| lagh had fallen out Of his window and
| killed himself" The announcement was a
severe shock to Mrs. Manion and it was
several minutes before she was able TO
| control herself.
| Immediately on being notified by the
| servant, Mrs. Manion dispatched her
| coachman to summon DR.. c. II. Hughes
| who resides in the neighborhood and who
was Mr.. McCullaghs physician during his
! last illness. He FASTENED to the house
and. after examining the body. ordered it
| removed to the house DIR. Hughess con-
| clusion. from the condition of the body
4
| lagh plunged head first from the window
about $3.50 o'clock. On the ground around
| the foundation of the house is q stone
| water table. In the fall Mr.. McCullagh
| struck n sharp corner of this stone with
| the left side of his head, fracturing the
| parietal bone. This caused confusion Of
| the brain and instant unconsciousness, if
| not death. The physician is of the opin-
| ion that death followed Immediately after
| the shock of the fall The victims head
/ was lying in small pool of blood which
| had dripped from the wound, but other
wise il showed no evidences of violence.
Just how Mr.. McCullagh happened to fall
| out of the window can only be a matter
OF conjecture. He had been i'll several
months and latterly was compelled to keep
TO his room. He passed his last night un-
attended, he had always slept we'll dur
| ing his illness. Wednesday evening Mr..
| AIcCullagh was in the best of spirits
though he complained of not being quite
| so well Tho smothering sensation which
had troubled him at intervals during his
illness had returned to him in a mild form
and rendered him languid and drowsy. He
retired to bed about Z O'Clock. leaving
word with the household that he did not
wish to be disturbed unless it was by his
| physician. DR.. Hughes called soon after
| and expressed surprise to Mr.. McCulagh
| at finding him in bed at such an early
FELT VERY WEARY
| 'I am very weary" Mr.. McCullagh said.
land L thought | would get as much rest
as possible tonight. 1 expect my barber
early in the morning to trim my hair and
/ want to be up when he arrives"
The physician administered to his pa
tients needs, saw that everything i'm the
| room was fixed for the night and that the
| north window was raised about an inch for
ventilation. Then he bade MIR. McCullagh
| good night, turned off the electric light and
| retired.
| Before going 10 bed herself Mrs. Manion
| looked into Mr.. McCulagh's room. She
saw that everything in the room was in
| order and then retired to her own apart
ments About midnight she woke up and
detected an ordor of escaping gas. She in
| vestigated and found burner in the COM
| bination gas and electric light chandelier,
! which hangs suspended in the center of Mr.
| McCullaghs room. open The odor of gas
| was very strong I'm the apartments. Mrs.
| Manion turned on an electric light and smut
/ off the gas Mr. McCulagh woke up
| Joe" she said, did you know gas was
| escaping in your roOm?' You would have
| been a dead man in the morning ii L had
| not discovered ii"
| Mr.. McCullagh was apparently too drow-
| sy to realize what his sister-in-law said.
| He murmured inaudible reply and fell
| asleep again. Mrs. ManiOn raised the open
window little higher SO the fumes of the
| gas would leave the room, and then re-
| turned to bed. 1t is supposed that MIR.
| McCullagh got out of bed for something
and. trying to. turn on an electric light he
| turned the gas. He did not notice the
| error and retired again unconscious OF dan
| ger.
Careful investigation warrants the con-
! clusion that Mr.. McCullagh awakened
| later in the morning by q smothering at
| tack and climbing out OF bed again, ner-
| vous and unsteady from the spell. went TO
the window for more air. AS he threw the
! sash UP to it's full height he was probably
! overcome with weakness. lost his balance
| and rolled out over the WINDOW Sill and fell
| to his death.
1t was rumored to-day that Mr. McCul-
| Iaghs death due to suicide. but his
! friends scout the idea. DR.. Hughes is re-
| ported as saying this afternoon: Mr. Nc
| Cullagh was tired of living and killed him.
| self. He gave no premonltion of suicide
| during his illness. however. | saw him for
a little while last evening. He said he felt
| sleepv and gave me To understand he
| wanted TO be left alone His brain was af-
| fected but his intellect all right. He
| never gave any signs Of any mental break
! down during his Illness. He suffered from
! profound nervous exhaustion complicated
| with recurring kidney trouble. lie also
/ had sympathetic ahection The late
| campaign undermined his health.
The Dispatch says: Mr.. McCul-
| laghS illness came on him shortly after the
! late Republican convention. 1t took the
! form Of acute asthma. complicated with
| nervous depression When he passed
| through the acute stage he found himself
| slow in recovery. His limbs had lost their
/ vigor. his arms We're NUMB ana there We're
! premonitions that the brain had come
! under the same shadowy spell. But MIR.
/ McCullagh wouIQ not admit that he was
1 falling either physically or mentally. fie
insisted on managing his newspaper from
I his bedroom. All through the day he sat
; in his arm chair wrapped in blankets re-
/ ceiVed reports from has subordinates and
gave them orders for theI conduct OF the
paper.
The funeral is set for o'clock Satur-
day afternoon at Mrs. Mauions residence.
/ Rev Dr. W. W. Boyd. pastor of tho Sec
ond BAPTIST Church. and Rev. John Snyder.
( prominent Unitarian minister of this city.
! will conduct the services. The interment
/ viii be at Belefontaine Cemetery.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.