The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-01-08
DOUBTLESS a SUICIDE.
Tho Attending Physician's Testimony
Points 10 seif-Nurdcr.

W
Ar. LOUIS. Jan. There can be lit
tie doubt that Joseph Il. McCullagh
took his own life.
According TO the sworn statement Of
DR.. Charles Hamilton Hughes for two
years the late editors physician, MIR.
McCullagh made what appears TO
have been an attempt at suicide as
early as December %.
THAT afternoon" snid DIR. Hughes
in his statement before Coroner Wait
Friday morning, Il called on Mr. Me-
Cullagh and left four-ounce bottle
containing two ounces of digitalis, or
foxglove, "A very poisonous medicine.
which is administered for the purpose
Of regulating the heart, and which is
recognized by the medical fraternity
as n valuable heart tonic.
During the night Mr. McCullagh
drank little more than an ounce of
tho drug--a dose that was quite suf-
ticient to have caused death. But his
stomach was too weak to retain it
The medicine caused violent purging
and vomiting, and most of it was
elected from his system. Part of it
was AFFORDED, however, and tho action
of his heart was considerably weak
ened.
1.-THE next morning. the day before
Christmas, | called again" said DIR.
Hughes, "and was greatly SUI prised
and alarmed when l discovered that
so much of the drug was gone. |
asked him if he had taken 1t and he
said he had. He admitted that he
knew the deadly character OF the
drug, but did not seem To be at all
concerned about the matter.
gave him medicine calculated to
restore him To the condition of the
day before. and the matter was not
discussed afterward.
II am satisfied that Mr.. McCullagh
could not have taken the medicine by
mistake. There was no other bottle
!. in the room at all resembling the one
containing the digitalis, and there was
, no other medicine at hand that would
have produced Il fatal result.
Il at once connected the circum-
stance with conversation we had
: only few weeks ago, in which he
: mentioned Abraham Lincoln.
4 MI. MtA tihAs 80
the light of history, the assassination
: of Lincoln was fortunate thing for
his fame 1t is good thing, he said,
for man To die at the right time
As general proposition lie maintained
that when man outlived his period
0 of usefulness, it was time for him to
! die.
: still he did not seem TO apply this
. theory TO himself, for he would never
admit that he was not a well man.
q There was no pathological condi
! ton of his organs that would have re
suited in death at an early GATE.
' Rright's disease was not established,
and there were no indications of soft
Q enng of the brain His principal
trouble was "A cerebral strain, une te
t overwork, which might have been
n cured had he been content to follow
e instructions.
II III had known Mr.. McCullagh for 80
!. wears. / had been his physician since
October, 1894, and knew his physica
condition intimately.
- considering all the circumstance
Di surrounding his life and death, IN
impression is-and it can only be a
n, impression, since nobody witnesse
II the deed-that he committed suicide
- Coroner Wait interposed theorl
an and asked DIR. Hughes II he thought
n man Of Mr.. McCullagh's intelligenc
IN would resort to such means OF seii-d
,e- struction.
1T is not question OF INTEL
lis gencc," said DIR. Hughes. 1T Is
70 question of mood, of impulse. Men
TO- the highest intelligence resort to SCI 81
me destruction when they are sick. II
70 slightest annoyance may cause men
al do things that are not insane, but RAJ
"a, - and impulsive, when In bad heal,
er. that would otnerWlse pass
-.