Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-01
DEATH OF EDITOR M'CULLACH
Tragic Ending to the Noted Journalists
Tedious Illness.
DEAD BODY FOUND ON THE SIDEWALK
Supposed to Have Fallen from His
he'd Room window During nm
Attack of Asthmn-A Tirclcss
Newspaper Worker.

Attack of Asthmu-A Tirclcss
Newspaper Worker.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3t-Mr Joseph b. Me.
Cullagh, editor OF the st. Louis Glube-D Dem
ocrat and one OF the best known newspaper
men In the country. is dead as the result OF
fall OF twenty-five feet from second
story window of his apartments at the resi-
dence of his sister-in-law, MIS- Kate Man
ion at 1897 West Pine boulevard. The
body, which was cold in death and clad only
in a night gown, was discovered by Mrs.
Manions colored man servant about
o'clock this morning. Waters, the colored
servant, without touching the body, ran
frightened into the house, where he told ths
cook of the discovery. She Immediately
called Mrs. Manion, who had not yet arisen.
and told her that Mr.. McCullagh had fallen
out OF his window and killed himself. Im-
medately on being notified by the servant.
Mrs. Manion dispatched her coachman ia
summon DR.. c. IL Hughes, who resides In
the neighborhood and was MIR. McCulagh's
physician during his last Illness. He has
tened to the house. and after examining the
body ordered 1t removed to the house.
There seems to be difference of opinion
10 whether MIR 'McCullaghs death WAC
uuC 10 dCClhtlll Ut WIS lllc result vi MS bNu
act This latter theory is secuted by the
dead mans friends
The Globc-Democrat will say: DR..
Hughes conclusion. from the condition
of the body when he examined It, Is
that Mr. McCullagh plunged head first from
the window about 1880 o'clock on the
ground around the foundation OF the house
is a stone water table. In the fall Mr.. Me-
Cullagh struck sharp corner Of this stone
with the left side of his head fracturing the
mar fafu al hon TIn oh t,i rs nT tNn antp
ion that death followed Immediately after
the shock of the fall The victims head
was lying in a small pool of blood which
had drpped from the wound. Just how Mr.
McCullagh happened to fall out OF the win.
dow can only be matter OF conjecture. IIs
had been i'll several months and latterly
was compelled to keep to his room. He
passed his last night unattended, as he had
always slept during his Illness
HAD RETIRED EARLY
Wednesday evening Mr., McCulagh was in
the best of spirits, although he complained
Of not being quite so we'll. The smuthering
sensation which had troubled him at inter-
walls during his illness had returned to him
In milder form and rendered him languid
and drowsy. He retired to bed about
O'Clock, leaving word with the household
that he did not wish to be disturbed unless
1t was by his physician Dir. Hughes made
his customary call about 1880 o'clock. and
expressed surprise to Mr.. McCulIagh at find
ing him in bed at such an early hour.
81 am very weary" Mr.. McCullagh said,
'and | thought would get as much rest as
possible tonight l 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
tient's needs, saw that everything in the
room was fixed for the night and that the
north window was raised about an inch for
ventilation Then he bade Mr.. McCullagh
good night, turned of the electric light and
retired.
Before going to bed Mrs Manlon looked
into Mr.. McCullGgh's room, She saw that
everything in the room was in order. and
then retired to her own apartments. About
midnight she awolte and detected an odor
of escaping gas. She investigated. and found
burner in the combination gas and cleo
trio light chandelier which hangs suspended
in the center of Mr.. McCullagh's room. open.
The gas was very strong in the apartment.
Mrs. Manion turned on the electric light
and OFF the gas. Mr.. McCullagh awoke.
Joe" she said, did you know gas was
escaping in your room? You would have
been dead man in the morning if had not
discovered it."
WENT TO THE WINDOW FOR AIR.
Mr.. McCulagh was apparently too drowsy
to realize what his sster-iu-law said He
murmured an naudible reply, and fell asleep
again. Mrs. Manion raised the open window
a little higher so that the fumes Of the gas
could leave the room, and then returned to
Culagh had got out of bed for something,
and in trying to turn on an electric light
he turned on the gas. He did not notice the
error, and retired again, unconscious OF
danger.
Careful investigation warrants the con-
clusion that Mr.. McCullagh was awakened
later in the morning by a 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
,l,, oh m, to Ito ft1l1 haiu ha III
ably overcome with weakness lost his bal
ance. and rolled out over the window sill
and fell to DEATH
The funeral is set for o'clock Saturday
afternoon at Mrs Manions residence. Rev.
DR.. w. W. Boyd, pastor of the Second
Baptist church and Rev. John Snyder, O.
prominent Unitarian minister of this city,
will conduct the services. The interment
will be at Bellefontane cemetery.
No note was found in Mr. McCullagh'a
room explaining his act or leaving any in-
structions for the arrangement of his af-
fairs after death.
SKETCH OF THE MAN.
Joseph b. McCullagh was born in ireland.
and, with his brother, came to this country
in his youth. His first important news
paper work was done In Cincinnati as
reporter and correspondent on the Enquirer.
Later he went to Chicago and took tho
managing editorship of the Chicago Re-
publican, succeeding Mr.. Charles A. DANA.
He occupied this position until shortly
after the Chicago fire, when he went to
st. Louis and took the editorship OF the
St. Louis Globe, which was consolidated
with the Democrat and became the Globes
Democrat.
Mr.. McCullagh has always been one OF the
most tirelCss workers In the newspaper
profession He made for himself q reputa-
tion as one Of the greatest editorial para-
graphers In the country.
Coming on the newspaper stage when
western journals were just beginning to 90
in extensively for telegrdphlc news, he
pushed his paper to the front. until II was
its boast that the GlObe-Democrat spent
more money for tclegraphic tolls than any
other paper In the country He believed In
classification OF news and carried out hid
idea TO as nearly perfection as possible. Ind
deed II was a common remark about the
Globe office that when an item turned up
which could not be CLASSIFIED II must bd
thrown into the waste basket.
Mr.. McCullagh practically lived In hid
editorial office. He personally supervised
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