The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-01-06

According TO the sworn 5tatemento
DR.. Charles Hamilton Hughes for two
years the late editors physician, Mr.
McCullagh made what appears to
have been an attempt at suicide as
early AS December 20.
THAT afternoon, said DIR, Hughes
in his statement before Coroner Wait
Friday morning, II called on Mr., Me
Cullagh and left four-ouuce bottle
containing two ounces OF digitalis, OF
foxglove, very poisonous medicine,
which is administered for tho purpose
OF regulating tho heart, and which Ia
recognized by the medical fraternity
as valuable heart tonic,
During the night Mr. McCullagh
drank little more than an ounce OF
the drug-a dose that was quite suf-
tcient 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 il
was nborbed, however, and the action
Of his heart was considerably weak
ened.
1.-The next morning, the day before
Christmas, l called again. said Dr.
Hughes, land was greatly SUI prisod
| and alarmed when l discovered that
SO much of the drug was gone. |
asked him II he had taken it and he
said he had. He admitted that he
knew the deadly character OF the
drug, but did not seem TO be Mt 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 afterwnrd
II am satisfied that Mr., McCullaRh
could not have taken the medicine by
mistake. There was no other bottle
in tho room at all resembling the one
containing the digitalis, and there was
no other medicine at hand that would
have produced fatal result.
Il at once connected the circum-
stance with conversation we had
only few weeks ago, in which he
mentioned Abraham Lincoln.
"Mr. McCullagh maintained that, in
the light of history, the assassination
of Lincoln was fortunate thing for
his fame. 1T is a good thing he said,
for a man to die at the right time
As general proposition he main tanned
that when man outlived his period
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 well man."
There was no pathological condi-
tion Of his organs that would have re-
suited in death at an early date.
Bright's disease wns not established,
and there were no indications of soft
ening of the brain. His principal
trouble was cerebral strain, due to
overwork, which might have been
cured had he been content to follow
instructions.
II had known Mr.. McCullagh for 30
years. l had been his physician since
October, 1894, and knew his physical
condition intimately.
considering all the circumstan
surrounding his life and death, my
impression Island it can only be an
impression, since nobody witnessed
the deed-that he committed suicide"
Coroner Wait interposed theory,
and asked DIR. Hughes If he thought
man of Mr.. McCullagh's intelligence
would resort to such means Of self-de-
struction,
1T is not question of intelli-
gence,' said Dr. Hughes. at is
question of mood, of impulse. Men of
the highest intelligence resort to self
destruction when they are sick. The
slightest annoyance may cause men to
do things that are not insane, but rash
and impulsive, when in bad health,
that would otherwise pass unnoticed."