The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-02


=. B. MCULLAGH.
time during the early morning. Hi.
skull was badly crushed and the body
otherwise injured. DR.. c. M. Hughes
his physician, said:
Mr.. McCullagh was tired of living
and killed himself. He gave no pre-
monition of suicide during his illness
however. l saw him for a little while
Wednesday morning. He said he fell
sleepy and gave me to understand he
wanted to be left alone.
His Brain Affected.
His brain was affected, but his in
tellect was all right. He never gave
any signs of mental break down dur
ing his Illness He suffered from pro-
found nervous exhaustion, complicated
with recurring kidney trouble He
also had sympathetic affection. The
late campaign undermined his health"
The Post-Dispatch says: "Alr. Nc
Cullagh's illness came upon him short
ly after the close of the late Republic
an national convention 1t took the
form of acute asthma, complicated with
nervous depression. When he passed
through the acute stage he found him.
self slow in recovery. His limbs had
lost their vigor, his arms were numb.
and there were premonitions that the
brain had come under the same shad-
owy spell. But Mr.. McCullagh would
not admit that he was falling either
physically or mentally. He insisted on
managing his newspaper from his bed
room. All through the day he sat in
his armchair, wrapped in blankets. re-
ceived reports from his subordinates
and gave them orders for the conduct
of the paper"
Certainly Case of Suicide.
Later developments leave no doubt
that Mr.. McCullagh committed suicide.
1t appears that he had been quite mel
ancholy for the past five days. Just
before midnight his slster-in-law, Mrs.
Manion, went into Mr.. McCullagh's
room to inquire how he was, as has been
her custom for some time past, and
foxnd the gas streaming from one of
the burners and Mr.. McCullagh in a
semi-conscious condition. She imme-
diately stopped the flow, aired the room
and aroused Mr.. McCullagh. Then
with an admonition to be more careful
retired to her own apartments Thurs
day morning on going into Mr.. McCul-
lagh's room after his body was discov-
cred, 1t was found that the gas was
again flowing with almost full force.
The conclusion Is reached, therefore
that after his sister-in-law left him for
the night, he deliberately turned the
gas on again. but finding death too
slow by that means he opened the win
dow and plunged headlong to the pave
ment below.
What Many Friends Believe.
The theory of suicide is not accented
by all of Mr.. McCullagh's friends. II
Is believed by many that he had one of
his attacks of asthma during the night
and in his struggle for breath he threw
up the window to obtain air and in his
weakened condition tottered and fell
out.
Mr.. Joseph b. McCullagh was born in
Ireland and with his brother came to
this country in his youth. His first i'm
portant newspaper work was done in
Cincinnati as a reporter and corre-
spondent upon The Enquirer. Later
he came to Chicago and took the man
aging editorship of the Chicago Repub.
lican, 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 subse-
quently consolidated with The Dep,o-
crat and became The Globe Democra.