Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-01-07

According TO the sworn st&temento
DR.. Charles Hamilton Hughes for two
years the late editors physician, Mr..
McCulagh made what appears to
have been an attempt at suicide as
early as December %.
THAT afternoon" said DIR. Hughes
in his statement before Coroner Wait
Friday morning, II called on Mr.. Nc
Culiagh and left a four-ounce bottle
containing two ounces OF digitalis, or
foxglove, q very poisonous medicine,
which is administered for the purpose
of regulating the heart, and which is
recognized by the medical fraternity
as a valuable heart tonic.
During the night Mr.. McCullagh
drank little more than an ounce OF
the drug-a dose that was quite suf-
ficient 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 aborbed, however, and the action
of his heart was considerably weak
ened.
1.-The next morning, the day before
Hughes, land was greatly surprised
and alarmed when discovered that
so much of the drug was gone.
asked him if 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 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.
ST 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 fatal result.
II at once connected the circum-
stance with q 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 a general proposition he maintained
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-
ton of his organs that would have re-
suited in death at an early date.
Bright's disease was not esta blished,
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 80
years. / had been his physician since
October, 1894, and knew his physical
condition intimately.
considering all the circumstances
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 DR.. 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 DIR. Hughes. ut is a
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 imnulsive when in had health
that would otherwise pass unnoticed."