The herald., 1897-01-01
JOSEPH B. M'CULLAGA DEAD
By a Fall From His Bedroom
Window
Suspicious OF SUICIDE
Are Secuted by Friends oi the Dead
Editor
Opening the Window for Air, Sick,
Weary and Nervous, He Toppled
Out Upon the Pavement.
Associated press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
| ST. LOUIS. Mo-, Dec 31.-Joseph B.
McCullagh. editor of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. and one of the best known
newspaper men in the country, is dead
as the result Of a fall of nearly twenty
feet from a second-story window of
| his apartments at the residence of his
sister-in-law, Mrs. Kate Manion, at No.
1887 West Pine boulevard.
There seems to be a difference of
opinion as to whether Mr.. McCullagh's
death was due to accident or was the
result of his deliberate act. This latter
story is secuted by the dead mans
| friends
! The body, which was cold in death
and was clad only in a nightgown, was
discovered by Mrs Manion's colored
manservant about oclo,k this morn-
ing. Waters, the colored servant, with
out touching the body. ran frightened
! into sthe houaa. where he told the cook
of the discovery. She Immediately
called Mrs. Manion, who had not yet
risen. and told her that Mr.. McCullagh
| himself
Immediately on being notified by the
| servant. Mrs. Manion dispatched her
coachman to summon DR.. c. Fl. Hughes,
who resides In the neighborhood and
| who has been Mr. McCullaghs physi-
clan during his last Illness. He hasten
ed to the house, and after examining
| the body ordered it removed to the
| house.
The Globe-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 $3.50 o'clock. On the
| ground around the foundation of the
| house Is stone watertable. In the
| fall Mr.. McCullagh struck sharp cor
ner of this stone with the left side OF
his head, fracturirg the parietal bone
! The physician Is of the opinion that
| death followed Immediately after the
shock of the fall. The victims head
was lying in small pool of blood which
had dripped from the wound
Just how Mr.. McCullagh happened to
fall out of the window can only be con-
jectured. He had been Ill several months
and latterly was compelled to keep to
his room. He passed his last night un-
attended. as he had always slept during
his Illness.
Wednesday evening Mr.. McCullagh was
In the best of spirits, although he COM
planned of not being quite so well. The
smolhering sensation which had trou-
bled him at intervals during his illness
had returned to him in mild form and
rendered him larguid and drowsy. He
retired to bed about Z o'clock. leaving
word with the household that he did
| not wish to be disturbed unless it was
by his physician.
| DR.. Hughes made his customary night
call about 1880 o'clock and expressed sur
prise to Mr. McCullagh at finding him in
bed at such an early hour. ~
Il am very weary" Mr. McCullagh
| said. 'and thought would get as much
rest as possible tonight. expect my
barber early in the morning to trim my
hair, and l want to be up when he ar
rives.'
The physician administered to his pa
tents needs. saw that everything in the
| room was fixed for the night and tia
| the north window was raised about an
inch for ventilation. Then he bade Mr.
McCuliagh good night, turned off the
electric light and retired.
Before going to bed Mrs. Manion looked
into Mr. McCullagh's room She saw
that everything in the room was in order
and then retired to her own apartments.
About midnight she woke up and de-
tected an odor of escaping gas. She
investigated and found burner in the
combination gas and electric light
chandelier. which hangs suspended in
the center of Mr.. McCullagh's ROOM
| open. The odor of gas was very strong
in the apartment. Mrs. Manion turned
on an electric light and shut off thei
gas Mr.. McCullagh woke up.
Joe" she said, did you know gas
was escaping in your room? You would
have beer. a dead man in the morning
II | had not discovered it"
Mr. McCullagh was apparently too
drowsy to realize what his sister in law
said. He murmured an inaudible reply
and fell asleep again. Mrs. Manon
raised the open window a little higher,
so that the fumes of the gas could leave
the room. and then returned to bed In
dications seemed to be that Mr.. McCul-
lagh 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
conclusion that Mr.. McCullagh was
awakened later in the morning by
smothering attack. and. climbing out
of bed again. nervous and unsteady from
the spell. went to the window for more
air. AS he threw the sash up to its full
height, he was probably overcome with
weakness, lost his balance and rolled
out over the window sill and fell to
death.
The funeral is set for o'clock Saturday
afternoon at Mrs Manion's residence.
Rev. Dr. w. w. Boyd, pastor of the Sec
ond Baptist church and Rev. John Sny-
der, prominent Unitarian minister of
this city, will conduct the services The
interment will be at Bellefontaine ceme-
terry.