Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-22
A VICTIM OF DESPONDENCY
Suicide of DR.. Thomas Osmond
Summers of ST. Louis.
WAS CAUSED BY A fANClED LACK
OF Appreciation of His Work
by the Government,
He Was tho Author of Several standard
Medical Works, and His Treatment Of
Yellow Fever During the Memphis Epi-
domic Gave Elm a National Reputation.

st. Louis, Mo-, June 20.-Dr,
Thomas Osmond Summers, late major
surgeon in charge of the fever hospital
at Santiago and a noted yellow fever
expert, shot himself through the head
last night. Dependency, caused by
fancied lack Of appreciation Of his
services by the government during the
Spanish war, is assigned as the cause.
DR.. Summers was the author of
several standard medical works, and
his successful treatment OF yellow fever
cases during the Memphis epidemic of
1878 gave him national reputation.
He was professor Of anatomy in the
st. Louis College of Physicians and
Surgeons.
DR.. Summers left several letters, one
of which was addressed to his wife;
another, to DIR. W. j. Donohue Of this
city, and there was note to the
public, which read as follows:
This pistol belongs to M. Wicke,
corner Eleventh and Franklin avenue.
Please return with my thanks.
Summers. -
On letter head of the. St.Nouis
College Of Physicians and Surgeons
was written a poem. 1t is as follows:
Good night, old world-good-by to all your
joys;
Your sorrows, pleasures passions, pomps
/ leave you for the eternal silence Of stars.
The deepness of unbounded space, where
bars
No longer hold the soul in durance vile;
Where uaught can wound, and nothing can
detlle;
Where the pure spirit shall despise the things
The sense on earth hath loved.
On wings bathed in the ether of eternity,
How sweet TO feel from every passion free
And yet it is an awful leap to take
Into the great unknown, perchance to awake
To greater woes, indeed, than those we have
And hoped to bury in the silent grave.
But still the greater majority is there.
Why then should we turn pale with fear?
Or tremble when the hour supreme has
come. z.
As soon or late it must; man's final home
The grave-at least gives, rest from troubles
here,
And we may hope for sweet oblivion there.
Then. Charon, come, i signal Thee tonight;
Comearow me DER the styx, I've lost HES
fight. 5
,al5 -ss. diamond.
On the reverse side of the sheet on
which the poem was written appeared:
AND yet it is an awful LEAP to take
into the great unknown" s.g
The letter to his wife was as follows:
obbo tobiis iCVJ--Iuy ltdTIIHB hiIts
/ have reached the point whore Azonel's
thread is all that is left to me. 1 feel
we'll assured that your love and esteem
will crown my memory when they could
not bless my life. 1 die that you might
live. Think of me as | was in the
PALMER days of my life, and let the
mantle of your charity cover those
faults which were more infirmities
than sins, engendered in despondency
and cultivated by disappointment.
send the bullet through my brain,
instead of my heart, that you may
know that its last throes beat for you
and the dear ones leave with such
ineffable sorrow. Good-by,
Osmond." !"
The letter to DR.. Donohue was sealed.
There were other letters referring to
the suicide, but friends objected to
their being given out for publication,
and the sergeant locked them up.