Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-06-20
SUICIDE LEAVES A POEM.
Prominent st. Louis Physician Shoots
Himself Because of De-


spOndency.
ST. LOUIS. June 19-Dr. Thomas Os-
mond Summers, late major surgeon in
charge of the fever hospital at Santiago
and a noted yellow fever expert, shot him
self through the head here this evening
Dependency caused by fancied lack Of ap-
probation of his services by the govern
ment during the Spanish war is assigned as
the cause for the act. DR.. Summers was
the author of several standard medical
works and his successful treatment of yell
low fever cases during the Memphis epi-
demic of 1878 gave him national reputa-
ton. DR.. Summers was professor of ana
tony in the st. Louis College of Physicians
and Surgeons. The deed was committed in
his lecture room as he stood facing
grinning skeleton which he used in Illus.
trating his lectures.
Several letters written by DR.. Summers
short time before his death were found.
One letter was addressed to his wife, anoth-
er to DIR. w. j. Donohue, of this city, and
there was a note to the public, which read
as follows:
This pistol belongs to NJ. Wicke. jeweisr,
corner Eleventh and Franklin avenue
Please return, with my thanks.
On letter head of the St Louis Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons was, writ
ten poem. 1t is as follows:
Perdidi vitum.
Vale mundunl.
Good night, old world-goodbye all your joys,
Your sorrows. pleasures. passions. pomps and noise
leave yuu for the eternal silence of the stars;
The deafness Of unbounded space where bars
No longer hold the soul in durance vile;
Where naught can wound and nothing can dehle;
Where the pure spirit shall despise the things
The sense earth hath loved.
On wings bathed in the other e$ eternity
How sweet to feel from every passion free
And yet it is awful leap to take into the great
unknown, perchance to wake
To greater woes. indeed. than those We have
And hoped to bury in the silent grave.
But still the great majority is there.
Why should we. then. turn pale with fear!
Or tremble when the hour supreme has come.
As soon late it must?
Mans final home
The grave-at least gives rest from troubles here.
And we may hope for sweet oblivion there:
Come o'er the Styx; I've lost life's fight.
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"
The letter to his wife follows:
My Darling Wife:-L have reached this
point where Azoners thread is all that Is
left to me. l feel well 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 dependency and cul-
tivated by disappointment.
II send the bullet through my brain in
stead of my heart, that you may know its
last throbs beat for You and the dear ones
! leave with such ineffable sorrow Good
by. OSMOND."
The letter to DR.. Donohoe was sealed. It
will be delivered tomorrow. There were
other letters referring to the suicide, but
DR.. Sparn, who accompanied the corpse
to them being given out for publication,
and the sergeant locked the letters up.