The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-18
He WAS TIRED OF LIFE
Owen Haight Takes a Fatal
Dose of Morphine.
DIES AT POLICE STATION
He HAD BEEN DRINKING HARD
AND WAS DESPONDENT.

After twenty-fOur hours or more Of
continuous hard drinking Owen Haighl,
& miner about % years old, employed at
the Inland Salt company's works. ended
his life by swallowing an overdose of
morphine. He took the drug in the
81" saloon on First South street about
10 o'clock last night, and died at the
police station nearly two hours later
He left nothing whatever TO show
the cause for his act, but his relatives
and friends attribute it TO fit of de-
spOndency induced by alcoholism.
About 10 o'clock last night Haight
walked into the saloon referred 10 in
an intoxicated condition and, going To
the bar, he called for a glass Of beer
The bartender, Joe Davis. gave him the
liquor and wanted him to drink it at
the bar. but he would not, and. going
to a table on the other side of the
room, sat down and drank it Return
ing the glass to the bar, ne went back
TO the table and sat down, saying that
ne was going 10 sleep
About an hour afterwards the bar
tender noticed that Haight was breath
ing hard and, calling Aleck GimmeIl,
the proprietor Of the saloon, who had
just come in, they went to him and
tried to wake him up but found they
could not do So
After trying for several minutes 10
arouse the man and failing. GimmeI
went into the street and called Officer
Kirkman.
When the latter discovered the mans
condition he called in assistance and
Haight was carried 10 the police sta
ton, where Dr. Benedict attended him.
The latter reached the patient about
11-30 and applied every remedy known
but the drug had had its deadly effect
and in about fifteen minutes afterwards
Haight was dead
Found the Morphine.
When first brought 10 the station the
latter's condition showed that he had
taken morphine. but how much or when
or where he had taken it was not
known No one had seen him take any
thing in the saloon but the beer. and
there was some suspicion of his having
been drugged previous to coming To
the saloon. a thorough search Of the
saloon, though, after Haight was dead,
revealed a paper package containing
I a bout a grain Of morphine, which had
been dropped in the cuspidOr under the
+. table where he was sitting when he
/ drank the beer, and it is believed he
swallowed the drug in the liquor.
HaiSht was known to have had SO
check when he came to town Tuesday
night, and most Of that was spent he
fore yesterday afternoon. Those who
have seen Haight since he came in say
that he has been drinking hard all the
time, and they believe, and every indI-
cation points TO the fact that he was
seized with a sudden fit of despOndency
and took his own life.
It was learned at the station that
Silas West, who lives at ID South
State street, was a brOther-in-Iaw OF
Haight, and he was Immediately sum
mOned. Mr.. West and Arthur Adams
q nephew. hurried TO the station. bU-
when they reached there the latter was
dead
Mr.. West said that his brother-in- law
had been working in the mines at Bling
/ ham until about a month ago. where he
went to work for the Inland Salt COM
pany- He said he had not seen him for
about q month until called last night
Mr.. West said that Haight had been
drinking hard for some time.
Mr.. Adams said he had known the
! deceased to be very Respondent when
/ ne was under the influence of liquor,
but had never heard him hint of sui
/ eide The deceased has a mother. Mrs
| Isaac T Haight, living at TOQuerville,
| and has two sisters living in this city,
( one of whom is the wife Of Silas West
Another sister is the wife OF AQUi-a
Nebeker-
HaiSht was well known IN the min
! ing camps of the state. His body was
| taken to the Da-lOTS Of Undertaken :
| D Evans. An inquest viii probably be
| held today