The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-24
YOUNG HAYS DEATH
RELIEVED TO BE DUE WHOLLY TO
ACCIDENT.
He MIGHT HAVE HAD VERTIGO.
AND UPON THE SEIZURE FALLEN
FROM THE WINDOW.

After Dinner with Friends and n
Quiet Smoke Alone at the Hotel
lie Retired 10 His Room I'm the Best
of Spirits, Anticipating Pleasure
Excursions with His Former Class-
mates-A Solitary street LnbOrer
Only Witness to the Unfortunate
Young Mans Fatal Fail.
New Haven, Conn. June 23.-Adelbert
Hay, son of Secretary Hay. and former
United States consul to Pretoria, South
Africa, was found dead on the sidewalk
in front of the New Haven House at 2.3)
o'clock this morning. He retired to his
room at 10 o'clock after spending the
evening with a party Of friends. in ap-
parently excellent spirits.
1t is believed that Mr.. Hay became Ill
after retiring and went to the window for
air. 1t is supposed that he became dizzy
and fell.
Dr. Bartlett. the medical examiner, stat
ed that Mr.. Hay undoubtedly came to
his death by accident. The bed clothes in
his room were found turned over OH a
chair.
On the window ledge was found par
TALLY burned cigarette. From this It is
inferred that Mr.. Hay had lighted it for
a smoke before retiring, and was either
seated or standing by the window. Wheth-
er he fell out While asleep or in an attack
of vertigo cannot be determined.
The dead man was a graduate Of Yale
of the class of 1898 and his death occurr-
ed on the eve of the university COM
mencenent which brought him here yes
terday and in which. by 2irtue of his
class office, the young man would have
been one of the leaders
The terrible tragedy has cast a gloom
over the whole city. Young Hay had
rooms at the New Haven House for rom
mencement week, and arrived yesterday
evening. He took dinner with rome OF
his classmates, and at o'clock hurried
to the Hyperion Theater, where he wit
messed the evening performance. He
spent quiet hour in the hotel &C rridor
and smoking room after the theater and
shortly after midnight retired 10 his
room, remarking to the hotel clerk that he
was sleepy and leaving a call for
o'clock this morning. He was not seen
again until his body came whirling
through the air to its destruction two and
half hours later. The hotel where the
unfortunate man was quartered faces on
Chapel street, the principal thoroughfare
of the city. and it is almost vnder the
caves of the university which he proudly
claimed as his alma mater
A Solitary witness.
There was solitary spectator to the
terrible tragedy, a laborer on the ci,v
streets. At the hour mentioned the work
man saw the form of a man falling
through space. An instant later there
was sickening thud and the body Law
directly in front of the main hotel en-
trance. The Mortified laborer rushed to
the spot and his shouts brought others
The usual crowd gathered. In it were
several belated Yale graduates. They
bent over the body. One of them, Julian
Mason, a son Of the late Edward G. Mason
OF Chicago, and a classmate of young
Hay, drew back, and, horror stricken.
cried:
MY Godl It's Del Hayg
BY this time the hotel clerk had reached
On
complete.
The body was clad in patamas. On the
window sill of the room occupied hv
young Hay was found a partly consumed
cigarette. On the floor near the window
was a ring worn by the victim. His
clothing had been neatly arranged ana
the bedclothes were drawn back. The
bed. however had not been occunIed
Here the mystery becomes intanbi1le.
The popular theory seems to be that the
young man, having prepared for bed.
thought to indulge in a goodnight
smoke;" that he chose the cool of The
window, possibly dozed, lost his balance
and fell from the window. The presence
Of the ring on the floor however. gave
rise to the fancy that while toying with
the ring 1t dropped and that in an effort
to recover it the fall resulted. However,
it happened, the known facts seem to
make 1t conclusive that 1t was all a
frightful accident.
Pleasure Outings Planned.
Young Hay. it was remarked, was In a
particularly good mood and had planned
with unusual enthusiasm to participate
in many engagements this week In the
harbor lies a yacht, In which with a
party of his friends he had promised to
join In a trip on Wednesday to New Lon
don for the Harvard boat races on
Thursday.
The dead body was sent to an underta-
ker An examination Of the remains dis
closed dislocation of the right forehead.
a confusion ons the right arm and an
abrasion on the right leg. plain ring
worn on the right hand was bent and cut.
No bones were broken and there was no
external fracture Of the skull. In the
sixty feet flight downward the body es-
capped striking a balcony one story below
and crashed upon the pavement with all
the force of a momentum increased by
the weight Of a man Of such a large ply
sique as young Hay.
In the college chapel at the morning
service President Hadley in addressing
the members Of the graduating class, re-
ferred to the death Of young Hay as fol-
lows:
THE truths of the scriptural text and
the value OF high ideals OF manhood are
borpe out by tho untmely death OF him
whom we mourn o-day. His life was not
long. but ne understood Christian honor
and he helped those about him 10 ain
taIn It. II he had lived longer he would
have helped many more"
Grief-stricl<en Father Arrives.
Secretary Hay arrived IN New Haven
from Washington at 5:i5 p. m. In response
10 the dispatch announcing the sudden
death OF ris son. Mr Hay vas unaccJrn-
panied and gave signs OF great grief ne
entered a carriage and was driven iInue-
dlatclY 10 the residence ~ Mr. Seth
Moarfv Wall efFohf Worn gttf rftfh