The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-19
WAS ANXIOUS TO DIE
ROBERT FURLONG ATTEMPTED TO
END HIS LIFE.
TOOK GRAIN OF STRYCHNINE
AND FELL IN FEELEY'S WEST
BROAD STREET LIVERY STABLE.

u
and when Ambulance Arrived
Gave Orders Where He Should BE
Tnken-HOspitaI Physicians After
ArdOus Work Were Able to COun-
teract Drug and FurlOng VIII Re
cOver-WOtld Make no Statement
ms to why He Attempted Suicide.
Had Not Been Working for Some
Months and Was HnbituaI Drink
er-On Verge of Attack of DeIeri-
UNI Tremens.
Crazed by excessive drink and driven
to desperation by lack of work and
blood poisoning, Robert Furlong, a
blacksmith by trade, attempted to
take his own life yesterday morning
by swallowing strychnine.
Shortly before 10 o'clock Furlong, in
| company with two companions, went
to West Broad street and to all APP
pedranoes was in a jovial and light
hearted mood. The three went as far
as Feeley's stables, where they stop
ped for a few minutes and then went
inside and sat down on a bench near
the entrance.
They had been there but a few mo-
ments when Furlong began to act as
though he were suffering and an in
slant later fell over on the floor. He
was conscious but was trembling like
a leaf and had no control over his
muscles. When he fell he landed on
his face but at once rolled over and
made an attempt to smile at his two
friends and a movement as though to
reach out his hands toward them. 1t
was then that it was first noticed that
he had no control over his muscles, his
hands simply shaking in abject help
lessness.
Fell ON the Floor.
According to the story of one of the
colored men employed about the
stables, and who was at work when
F'urlong fell over on the floor, one OF
the two men who had come into the
stables with him asked him jocularly
If he wanted a drink and was taxing
that method to play for it, In re-
Spouse to the question Furlong laugh
ed and said, Eyes, give me a drink.
This was the first thing that he salo
after falling from the bench.
HIS lrlenuS at last DeCdillc COliNliiOCo
that Furlong was not simply blutiing
sickness. and they at once telephoned
for the ambulance which was on the
scene within few minutes. The two
men who had come to the stables with
Furlong assisted by two colored men
employed at the livery lifted up the
helpless body of the man and placed
it in the ambulance. AS he was being
placed in the wagon he partly turned
over and said, Take me to the Sis
ters," and he was at once driven to
st. Josephs Hospital on Habersham
street
Admitted Taking Poison.
An investigation revealed the fact
that the man was suffering from the
effects of a drug, and when accused
of taking strychnine, he admitted the
fact, stating that he had taken ten
grains about an hour before he was
brought to the hospital. The ply
sicians at once went to work on the
case and after a long, hard struggle
managed to counteract the effects of
the drug, though before he was out of
danger Furlong suffered terrible con-
vulsions. At late hour it was stated
that he would recover from the drug.
He is a man who has been in
the habit of working for a few weeks
until he had earned enough money to
buy some drink and then he would go
on a spree, caring for nothing but
liquor and refusing all work that was
offered him. For the last year or more
he has been almost constantly in one
or the other of the city hospitals, go
ing from one to the other and then,
just as he was nearly cured of any
complaint from which he was suffer-
ing, he would go on another spree and
within a snort time would be back in
the hospital.
Had Blood Poisoning.
Furlong injured his hand some
months ago and by not taking care of
the wound properly blood poison set
in. In addition to this he was suffer-
ing from other diseases brought on
by over Indulgence in alcoholic stimu-
lants and other vices and when
brought to the hospital was on the
verge of delirium tremens The suffer-
ings of the unfortunate man while he
was recovering from the effects Of the
poison which he had taken were ter
rible.
When the worst of the suffering was
over and when 1t was assured that he
would recover he was asked why he
took the poison. The answers that he
gave were unsatisfactory. He merely
said that he was tired. Though
Furlong himself stated to the physi-
clans that he had taken ten grains of
the drug they deny the statement,
owing to the fact that had he taken
that amount nothing could have saved
him. 1t is thought that he swallowed
about a grain, and had not aid arrived
as promptly as ii did even this amount
| would have produced death.
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