The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-12-29
CAPTAIN HUMES
DIES SUDDENLY
Suffers Stroke Of ApopIexy At
Huntsville Home
FALLS FROM HIGH WINDOW
In Frantic Effort for Air Body Pitches
From Second Story and Is
Found Lifeless Some
Time After.
FALLS FROM HIGH WINDOW

Huntsville, December 2S-(Special.)-
Captain Milton Humes, one of the most
prominent lawyers in Alabama, and wide
ly known throughout the south, died
suddenly this morning from a stroke of
apoplexy. In his frantic fight for air,
he crashed through the window of his
bedroom and fell to the pavement below.
He was found there dead.
Captain Humes had been i'll at his home,
Abingdon place, ON the outskirts of the
city, several days, but his physician said
q little rest and care would insure his
speedy recovery He appeared unusually
we'll Sunday and was planning bust
ness trip to Texas. This morning at $3.50
o clock he went into his wifes room adj
joining his and complained of oppression
about his stomach and said he would go
down stairs and take some phosphate of
soda to relieve 1t. He was heard to de-
scend the stairs and return and walk
about his room. Mrs. Humes awakened
at $50 and went to her husbands room
to see how he was. She saw on the floor
near an open window the bottle of phos-
phate broken, heavy framed shaving
mirror and broken silver shaving cup.
The window sash was raised, every pane
OF glass in it shivered and several panes
broken in the upper sash. Looking out
OF the window she saw the PROSTATE form
of her husband lying on his back with
his arms extended, dead.
From the surroundings it is presumed
that Captain Humes, feeling intense OPP
preston in his breast and being unable
to breathe attempted to raise the win
dow and falling, tried to break the glass
with the heavy mirror, then with his sill
yer cup, finally succeeded in raising the
window, when he was stricken with apo
plexy and fell out of the window. When
found his left leg was broken, the right
arm had a cut on 1t and the back OF
the head q cut place. No blood flowed
from the wounds, showing that death
came before the fall.
Coroner Humes Laughlin summoned a
jury, who found verdict according TO
the foregoing facts
Captain Humes was born in Abingdon,
Va, August 4, 1874, being at the time OF
his death in his Goth year. He was edu-
Gated in Abingdon until in 1851 he en-
listed in a Virginia regiment as private
~
captain. Later he was transferred to
the Army of Tennessee and served on
the staff of his brother, Gen. w. Y. e.
Humes. He was shot through the hips
at the battle of Chickamauga and re-
covering, was promoted to the rank OF
major for ga1lantry on the field OF bat
tie. At the battle of Kennesaw noun
tain he was again wounded After the
war he came to Huntsville and lived until
he went to study law in the Washington
and Lee University. After graduation
he returned to Huntsville and entered into
partnership with Charles Donegan and
met with success in practice from the
start Soon he attained the summit OF
his profession and is known to have never
refused a case on account of the poverty
of client. He was offered a place on
the supreme bench of Alabama but de-
clined it, preferring the honors and emol-
unnents of the profession of law.
Captain Humes had served as mem
Der of the Legislature, his first term be-
ginning in 1884 He was counsel for the
Memphis & Charleston railway, for the
receivers, and then assistant division
counsel for the Southern. He was ex-
tensively interested in local real estate
and local cotton mill enterprises.