The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-07-30
BULLET FIRED WITH SUICIDAL
INTENT CAUSES DEATH OF
BASEBALL MAGNATE.
LEAVES NO EXPLANAT T|ON
President of National League of Base
ball Clubs Expires After Suffering
for Hours From the Wound In
f|cted by His Own Hand-HeydIe
viii Assume Charge of League.

New York. July 29.--Harry Clay Pu.-
liam, president of the Matt ,nai league
OF baseball clubs, died this morning
his head with suicidal intent last
night in his room at the New York
Athletic club. Broken in health from
"verWork in his long fight to maintain
q high standard of baseball, Pulliam
in a moment Of mental alteration,
his friends say, shot himself.
Pulliam went to his room early last
night and lying on a sofa, fired bull
let into his head. The bah entered the
right temple, fracturing the frontal
bone, tore out the right eye and passed
out at the left temple. He was found
lying near the telephone by club SER
want, who was sent to find out who
was trying for a telephone connection.
II think he struggled on the floor
for two hours said Dr. Hamilton
Burch and was so overcome with the
intense pain that he tried to get to
the telephone to send for me He
probably got the receiver off the hook
and then lost his strength entirely"
Pulliam's death marks the passing
Of one Of the most interesting figures
Of baseball. Imbued with the idea
that complete success of baseball rest
ed on honesty he often found himself
opposed by some Of his associates,
Worry over his troubles with the
leagues leaders brought on nervous
breakdown last winter and his tenn
Dorary retirement. He resumed his
active labor about month ago.
Mr.. Pulliam will probably be buried
iin louisville.
In His Office
Mr.. Pulliam was in his office yes
tefdaya to attend to business of the
leaguessand went to his room at the
athletit club last night At $50
signaI by telephone from his room
came into the switchboard at the
Clubs office but there was no answer.
+ z Upon going to his room Mr.. Pull
llam Wassfound on the floor dressed in
his 5underclothing and with bullet
: wound in his head The telephone re-
celver apparently had been knocked off
It's hook when he fell A revolver lay
on the floor near his head. The clubs
physician was summoned, but there
Was4little that could be done 10 relieve
the patient and it was evident death I
would ensue within a short time. A
coroner attempted to obtain a state |
ment from the dying man, but without
avail. To all questions as to how he
was shot, Mr., Pulliam, who was then
in a semi-conscious condition, replied +
"a NO o,,I
What shot He soon became un-
conscious, but revived little and conn
planned little that his head ache1 Z
and asked the attendants to rub it,
No note or other explanation of the
suicide was found in his room,
sSjti.B Semi Conscious.
L i1ilrgughout the night Mr.. Pulliam
fingered in a semi conscious condition.
Members Of his family in Tennessee
and Kentucky were notified of the af-
fair last night. President Pulliam's
health and particularly his nervous
condition has been SO poor for several
months as to cause alarm among his
friends. After the spring meeting OF
the National league in February he
was granted an indefinite leave of abb
sence, and spent several months with
relatives in Tennessee and Florida
He returned to his duties about a
month ago and seemed to be con-
siderably improved by his long rest
His health soon began to give way
again and it is reported that he re-
Gently spent a week in a santarum
"A report was current today that Mr.
Pulliam wrote his resignation as presi-
dent of the league before shooting.
himself, but this could not be con-
firmed. ~
AS chief executive of the league
baseball organization of the country
Mr.. Pulliam s course sometime brought
him into sharp conflict with the club
Some of these latter par {
opposed as excessively arbl-
trary the presidents instructions to
lmpires Immediately after he assumed
office to deal severely with cases OF
so-ca1Ied ''roWdyism''
The controversies bore hard on the l.
nervous system and at the :
last league meeting in Chicago in ,
February he showed signs Of a break !
DOWN. Pulliam wanted to make pub
lie the names of the men who, he said
tried to bribe the umpres in the last
York championship
game. He had become imbued with
the idea that the league magnates I
(COntinued on PAPA Eiveo a