New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-01
Physician Says Woman
Told Him She Wanted
to Kill Herself.
HUSBAND INSISTS
1T WAS ACCIDENT
Doctor Reports Case to Suffolk
County Observation-Disclosures
Recovery Doubtful.

From The Tribune Correspondent
Amityvile. Long Island Dec. 3l.-Mrs
Charles G.. Wingate. daughter-in-law OF
General George W Wingate. a widely
known Civil War veteran and chief coun-
sci for the Long Island Railroad. swal-
lowed about seven grains of bichloride
Yesterday. Physicians are trying TO save
her life.
lie Roy NJ. Young. Assistant District
Attorney OF Babylon. 10 whom the case
was reported. said to-day that judging
from information he had received Mrs.
Wingates recovery was doubtful.
Charles o. Vingate. on the other hand.
said thip evening his wife was in no
danre..
D- !arles a. Luce. the family physi-
~ - reporting the case to the As
sis.s't District Attorney. is said to have
'-,,d .ntt the hchloride was taken with
r..0idh intent. Dir. Luce expressed the
same opinion 10 his wife and others, it g
maintained. To reporters. however, he
declined to say more than that Mrs
Wingate informed me she took the drug
because she was respondent"
This IS only a trivial matter. Mr.
Wingate asserted this evening. MY wife
took a bichoride tablet In mistake for q
headache tablet. II was purely mistake,
and she is in no danger whatever. Some
idiot started report that she had taken
It purposely and was likely to die. There
is no truth whatever I'm either assertion"
Mr.. and Mrs. Wingate have two daugh-
ters. One Of them. Miss Grace. when
she noticed her mothers distress, hur'
riedly summoned DR.. Luce, who admin
istered antidotes The physician, after
working for some time over Mrs. Win
gate made n report Of the case to Mr.
Young, which is said 10 have included
a letter TO General Wingate, dictated by
his daughter-in-law. Mr.. Young commu-
nicated by telephone with his chief, Dis
trict Attorney Ralph c. Greene, OF Say
VILE.
IL was agreed between the District At
torney and his assistant that no action
should be taken at present. The two men
went to New York this afternoon, and
nothing will be done from their Offices
until they return
General George W. 'Wlngate, from his
said yesterday afternoon:
THE attempt at suicide theory is all
bosh, sir Here's Just what happened.
Mrs. Wingate was in her home with
her daughter, a girl OF about seventeen.
Mrs. Wingate went upstairs I'm a hurry
to get some medicine. She had not been
feeling At lately. She went into the bath
room, and quite by accident took the
wrong medicine. She came downstairs.
daughter, and said Gracious. I have
taken some poison. II was bichlorlde OF
mercury
The girl rushed to a telephone and
called a doctor. The doctor told her to
give her mother as much milk as she
could drink. The young girl gave Mrs.
Wingate full two quarts Of milk. And
then the doctor came. He brought a
stomach pump along and used 1t upon
Mrs. Wingate.
You see her condition is not serious.
because Of the prompt action and because
she had just finished her dinner. We ex-
pect she will be we'll in two or three
days. That doctors story is all bosh.
SIR"
George Albert Wingate. brother-in-law
of Mrs Wingate. who has law Offices at
No. 20 Nassau street, said.
Mrs. Wingate took hat poison quite
by mistake. There is no earthly reason
for her wishing TO take her own life. No.
II was a plain out and out accident. DR..
Luce must be mistaken. She isn't dan
gerously Ill. but she's a mighty sick girl"
Ralph C. Greene, Of Sayille, District
Attorney for Suffolk County said he
knew little OF the affair. When asked
about the statement Mrs. Wingate Is
said TO have dictated TO DR.. Luce that
she took the poison for the purpose of
ending her life, Mr. Greene said:
DIR. Luce told me that Mrs. Wingate
had made such a statement and that he
had written 1t down. | haven't seen II
yet. so l don't know anything about 1t.
However he said that he had forwarded
II to me. When I get II | shall. In due
time, place IL in the hands OF the grand
jury, and they'll do about IT what they
see ht'
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