Neath Sullen Waters

The following is an article on the death of my great-great grandfather. I start here because I love the way this article reads. His death sounds very dramatic and almost poetic. I don’t think articles are written like this any more - "The last time his hands raised high above his head, as if in supplication".

The Enquirer-Sun: Columbus, Georgia
Saturday, February 15, 1890
‘Neath Sullen Waters'
Tragic Suicide of Farmer Robert B. Gullatt

At 12:30 o'clock Monday afternoon Mr. Robert B. Gullatt, a well-to-do Russell county farmer jumped through the north window in the center of the upper wagon bridge and fell headlong into the sullen, sluggish waters of the Chattahoochee. Three times, he was seen to rise and sink, the last time his hands raised high above his head, as if in supplication. Then all was quiet, and the murky waters moved slowly onward over the form of their victim. Such was the sad death of Robert B. Gullatt.

Mr. Gullatt and his wife were coming to this city in a buggy, when near the center of the upper bridge; Mr. Gullatt suddenly jumped from the buggy and sprang through the bridge window, falling to the waters below, before his dazed horror-stricken wife was conscious of his purpose. The bridge was full of women and children at the time, but most of them did not know that anything was wrong until startled by the piercing screams of the agonized wife. The news spread rapidly and in a short time, the riverbank on either side was lined with eager watchers, and the search for the body of the drowned man began.

During the afternoon, the reporter sought the wife of the unfortunate man, who was found at the home of a relative in Phenix City. With tears in her eyes and from shaking with sobs, the story was told.

"My husband's name was Robert B. Gullatt", she began, "we live sixteen miles from Columbus, near Crawford. We have six children, five boys and one girl, the oldest sixteen and the youngest four. My husband was forty-six years old, and a member of the Baptist church. He was a good husband and father, and I don't think he had an enemy in the world. He had been wrong in his head since Sunday a week ago, and he has been growing worse since then. I started to town with him this morning to see Dr. Phillips. A while before we reached the city he threw his arm around my waist and kissed me tenderly. 'Pinky, you will be a happy woman, just like the angels in heaven. '

Mrs. Gullatt said her husband then began talking to her upon the subject of religion. He said nothing would trouble him if he knew he would go straight to heaven.

"He told me he wanted to see Mr. W. P. Duncan when we got to Phenix City", she continued, "but neither of us knew exactly where to find him, so we decided to come to see Dr. Phillips first. My husband jumped out of the buggy and through the window before I had time to realize what he intended doing. "

Mrs.Gullatt expressed the belief that her husband was crazed on the subject of religion. The window through which Mr. Gullatt jumped is almost three feet high and about five feet long. It is covered with heavy lattice work, leaving a diamond shaped structure, measuring about two and a half feet from point to point. Mr. Gullatt must have jumped out of the window feet foremost as the shingles on the little shed about six feet below plainly showed the imprint of the nails in the heels of his shoes.

As soon as the act was committed, and assistance could be obtained, the river was dragged and sounded, but the search was given up at dark. When morning came the search was renewed by R. I. Grockett and J. A. Boggs, who at 8:30 o'clock, succeeded in locating and recovering the body, which was conveyed to the residence of his brother, Mr. Peter Gullatt, and turned over to undertaker herring to be prepared for burial.

His body was found about twenty yards from where he was last seen to go down and about seventy-five yards from the place where he made the jump. Mr. Gullatt was about forty-two years of age and possessed a wife and four children. It is the general verdict of all who knew him thoroughly that he was laboring under a religious hallucination at the time and in his frenzy, committed the awful act of self-destruction. His remains will be taken to Crawford where they will be interred in the family burial ground. There was no coroner's inquest held, it being decided as unnecessary.

So closes another sad chapter of life’s tragedies and marks and makes the spot on which it was committed historic.

Story ID:	27
Written by:	Scott R. Lupo (bio, contact, other stories)
Organization:	OurEcho
Story type:	Story
Location:	Phenix City Alabama USA
Year:	1890
Person:	Robert B. Gullatt