FARMINGTON TIMES, Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri, Thursday, November 21, 1901 A SAD ENDING ________ David Kirkpatrick Dies In Jail >From an Overdose of Laudanum ________ Last Saturday morning John David Kirkpatrick, who formerly lived at Bismarck and was at one time in the drug business at this place, was found dead in the Farmington jail. On Monday of last week he was in town and was arrested on information for carrying concealed weapons. He was arraigned before Squire Tucker and pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $50.00 and costs. Not being able to pay the amount his fine was commuted to five days in jail. Last Friday morning he was released, remaining about town, and as was afterwards learned, bought two ounces of laudanum at the McCormick Drug Co.'s store in the morning and two ounces at the City Drug Store in the evening. About nine o'clock that night Marshal Rickus saw him reeling along the pavement in front of the Markert Hotel, and supposing that he was drunk arrested and took him to jail, where he was locked up for the night. Coroner English held an inquest on the body, and from the evidence adduced the jury returned a verdict of suicide by taking laudanum. Instead of being drunk, as the Marshal supposed, he was doubtless under the influence of the drug at the time he was arrested and placed in jail, and his life might have been saved had this been known and the services of a physician secured. Mr. Kirkpatrick was a man of education, belonged to one of the good and respectable families of the county, and was the Republican candidate for State Senator in 1894 against Judge Madison. He was also at one time a soldier in the regular army, and was drawing a pension from the government. He was a quiet and peaceable citizen, but for a number of years had suffered from spells of dementia, and imagined that two soldiers were after him and also that blood hounds were on his track. We understand that he had a bottle containing oil and turpentine, which he rubbed on the bottom of his shoes to destroy the scent of the blood hounds which he imagined were after him. These halucinations were doubtless the cause of his carrying the two pistols with which he was armed. The Saturday before his first arrest he was in Elvins and went into the office of Squire Rivers, who knew him well, and pulling the two pistols from his pocket wrapped in paper, asked the Squire if it was against the law for him to carry them, giving his reasons for doing so. Squire Rivers took the pistols as if to examine them, drew the loads from them and gave them back, and then told him he would better go home or he would have to be arrested. He said he would and left the office.