Russell's Death

This article was submitted by Liam C, a faithful blog reader and adept researcher. It has a few slight edits by a blog editor. 

Russell’s Last Doctor 

            An air of mystery has always surrounded the death of Charles Taze Russell. Perhaps this says something about human nature’s struggle to let go of the past, or the way official narratives, when probed, often leave lingering questions with unsatisfying answers. Or maybe it stems purely from the circumstances – his passing on a train, far from Bible Student headquarters, with only the great Pastor’s then-secretary as witness to the event that occurred on Halloween 1916.

            Menta Sturgeon’s firsthand account in the December 1, 1916, Watch Tower pages 360–367 is a harrowing read. It vividly details how, at Russell’s insistence, the pair forged ahead on their western U.S. speaking tour despite his worsening cystitis which in a period of weeks grew from concerning to life threatening. Yet, Russell’s conviction – ‘The Lord permitted us to make out this route’ – prevailed over any thought of turning back.

            So it was that on October 31, 1916 the two men found themselves alone in a private train car rattling its way through North Texas, Russell dying and Menta watching helplessly by his side. 

Menta details the final hours  

            “We (Menta) called in the Pullman conductor and also the porter and said, "We want you to see how a great man of God can die." The sight deeply impressed them, especially the porter. I called in the regular conductor, and telegraphed for a physician to board the train at Panhandle; and he did. He saw the condition, recognized the correctness of the diagnosis and conclusion, gave me his name, and was off before the train got under headway.”

The Panhandle Herald November 3, 1916 page 1 provides the name of the last Doctor to see Russell alive. Curiously, the announcement also reported Menta Sturgeon’s intent to take Russell’s body to Kansas City for embalming, rather than Waynoka, where undertaker J.B. Kepner prepared it (see blog posts ‘J B Kepner of Waynoka’ and ‘J B Kepner revisited’ written by Jerome).

            The nearest Dr. Carlton that this writer could find to events is Samuel Ringold Carlton who shows up in the 1910 census as living in Eastland, Texas (235 miles away) and in the 1920 census as living in Denton, Texas (280 miles away). This is not to suggest he travelled from either of these locations to answer the train telegraph the day Russell died but only to show that he was practicing in the general area during the period this event happened and is likely our man. Samuel Ringold Carlton obtained his medical degree from Vanderbilt University class of 1888 and is listed in the 1916 American Medical Directory under his home state of Arkansas. His picture can be viewed at the link below:

 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25636170/samuel_ringold-carlton

An educated guess about Dr. Carlton’s visit leads to this: Likely carrying only a basic kit, he would have asked about his patient’s symptoms: painful urination, perhaps blood in the urine. He would have noted Russell’s fever, rapid pulse, and weakness. He would have checked for abdominal or kidney tenderness. Treatment was palliative including such as fluids or pain relievers. In that era there was no cure for advanced cystitis. Russell’s death occurred a few hours after this. Reports put the location of death from the train stop at Pampa, Texas to somewhere between Pampa and Canadian, Texas a stretch of about 40 miles. 

            Russell’s death in some ways ended the movement he started yet many of the ideas he popularized during his lifetime live on in religious communities around the world. Hopefully this post can add a small detail for those who like me remain fascinated by this event more than a century later.

 (Special thanks to Warren Stricker at The Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and to Jeff M for the encouragement to for the encouragement to write this up)