Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-01
Of9lo States'rIrca5rr, ian
From the Chicago Times.l
MELANCHOLY ENT,


distressing Occurrence at the Briggs
HOuse-A Young Lady Found Dead
in her ROOm-Fat0I Inhalation of
ChIOrofOrm by a Former Belle of SO-
" ciety : UnfOunded RumOrs of sui.
eide.
The circumstances attending the sudden
death of Mrs. Annie Gearing, young lady
OF high respectability and intelligence, who
has been recently guest at the Briggs
House, in this city, afford another and a
new phase to the many melancholy scenes
which transpire in this city. .-
A few years ago the deceased, then Miss
Annie Cannon, was an ornament among
the beauty and fashion of Louisville, KY,
where she resided with her parents. Meet
ing in this city, whittier she had come with
her married brother, Mr.. X. M. Cannon, a
commission merchant, with William M.
Gearing, Probate Judge in one of the inte-
rior counties OF this State, an intimacy grew
up between them which resulted two Years
ago in their marriage. After the bridal
tour they came to Chicago, and boarded at
the Richmond House. While here the
growing GOODNESS and many differences be-
tween husband and wife were the subject
of remarks among the bOarders at the ho-
tel. A few months after the marriage the
deceased separated from her husband and
went to live with her mother, in Louisville,
Ky. Both became subsequently, reconciled,
and SO remained until the day of the fatal
occurrence. ..-. .. ......- DID,. ... ...
l. -. CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH. ..
The numerous friends of Mrs. Gearing in
this city were startled yesterday by the re-
port that she had committed suicide, at the
Briggs House. 1t appeared that she had
been on visit to her mother, in Louisville,
for two or three weeks, and, on Wednesday
night, came to Chicago and stopped at the
hotel on her way to Princeton, awaiting
the arrival of her husband, who, it is said,
was to meet her there, as she learned by a
telegraphic dispatch which he had sent to
her to that effect. # .f.|
On the morning after Mrs. Gearing ar
rived at the Briggs House, the chamber
maid, in making her usual rounds, came to
her door tor the purpose of sweeping her
room. She was told by the lady to never
mind her room that day-that she was not
well, and had n pain in the head. Mrs.
Gearing then asked for water and towels,
which were brought to her, when she closed
the door and retired. a"
The chambermad did not disturb Mrs.
Gearing until about noon yesterday. In
the hurry of perpetual labor she had pass
ed and repassed the room of the lady, but
no suspicion was excited until yesterday,
when, approaching the door, thought of
the death-like stiffness that brooded so
strangely there flashed across her mind.
She knocked at the door, but there was no
tramp of feet or tone of voice to answer
the Summons. She knocked again. but all
was silent as the tomb. Pale with fear, and
frantic with hideous thought, she stepped
upon chair, and, peering through the
trausOm, discovered the cold, dead face OF
the lady '.'H .'...".. .H..
The affrighted chambermaid giving the
alarm, a number OF the inmates of the
house opened and entered the room, and
there found the deceased reclining in the
bed, with one arm arched over a pillow
the fingers of her left hand clasped in her
hair, and in the other hand bottle half-full
OF chlOroform, and handkerchief which
was still held to hernostrils
The body was stiff and cold when discov-
cred. The features of the face, beautiful
in life. were now discolored and slightly
distorted out of their natural expression of
refinement and intelligence by the effects
of the vaporous poison. A single glance
around the room told the observer that the
dead girl, before inhalng the fatal vapor,
had carefully disrobed her person. The
garments, useless now to their owner, lay
carelessly heaped upon the sofa. Here and
there around the apartment were seen
few trifles of dress, without which lady's
toilet cannot be COmplete-the belt, the
headgPar, collar, and cuffs. One little
circumstance-trivial In ITSELF indeed-told
more plainly than any other that when
these garments had been thrown there up
on the sofa, the thought of suicide had not
entered into her mind. There is that about
the female dress which may not be seen by
men. And no woman with the knowledge
that she Is never to arise again to things
of earth will place her apparel so that its
most sacred garment shall be exhibited to
the scrutiny of the opposite sex.
1t is stated by Mrs. Zearing's friends that
she had been in the habit of using chlorO-
form for some years past, on account of her
suiferings from neuralgia, and, though the
relations existing between her and her hus-
band were such as to seriously distress a
nature reared amid such delicate influences
as characterized her early life, yet a tender
regard for the feelings of her relatives for
bids us from casting any shadow, however
light, on the verdict of the jury which
heard the evidence elected at the inquest.
The near relatives of the unfortunate girl
will, no doubt, meet the intelligence of her
sad death with sorrow that will follow
them to the close of their existence. Her
brothers grief is keen and poignant, inas-
much as the circumstances atten ling her
demise are apt to cast upon her the sus-
picion of suicide, though the evidence
adduced points only to an insidious, acci-
dental death.