The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-08-19
: MELANCHOLY AFFAIR.
4 yOUy1 LADY TAKES EGRPhlNh ~
" Destroy HEB LIFE

Yesterday afternoon a case OF as
sonIt and battery was tried before
Recorder Willard, in which Miss
Anna Morris was defendant, charged |
with assaulting the wife of Ben Me
haus. Before the trial, Miss Morris |
acted very strangely, and it was
thought that she was either laboring
lu5er temporary ms nity, or CSC had
taken chloroform or morphine. Judge
Willard had some doubts il the mat
ter, aud In order to be certain, he
would not proceed with the inyesti-
CATION until Dr. Walker had been
called 10, who proQounced her
to be sane, but thought she
was laboring under the effects o.
chloroform. The cause of Miss Nor
ris assaulting Mrs. Niehaus, SO far as
we could learn, was on account OF
alleged SANDERS said to have been
circulated regarding the unfortunate
young lady. OF the truth of this we
cannot voueh; we only give the state
ment as given to Us. At the eonclu-
sion Of the trial the Recorder fined
Miss Morris 500, and just as she was
about to leave the room she tainted,
aad was caught by the Chief of Po-
lice. Before she could be taken down
stairs she had become almost rigid,
and it was at once apparent that she
had taken some powerful drug. DR..
Mageniss was Immediately called,
and after an examination of the
case, he unhesitatingly pronounced
her to be suffering from the effects of
heavy dose Of morphine. The suf-
feriug woman was placed on mat
tress at the engine house, and Dr.
Mageniss went to his Office to get his
instruments, but returned in a short
time. Doctors Hilliard and Herr were
also present. DR.. Mageniss tried a
remedy that has been discovered
within the past TIVE. years, aud in
jected atropia simultaneously in one
shoulder. 1t had the effect to revive
her somewhat, and she was moved
to the house Of her father John
Morris, on the corner of Ninth and
Division Streets. Strong coffee is
most excellent remedy in cases like
this, but her teeth were elenched so
tightly that it was impossible to get
her to swallow anything.
Alta late hour last night she was
still in a state of insensibiIity, with
out the least possibility of recover
ing: in fact, she was nos expected to
live until morning, and it is very
likely that by the time this article is
perused by our readers that another
soul has been ushered unbiddsn into
the awful presence of its Maker
From the mother of Miss Morris
we learn that the latter has been con-
sidered as partially deFanged for some
time past, and yesterday when arrested
by the Marshal, she told a young
lady at her house that she would
never come back alive" showing that
she had evidently formed determin-
alton to consummate the rash act.
Some two years or more ago she at
tempted to commit suicide, but RENE
dies were administered In time to save
her life.
The sad event has cast a gloom over
a very respectable family, who have
the sympathie5 Of large circle Of
friends. Suicides have become fear
fully prevalent, aud scarcely a day
passes without accounts of self
destruotio reaching US from various
parts of the country. We feel satisfied
that Miss Morris was laboring under
temporary insanity, for VIC do not be-
lieve any persons take their owe lives
while in their right mind The young
lady had been laboring under severe
toothache for the past week, and had
a bottle of chloroform at the house,
but had only used a little Of it.
The case We have recorded above is
sad one, but in our duty as public
journalists it is our province to give
the facts to the public, and
in all cases like this we make it
a special rule to give nothing bat the
facts.