The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1871-04-07
AnOt hey Unsortunatc.-SuiCide
of Mary Jane Charters.

kept by one Fannie Meaker, bad committed
saiciie by taking morphine. Upon repair
ing to the house our reporter discovered |
that the report was true, ari ELECTED the
following facts in regard to the case irem
the testimony given before the c.roner's
jury aud from other reliable sources: The
right name " the woman was Mary Jane
Charters. but she was known among the in-
mates of the house 40 Mollie Walker alias
"lrish Moll!e." The principal witnesses .x
amined before the coroneI's jury were Fan
nie Meaker, Annie Hart, and colored 10y
named Albert Bowen. The woman had
been living with man named Ward, and il
appears had a quarrel With him some time
ago about woman named Mol.ie Mitchell
On Wednesday night, about II o'clock,
Ward came into the house in O state OF in-
toXication, and began talking ia u lond tot Q
Ut voice to the girls in the house about the
girl Mitchell. Tue deceased it appears had
retired to her room, but overheard the re-
marks OF Ward, and answered hy applying
insulting epitbets to TLrd's mother, which
provoked him to such an extent that he
started up stairs, remarking that be would
''put an eye on her. She, however, avoid
ed him and made her escape by the back
way in her night drees and took shelter
for the balance of the night with female
friend in u house near by.
About nine O'clock yesterday morning,
according to statement made by her be-
fore she became unconscious, to other in-
mates of the house, she took several drinks
Of liquor, came to the lover end of the town
and procured u quantity of morphine. Re-
turning home she took one powder contain
ing about four graiGa, ate her breakfast,
which she threw up sooa after, probably
from the effects of the liquor, throwing up
with it as Is supposed the morphine pow
der Shortly after she complained Of not
feeling well; said she felt a. If she was 60
log to have fit, to which she had hereto
fore been subject, and laid down in her
room. About two o'clock in the IL fernoOn
she called to the colored boy, Bowen, to
bring her glass Of water. aud as hr testi-
fed was in the act OF taking powder into
her mouth as bs stepped into the ROOM
Bowen Immediately searched the room, and
discovered two more powders which be
burned up. About an hour after taking Il e
powder she became unconscious, and de-
spite the Efforts of physician wbo was im-
mediately summoaed, expired about ten
o'clock last evening. When Bowen took
the remaining powders tron her, tao poor
unfortunate remarked that .'ste was tired Of
life and wanted to die and had telegraph
ed to her mother. The two women testified
that she had been in depressed spirits on
accOant of Ward leaving her, and gave 1t as
their opinion that she was induced 10 CON-
init the rash act fo- no other reason. She
is supposed to have swallowed ABOUT eight
grains Of morphine altogether.
A coroner's jury was summoned by Jus
tice Reynolds, last evening, who proceeded
to the house and after viewing the corpse of
deceased, adjourn ned to meet at o'clock this
morning. At the session of the jury this
| ioiSuoou, CousiuelaUlc uinCuity was tApcr-
fenced by the jury in arriving at the facts
of the case, many Of the witnesses appear
ing to think that their evidence would i'm
plicate Ward as being accessory to her
death. The following Is the finding of the
coroneI's jury from the evidence given:
COMMONWEALTH OF Pennsylvania, ! o..
VHNANGO COUNTY 90
| We, the undersigned, having been duly
summoned and empannelle1 IA a jury to de-
termine the cause Of the death OF Mary
Jane Charters, alias Mollie Walker after q
hearing of the testimony, bave come to the
unanimous conclusion. and do lind ~ our
verdict, that the said Mary Jane Charters,
alias M0llie Walker, came to he: death
from the effects Of narcotic poison, admin
istered by herself
o. F. SCHoNBLoM,
NJ. s. SIMMONS,
G.. j. Cross,
OWEN GAFFNEY,
| EDWARD SHEPARD,
| H. STEEL.
Attest: SAMUEL REYNOLDS, j. z.
The unfortunate woman was abou. "a
years OF age, and her parents reside at some
point between youngstown and Warren,
Ohio, on the A. x G. w. Railway, and
are said to be- very respectable people. They
| 4, -. .l,Is