The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-11-08
MRS. VAUGHAN

that she had voluntarily came to her
death by drowning in the Kanawha
river, and that she was driven to the
rash step of self-murder by grief and
despoudency.
Upon arriving at the place where the
body was lying, the reporter found a
considerable number of shivering men,
women and children of all shades
standing near the edge of the stream,
looking at the unpleasant sight of the
unfortunate woman's remains, which
were on the bottom of the river, face
downward, in about two feet of water.
A small plaid breakfast shawl was
tightly wrapped around the head and
neck, and her hands were closely
ciasped with death rip. The body
was found by John MCGEE, a sonin-law
of the suicide, some time between six
and seven o'clock, and by reason Of
QUEER IDEA,
which is entertained among the people
and some OF the magistrates here, that
a corpse under such circumstances
must necessarily remain at the place
where it was first discovered until taken
therefrom bv a coroner's jury, it was
allowed to remain in the river until be.
tween nine and ten o'clock. A jury,
consisting of Captain r. Q. Laidley,
foreman, and L. D. Wilson, Colonel
Charles Ruffner, Fielding Starke, c. B.
White, George Ritter Max Kaufman,
J. w. F. Truslow, y. H. Ritter, J.
Mark Young and J. w. Rrackman,
was summoned by Sergeant Rand and
impauneled and sworn by Squire Will
lams, under whose charge the inquest
was held.
THE BODY,
after being viewed by the members OF
the Jury, was taken out Of the water
and carried in a blanket up to the
house OF the suicide, which is situated
on the bank Of the river, where an ex'
animation was made by DR.. Taylor.
After the examination the jury heard
the small amount of evidence that
could be produced including two let
tiers, one OF which was addressed to her
husband and found in her bosom. The
Jury then repaired to the City Hall,
where a verdict in accordance with the
facts before stated was rendered.
Mrs Vaughan leaves husband and
three sons, two Of which latter are
quite Young. Tom. Vaughan, the hus-
band, with the oldest son, was working
on Merjwether on Ward contract on
the Baltimore and Ohio Short Line
road, and both were apprised by tele-
graph of the sad occurrence.
Through the courtesy OF Captain
Laidlev. the reporter was enabled to
obtain a copy of the inevitable farewell
note of the suicide, which will, perhaps
furnish a key to the reasons Tor the
commission of the act. As will be OBJ
served, the letter is without date, special
address or Signature, but she VAS seen
about eleven o'clock of the fatal night,
engaged in writing it. The cause Of
her grief was mainly the death OF a
daughter, which occurred some two
months since.
THE LETTER
which was found on the mantlepiece is
as follows:
DEAR, KIND FRIENDS: | am going
to leave you all. ask you to be kind
TO nv poor little boys. l cannot live
any longer. My heart is broken.
leave all nv flour, coffee and sugar to
nv dear friend, Mrs. Scanlon; and
please give nv children a bit to eat,
and be good to them till their father
comes for them. Tell them not to
orieye after me. O! it nearly kills me
70 leave them. could not live another
week like this. Tell my husband not
70 look for me at all. l do not want
him to trouble himself about me. II
he could have stayed at home with me
| could have lived but do not blame
him, nor any one else. l always tried
70 make Others happy, but | never
could be happy since my dear daugh-
ter died. There is some little money
in nv pocketbook which | worked for;
take that for the childrens use. Tell
y ora TO take auNtuluS INV A'>
belongs to me. So, goodbye, and may
the Lord have mercy on me.
Tell my husband to take care OF the
children for my sake; they are all that
is left him, and never to drink any more.
God be a friend to my children"
Mrs. Vaughan had been for some
time subject to fits Of dependency and
repeatedly threatened to put an end 10
her existence. She told lady but a
short time since that she had gone to
the river a number Of times during the
last two months for the purpose OF
drowning herself, but when upon the
noipt of committing the rash act, she
would think of her dear little children
and desist. -,
nv birth, was a member OF the Church
Of England, and had been but for
short firne in America. Her remains
were consigned to the care OF her friena''