The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-02-24
"A VICTIM TO SCANDAL.

VILE VALENTINES DRIVING SENSITIVE WOMAN
TO sUIcIDx-MRs. BOWERS FATAL LEAP
PARTICULARS OF THE NINTH AVENUE
TRAGEDY.
s'she seemed to rest her hands on the side wall
moment AZ she leaned forward from the roof and
looked down into the street. Then she swung about
sdewise in a queer sort Of way, all IN hurry, and
hung the area, her hands cnsing to the coping
for instant; then she screamed and fell"
such In brief The description gwen by Annie
Norman. perhaps the only person who saw her fall
OF the manner In which Mrs. Della c. Bowers to
her death the OF Ninth avenue and Nine
tcenth the evening Of washington's Birth.
day. II was beginning TO grow dark when Mrs.
Bowers fell, and her form appeared to some who
II in tho distance like bundle OF clothing
thrown from tho housetop into tho street. Tho
noise OF the fail attracted quito crowd
from tho tcnemen,s, stores and workshops in
the vicinity. and as the people passed about tho
woman's PROSTATE tho horror Of tho crcpt
through them and pictured itself upon their eager
faces. 'whars the mattcrs" sis she dcadrn Glow
did fall 2" busy tongues earnestly than
eager eyes inquired But there there thon
to say how IL all happened. She had fallen She was
nsensibe, least appeared SO, and PROBABLY would
die AS hcr shattered form lifted IRON the
and borne to her apartments the crowd pressed
about tho door and edged closely to the central
point to lind out all about the woman who fell
Mrs. Bowers lived at No 1913 Ninth avenue, mar.
ried and the mother OF two children aged about eight
and ten years and her death considered
TO DO OF her own seeking In spite OF tho implied
trsdicon presumed to exist In tho fact sho
much respected by all her noiyhbors good Chris
tian and exemplary wife and her. To
sensitive disposition IS charged the meuta condition
which led her prscipate herself IRON the roof OF
house forty feet high area just raIied in
from the open street II was a frigbttul lcap-lrom
which the s,outest heart In sane moments. would
reco with shuddsr. What could have driven good,
peaceful, Christian mother 10 take such fatal plunge?
VOICE or SCANDAL
The sting OF scandal Such the generally
cepted explanation put in circulation shortly alter her
death by her ncighDors and acquanianccs, few OF
whom pretended TO know tho history OF the whole
affair Reports say that on Valentines bay February
~ Mrs Bowers received from female ncIghbor some
offensive caricatures with accompanying lines OF q
scurriious character written by the sender The Ian
guagc used very harsh, and Mrs. Bowers worried
greatly over tho matter. she showed her husband
what she had received and told HIM from whom sLo
pected the slandcrous messages to have Tn
IKE his wife, Mr. Bowers did not see enough in such
silly malicious bit OF business ~ give him any cause
for wOrrimeGi.
uE ADVISED HER TO GIVE no HEED TO rHx MATTER
Two OF The valentines were said to have had respect
lively the captions "A Seamstress aud ''lu Love with
Every Preacher" But what the accompanying lines
wero has not been stated
Mrs Bowers constant attendant at the SIX
tccnth street Baptist church, and after n time the
further scandal, got to the ears oil the con-
gregatlon, aud It's circulation there capped
the climax OF her morthcation Meanwhile tho
moro talkatvo of her nelghbors had heard OF
Mrs. Bowers rcstvcness under tho lash of
these painful stores ana kept astir the petty gossip
which tho sender OF the valentines gave forth rst.
Gradually the poor womans nerves gave way under
the ordeal until lew days before her fatal leap whoa
she evcn refused 10 eat, so much was she EXERCISED
over tho scandal Her friends did not entertain any
serious apprehensions, however. and tho thought OF
suicide by so devoted Christian and SO vol con-
Quoted n wife never entered tho head Of any one
WHEN ALIVE
Late Thursday afternoon woman residing on the
floor the one Mrs. Bowers family occupy started
to 20 TO the bakery. and when passing Mrs. Bowers
door asked her to step up the above " Tue
children were NOISY or troublesome during her alb
scnce. She had been gone but few minutes, but
when she got back TO the house tho mel ghbors were
ng the dying form OF Mrs Bowers from the narrow
arcaway. How she fell Miss Annie Norman
told the writer in lew words but graphically
OF Ninth avenue and Nineteenth street and Mrs
Bowers fell IRON the roof OF tho house on tho norh
west corner Mrs. Norma, ut homo when hes
daughter tho fail aud was attracted by Ann,e's
screaming the terrifying sight. Sne did not tho
very good health TOR some time, much fright
by the that she preserved In her
DRY only the striking features contained In her words
gwen above.
CURIOUS sPEcULArioxs.
Mrs. Bowers resided the nrst house from the
corner and Is considered strange by some OF the
neighbors that she should gone roof Of
adjoining house to prec,ptss herself th,ssirom with
herself from the root OF her own house. II was
very unusual thing, however tor the inmates
OF No 153 in which Mrs Bowers resided,
to pass over TO the roof OF tho corner house.
But flying rumor which could not DO traced to It's
source yesterday lent some importance to the Tore
going comments. This rumor WOULD have II that
one, the gossps could MOI say who. had seen
womans figure rctreatIng from the roof OF the
ncr house toward the scuttle OF of tho
houses above Just as Mrs. Bowers fell to
the ground II Ia not pretended THAI
any pushed Mrs Bowers into the street, but
II this rumor found TO DO fact and inc person
fleeing from the roof should DO identified. there ID
found here strong chain OF circumsantia evidence
as many which convictions ever Tor murder have
been obtained. The dying woman's last words
s'Mrs. Is the cause oil this F"
Yesterday Coroner Croker wont to tho premises TO
empancl q Jury 10 Wow tho body and give burial
permit