The Portland daily press., 1878-09-24
MRS. EAsTMAN,s DEATH.
Miserable Life Ended by Murdtr or
Suicide.

Mrs. Alice V. Eastman, whose body was
found floating in the water at Back Bay, Bos
ton, the first of the month, was the sister oil
Isaac Osgood of East Hiram, who is clerk in
clothing store in that village. Her father i;
| not minister as reported. Mrs. Eastman was
| 50 years of age and spent the early part of heI
| life in this state, after which she removed tc
Lawrence, aud ten years ago settled in Boston
She married q man by the name of Edward
Eastman, by whom she had four children, only
one of whom is now living-s beautiful girl OF
| about 20 years-who is now insane. Mrs
Eastman's husband, it ID asserted, kept a pro-
vision store in Lawrence, soon after which be
became infatuated with another woman, and
finally left bis wife to live with her His
wherea bouts are at present unknown, but
when last heard from he was In Chicago, en-
ployed as travelling agent. Mrs. Eastman
had fine education, and is spoken of as hav-
ing very pleasing appearance After her
husband had deserted her, Mrs. Eastman gave
her whole attention TO the proper training of
her daughter, and lived by the aid of her own
hands and the assistance offered by her brother.
According to MIS-. Whitney, who kee2s
boarding pacs at Winsiow Place, eff Cham
bsrs street, Mr9. E sstnan began 10 board with
her in March 1876, coming well recommended
from the house of MI. Barnes on Norman
street
She was genteel in appearance.and spoke like
one who had seen good deal of the world.
She represented that she managed to get along
h.,r I>-nf tnre
or relatives. She claimed soon after that she
expected her husband to arrive every day, but
at the end of three or four months said he had
taken up with another woman and had gone
out West. At times, when callers rang the
bell, she would come down from her room, eX-
pressing her expectancy of meeting her hus-
band. Although no husband came, and al
though she had intimated her husband had
run away, she persisted in saying that "He
would come" About this time, Mrs. Whitney
says, she noticed that Mrs. Eastman was in the
habit of receiving many gentlemen callers and
began to grow suspicious that her character
was not good but when she intimated as much
Mrs. Eastman claimed that her gentleman
friends were from the State House, who had
interested themselves 10 her child, who was in
the State Asylum The child, Augusta East
man, about 20 years old and very beautiful,
about this time came from the asylum to live
with her mother. The daughter Appeared quite
rational and soon after coming home prevent
ed her mother from taking dose of laudanrm.
Soon after the daughter and mother quarrelled
and the result was that the former was again
sent back to the asylum. Mrs. Eastman soon
after claimed that her daughter had been co.
gagged to an old white-haiTed married gentle
man, who was in the habit of calling at the
house, and who, Mrs. Eastman had claimed,
had given her money to buy clothes for the
girl, as well as having boarded the latter one
year at Taunton. TIE girl, after being engage
ed to the old gentleman, married young man,
soon became insane, and the mother, from
some unknown cause, seemed to feel that she
was the cause of her child's trouble. This i'd
duced her to take laudanum on two occasions,
to end her existence, but each time she failed
in her purpose. The laudanum she purchased
in five different apothecary stores at the West
End, aud on recovery each time she voluutar-
lily stated that she had something on her mind,
which. it she could but express, would greatly
relieve her.
10 November last. Mrs Whitney says, Mrs.
Eastman's conduct was such that she told the
latter she must leave, which she did owing
Mrs. Whitney $l7. She left trunk behind
her, and tried to get it by calling on the police
while drunk, but was arrested and sent to the
Island. Mrs Mcdonald living at the corner
of Tyler and Kneeland streets, said that the
deceased boarded at her house up to about the
1st of July last. and that the woman drank
freely, and often in connection with her family
troubles mentioned that she would like to COM
NIT suicide, bnt would not resort to such an
acti any ones house, and thought drowning
was the easiest death. On Friday, Aug Both.
Mrs. Eastman appeared at the house No. 70
Essex street, where she had a friend in the pei
son of Minnie Lavont. To the latter she
stated that Mrs. Bannister had ill-treated her
and owed her about 81, and that she (Eastman)
had left the house. She stated that she had
about So in her possession.
When Mrs. Eastman went to No. 70 Essex
street there were several scratches and finger
marks upon her neck, which she had probably
received in some trouble at her former boarding
place, and these marks were noticeable on the
Eastman on this day. Friday. wore no jewelry,
and none was found upon her when she was
picked up on the Back Bay. Miss Lavont
shared her bed with Mrs. Eastman that night,
and early tho ne KIT morning the latter left the
house, but did not return TO Mrs. Bannlster
who, about this time, was complained OF for
deeping disorderly house. On the following
Monday Mrs. Eastman returned to her friend
Miss Lavont and said that she had spent all her
money in engaging room at No. Maple
place, off Harrison avenue, and was particular
ly DESTROYS to obtain the money due her from
Mrs. Bannister, saying that she would testify
against the latter for keeping disorderly
house, if she did not get It. She had left
bundle of her clothes at Varney's liquor saloon,
No. 50 Beach street, where she often went, as
her friend freely acknowledges for liquor
With the request that her friend should call
upon her at her room, No. Maple place, and
with the determination to get the money from
Mrs, Bannister, as she had no other way to buy
her meals, she departed, and that was the last
seen Of her by her friend. Miss Lavont did not
find time to cali upon her, and, although she
read the accounts OF the finding of the body,
she had not the slightest suspicion that the de-
ceased was her friend until last Wednesday,
when an acquaintance, Stephen b. Kelley, be-
coming convinced that the murdered woman
was Mrs Eastman, made an examination Of
the picture and almost positively identified it,
Miss Layont further says that on one occasion
she found Mrs. Eastman Intoxicated, lying in
the entry of Mrs. McDonads house, and that
she had but S. In her possession. while before
her debaucb, and before entering the house,
she had $I5. In Miss Lavonts presence Mrs.
Eastman had frequently given an account of
her troubles, and from the narration it was
learned that her daughter was, about two years
ago. engaged to be married to a young man OF
afluence. The latter, while studying in Ell
rope, had become SO involved in trouble that he
was forced to marry young woman IN that
country. This news made her daughter insane,
aud she was not as Mrs. Whitney states, mar
ried, but was taken to the Taunton Insane
Asylum. The young mans father afterward
removed to New York, but to remedy the dig
tress caused by his SOB, agreed, SO it is said, to
pay a certain sum of money to Mrs. Eastman
and her ghter for certain length of time,
and it is probable that he is the gray-haired
gentleman. whom Mrs. Whitney mentions, as
visiting Mrs. Eastman, while the latter lived
with her at No. Winslow place.. The time
when this income ceased was but few weeks
ago, and Mrs Eastm an, in referring to the mat
ter as to how she should then live, and to the
condition of Ler daughter, grew very despond-
ept and INDUCED freely in liquor. On this
account, and considering the fact that tue
| marks about her neck have been accounted for,
| it is thought by her friends that she committed
| suicide, which she had threatened to do. L o
| show, however, that she did not take her own
| life the autopsy made by Medical Examiner
Harris, disclosed the fact that she had been
outraged and her person cut by some sharp in
| strument.
A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.-Daniel s. Web
Der has had romantic career. In 1S47, wher
his father died, he went to sea, and just prol
to that event his father had deposited in tn
Suffolk Bank, through Mr.. John o. Butcher
now in the Boston custom house, $3.50. Web
Der sailed to all parts of the globe, and whel
the war was 10 progress he became an involun
| t,rr raorp;t 70 ono of the Union regiments