Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-01-27
A WOMAN'S LIFE.
The Sad Career and Death Of Phlomena
Jones - Her Lover under Arrest on
Charge Of Murder.

Charge of Murder.
The County Hospital yesterday
morning witnessed the termination
of life which, though its years
were not many, had far more than
the average portion of the mlsfor-
tunes that fall to the lot of woman
kind. The deceased was known as
Philomena Jones, aud she was an
unsophisticated girl at sixteen,
wife and mother at seventeen, q
" fancy dancer ut eighteen, at
nineteen a deserted wife and the
beloved of disreputable scene
painter, and at twenty-five corpse,
dead, it is believed by her lovers
hand. Her history began in Los
Angeles, five years ago, where she
lived with her mother in retire.
ment. During the visit of vari-
ETY. troupe to that city she witness
ed the agile efforts of vocalist and
saltatory genius, more commonly
known as song and dance man,
by the name of Frank Jones. She
had q pretty face and q full share
of the romance that fills the head
Of the average woman at that age,
and as Jones paid her some atten-
tions, she naturally fell in love
with him. The result WAS that
when the troupe left the town she
went along with it, having married
Jones without informing her
mother of the interesting fact. She
came to this city with him, he pur-
suing his vocation at the Palace
Amphitheatre on Mission street,
and while living here her child
was born. Soon after this Jones
came to the conclusion that she
could be
USEFUL AS WELL AS ORNAMENTAL,
And trained her for the stage, but
as her genius was scarcely of the
Modjeska type, her schooling con-
sisted mainly of instruction in the
art of padding and the mastery of u
few "fiash" songs. Not long after
ward he babe her an abrupt fare.
well and departed for New York,
leaving her alone with Der child to
support. This she barely succeeded
in doing, eking out miserable eX-
istence in low class theatres and
melodeons, and finally went back
to Los Angeles. There, on her
voyage from bad to worse, she fell
in with q scene painter, one Albert
Ontivieras, who, in 1872, was sent
to San Quentin for five years for
burglary. She is said to have be-
come his mistress. At any rate, she
and her child travelled with him to
this city where, about two months
ago, she took room on California
street above the Adelphi Theatre
and accepted an engagement as a
fancy dancer in that place. Onti-
vieras visited her at odd times,
coming three or four times week.
He was evidently in love with her
and constantly.
IMPohTUNED HER TO MARRY HIM.
She as constantly refused, however,
saying that she did not want him
for a husband. Finally, a week ago
Sunday night, he came to her room
about two o'clock in the morning.
She was in bed with her child, and
he sat down Oh the edge of it, in
company with little Mexican
named Mendoza, aud resumed his
demands and threats. She refused
to use some money she had
earned, to obtain II divorce from
Jones, and, becoming enraged,
he assaulted her with his fists
and feet, and wreaked his rage on
her till she was bruised from head
to foot. He also struck the child,
according to the latter's story, but
did not hurt it much. The next
morning both her eyes were
BACKED and she complained to Lou
Somers, dancer at Buckley's,who
occupied the next room, of pains in
her neck and head. These grew
worse day by day until she became
unconscious and a week ago Thurs
day she was removed to the hos
pital, where she died yesterday
morning. The police got
ON THE TRACK OF oNTIvIERAs,
But did not arrest him till about 2
o'clock last Sunday morning, at
which time Officers Blakeslee and
Rogers found him in a low Mexi-
can dive on Cutthroat alley, lead
ing off Dupont street, near Broad
way. He was first charged with
assault to murder; but, upon the
death of the woman, charge of
murder was placed against him.
an AUTOPSY.
An autopsy in the case revealed
that death resulted from disease
of the heart. The autopsy shows
that if any injuries were received
they had no direct bearing on the
cause of death.-.S H. Post Jan. "a.