The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-08-07
A DOUBLE SUICIDE.
The Rem ark able Self.Murder Of Two
Sisters Near Chicago.

The Rem arkable Self.Murder Of Two
Sisters Near Chicago.
A shocking tragedy was wrought in
an elegant three-story residence on
Langley street, in the village of Hyde
Park, near Chicago, a few nights ago.
The house was occupied by three maid
en- sisters, named Elizabeth, Anna and
Mona Trowbridge. They were forty
three. forty and thirty years old. re-
spectively. Brought up to life of lux
ury, they found themselves unable to
face a life of privation, rendered newt
able, as they thought, by the failure or
anticipated failure of their resources, and
decided to seek surcease of sorrow by
going unbidden to the great hereafter.
They talked the matter over and all
agreed, after season of prayer, to put
period to their troubles. At the SUI
preme moment the courage of the
younger failed, and she concluded to
endure for time the evils she knew
ather than encounter those possibly in
store for her after she had shuffled off
her human integuments. The two
elder sisters remained firmly fixed
in their intention of leaving the
world which had caused them
50 much trouble. AS the afternoon
settled down into night they made
their CHASTITY preparations, and robed
themselves In white. After this they
read the Sermon on the Mount and
knelt down to pray. Then they closed
the blinds, nailed up the windows, and
drove two spikes in the wall, one just
over the center of the folding hall door,
the other in a similar place above the
open double doors OF the connecting
parlors. There was another prayer,
the three embraced and Mona retired
to her chamber above. There SILVER
ing, sobbing and moaning like one be-
reft of reason, the poor girl sat until
nine o'clock. She listened with that
sense of the horrible upon her which,
in her case, was unique. She heard
the preparations. heard the CHI airs
drawn out Of PLACE, heard the
chairs fall, heard choking pro-
tests, and then came silence
silence awful and t"r:uring. She went
down stairs and saw the hideous sight
she expected to see two loved sisters
hanging limp and inanimate from
ropes tied to the spikes driven in above
the doors. Two chairs lay beneath
them and an open Bible upon the GEN.
ter-table. The poor girl fell fainting
to the floor. But merciful oblivion was
not long granted to her, and she awoke
again. She crawled to where they
hung, and, in piteous accents, tried to
call them back to life. Neighbors
heard the wailing and entered, cut
down the inanimate forms and laid
them tenderly upon couch to await
the Coroner's inquest.
The inquest was held next day, AMI
Mona, the surviving sister, made the
following statement to the Coroner:
"My mother has boon dead about twenty
five years, and my father, Alva Trowbridge,
second wife about three years after mothers
d cath, and his wife died about two years ago.
My mother left some property to my sisters
and myself by will when she died. This prop
erty was afterward sold by my father throush
the courts, he being my guardian, as was q
minor.
my sisters and lived at home with my
father until about two years ago, when we
felt that we must leave home on &C count of
his conduct We accordingly did, and father
sted street. There was then i've hundred
dollars back taxes due on the properly, and
my sisters held a receipt for the payment of
their taxes. There has been q great deal Of
trouble recently over this property, and this
has worried my sisters great deal. They
felt that they were prosecuted, and ley be-
came tired Of life, and they have meditated
death for several days. the final conversation
on the subject occurring last week. They
felt that we must leave the house they occu-
pied on the LIST of August.
"The subject was discussed yesterday, and
fort }s.
talked with me about 1t, and prayed with me,
and read tho Billie, anl seemed to be happy
after these preparations were made. They
talked OF different methods of taking their
lives, an finally decided upon han !irg them
selves as the easiest method. They accordingly
bade me farewell, and at at out six O'Clock,
having fastened up the house, they left Inc
upstairs and requested me not to come down
nor make any noise for an hour or two. They
went down into the parlor, and in a few min
knew they had accomplished the act they had
contemplated.
~ went down in a little while to the kitch-
en-, and soon after went to the parlor and
found my sister Elizabeth suspended by the
neck between the front and back parlor door
to a scrcw-Eook fastened into the decreasing.
Ny sister Ann Was suspended in the same
manner from the casing of the door leading
from the parlor to the hall. touched them
both, and found them both dead. l then
went up stairs and to the front chamber, then
to the back window, and was there when Mrs.
Hanson rang the door-bell. The hooks from
which they suspended themselves were
screwed into the door-casings yesterday MORN
ing. The bottle of chloroform found in the
house was bought yestdr day morning, and the
knife found there was bought at the same
time. They did not discuss the use Of the
chlor, form, but they talked of putting the
knife into their hearts.
1--WE had discussed the idea of my taking
my life with them, hut they did not want me
to, aud. while knew that my only protectors
were leaving me, yet I thought would stay
to tell the reason for their act"
Mona was evidently out of her mind
on the day of the inquest, and was
placed in the charge of her friends.
After reading the account which ap-
peared in one of the Chicago papers
that morning, she beamed with de-
light, and, in an exultant manner, she
exclaimed to her friends, ~ want to
cut that article out and keep it, for it
gives such . lovely account of my
sisters DEATH" She appeared to think
that her sisters did right in destroying
themselves in the manner they did, and
that they were happier for SO doing.
The fact appears to be that the SIS
tiers were insane upon the question of
money. The evidence adduced before
the Coroner showed that they were in
receipt of q comfortable income. stlffi-
Gent to support them in the station in
which they were accustomed to move,
and that their alleged wrongs were inn
aginary, and their fears Of poverty
fancied. Their father had nearly inn
poverished himself in providing for
their wants, and there was really no
reason for their untimely taking of.
How Women Would Vote.
Were the question admitted to the ballot,
and women were allowed to vote, every wom-
an in the land who has used DR.. Pierce's Fa-
vorite Prescription would vote it to be an un-
failing remedy for the diseases peculiar to
her sex. DR.. Pierce has received hundreds OF
grateful testimonials Of it's curative power
Iowa CrTY, Iowa March 4, 1873.
nr n " Pierre Rnffn1O N. ":