The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-05-19
sUTCIDE BYA CHILD.
rne Person, Aged Fourteen. Kills
a1crself Under Painful arcum.
.snuecs.


fNcw York Times, 18TH
A revolver which had lain for two years
In n drawer Of q bureau In the Kitchen OF
the apartment of Orrin ID. Person, on the
third floor of No. 173 Tenth avenue. was
taken out Yesterday by his daughter Ehe,
aged fourteen. IL was discharged, and the
bullet went into her left breast. killing her.
No one saw the occurrence. but the facts
warrant a belief that In a moment OF men,
tai anguish she destroyed herself. MI. fer-
son is native OF Greene county, ". L.
and he and his wife are we'll connected.
He has been for the past two years
EMPLOYED as clerk by Z. +. DielmaDn Co..
dealers In piano-cases. tops. and bard
woods, at Nos. 547 to $50 west Twenty-ilrst
street. They say he has an excellent repu-
tation. His apartments consist OF 'front.'
n,rlor and the kitchen, with dark bedrooms
between them. The rooms are plainly but
neatly furnished. Mr.. Person Is handsome
young man with black hair aud wbiskers.
He and his wife had three children Katie,
AGED twelve years; Efic, aged fourteen;
and Alice, aged seventeen. All were pale
faced, handsome, bright girls, with high
forebeads and regular features. but were
delicate. aud Effie suffered from curvature
OF The spine. They attended Female Gram
mar School No. SO, in Eighteenth street
near Ninth avenue. Effie was In the Fifth
grade, but her infrmity often stopped her
studies. Mr.. Person is spoken OF by his
nelghbors as an indulgent father. Ellie was
his favorite child.
On Saturday morning, while Mr.. Person
was dressing. he complained TO his wiie
that about $50 had been taken from roll OF
bills in pocket OF bis trousers. Mrs. Per-
son would not admit the possibility OF her
husband being robbed in his own apart
ment. but he insisted that be bad been rob-
bed while asleep. Although his means are
limited be did not make q complaint to The
police. Yesterday morning Mt O'Clock ne
began to dress, and when he took up DIS
trousers he exclaimed angriv that he had
been robbed again. Mrs. Person remem-
bered that her husband came home on
Monday at IL u. NJ, and suggested that the
money was lost before be entered the mouse.
MIR. Persons anger increased, and be esti-
mated his loss at so. He looked about the
floor Of the bedroom aud found five.dollar
bill. This he showed as a proof that ne
had been robbed in his own apartment. lie
talked in a manner that indicated that he
suspected that either his wife or one OF bis
daughters had taken the money. Mrs. Per
son offended herself and the girls, ana her
husband, in a lit OF passion, left The house,
saving ne would not return until The money
had been found. When he was away, Mrs.
Person spoke to her daughters, who were
agilated over their fathers conduct, and
told them not to worry. Her husbands
last remark when he left the hOu,e was that
he would employ detective and get to the
bottom of the affair. This suggested a
course to Mrs. Person, and she wrote tue
following letter:
" To The Captain Of the Police:
OWN YOU please send detective to my
house Just as soon ss possible on account OF
come mysterious, and, TO us, heavy losses:
| am unwilling 10 leave the house myself.
"Mrs. PERSON,
"No 173 Tenth avenue. third floor
Tuesday, May II, 1881"
Katie took the letter TO Captain McEl-
vain, OF tue Sixteenth precinct. who i'm
mediateiy instructed Detective Cairns TO
make an investigation. Meanwhile Mrs.
Person and her daughter Alice went to the
parlor OF their apartment and looked INTO
the street, expecting to see Katie or Dir.
Person return. They were talking about
The robbery when a pistOl-shot, followed by
a fall, was beard in the kitchen, and Mrs.
Person found Eflie lying before the bureau,
in drawer OF which the pistol, which
Law on the floor beside her, had been
kept. Fife looked at her mother, and
gasped, "Oh, mama Oh. mama!" Mrs.
Person lifted her head, and found that
blood was running from wound in her
left breast. She bent over the girl, whose
e, es were glazing, and said, ''Whv. Ellie,
what did you do this for? You didn't think
that suspected your" The child said, with
difficulty, "No, mamma. but papa suspects
u.s." and died. A minute later Mr.. Per,on
came IN. He did not demonstrate great
grief at Effie's death, aud returned to bis
Office to arrange his books and papers.
Shortly after Detective Cairns came in with
Katie, and Immediately sent word to the
Board of Coroners and began an iDvestlga-
ton. Captain McElwain arrived, and he
and his subordinate were soon satlsneu tnat
Effie shot herself deliberately. captain
McElwain concurs I'm the Dehef OF MT.
and Mis-. Person that their daughter ala not
take the missing money. Mrs. Person Is
firm in the belief that the money was not
lost in the house, and MIR. Person admitted
in the afternoon that the last time he saw
the money was week ago, when he was IN
the lumber district OF the Adirondacks.
CAPTAIN McElwan said it was not MS Dnsi'
ness 10 trouble with side issue like the
money, but be had a theory that acquitted
Mrs. Person and her daughters OF stealing
II. MIR. Person asked as favor that the
reporters would say it was his firm belief
that the child shot herself accidentally while
looking for something in the bureau
drawer. Mrs. Sutton, principal OF the
school which Effie attended, spoke highly
of her. She was nervous, eXctable child,
and would have been very likely to act
rashly in moment of mental anguish pro-
duced by false accusation.