The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-09-04
HE DIED FOR LOTTA.
Suicide of a Printer who was leased About
The Charming Actress.
A Report that He ONCE Claimed to be the
Legal Husband of Miss Crabtree.

Report that He ONCE Claimed to he the
Legal Husband of Miss Crabtree.
While mentally liberated Saturday night,
Richard l.. Hayward, printer about 40 years
of age, committed suicide, by cutting his
throat, at the Braden hotel, on Market street,
near the Main plaza. Hayward lived here
most of the time in the last s years He had
consumption, and was fearful Of lingering
death. He was intelligent, his habits were
temperate, and was liked by all Of his felNw
workmen. Some few days before he began
conducting himself in queer manner; at times
he was silent and thoughtful, then laxative
and CARELESS. His temperament became SO
mercurious that it was noted by all his asso-
ciates. Last Thursday he read a copy of the
EVENING LIGHT, in which appeared humor-
Gus sketch purporting to be an interview with
the actress Lolita. An idea of the article, or
that part in which he took the greatest interest
NAV be gained from the following extracts:
"Lotta has been so maliciously magned by
libelous and mendacious reporters that she
has made it a rule never to be interviewed at
all, not even by lady reporters. As an in
stance of how she is misrepresented, a re-
portorial miscreant of Chicago puts the fol-
lowing words into her mouth on the subject OF
loves kiss, "Love without kiss is like
harp without hand; the rainbow without its
hue; the brook without its babble; the land
scape without its colors; the rose without its
odor; the Doreahs without its variations; po-
etry without rhyme; spring without sunlight;
garden without foliage, or marriage without
love. The woman who recoils from a kiss
does not deservs the devotion of . manly
heart"
But to return to the immediate presence of
Lolita, who was left facing the reporter. AT
last finding tongue for his sureing thoughts,
the interviewer put the brilliant query, "How
old are you?"
Fourteen" with smile that was child
like and bland. elbow many teeth have you
go,?"
"Twenty-two
"Ten gone, aha!'
"What kind of cosmetics do you deem
best?'
"Sir, cannot answer that question. I'm
MT a talking adve, ,.sing bulletin. l don't
sell ST. Jacobs oil or IIostetter's btters or
loom up with cut of Ayers pills on the bill
boards.
Hayward read the sketch several mes.
Then he said to a friend: "Don't you know
who this was about?"
NO, was lhS iSPiy.
"Well, l can tell you," said Hayward.
lit is about my Lotta?"
"Your Lotta?"
eyes," said Hayward; 81 know so because
she quoted that part about love without a
kiss being like harp without hand to me
many time. o. know it is she""
"Who is she?"
To this question Hayward refused to reply.
He looked at the paper quite while and
seemed very sad. They put in all this
about Lotta's teeth Just to make me mad
They knew wouldn't like it,"
Elf,rts we're made to discover the
identity of the woman with whom it
was supposed he had confounded Miss
Lolita Crabtree. They resulted in a ru-
NOR that pretty young woman, named Lot
ia, with whom Hayward was infatuated, was
once boarder at the Braden hotel, and quit
ted there to avoid his attentions. But this
could not be traced to a reliable source, end
the proprietor of the hotel, c. J. d. Beck, was
unable to remember any such occurrence as
that mentioned. Then Hayward's friends
thought Of a portion of the sketch which
might be a cIew to his mental perturbation.
1t is worded thus:
"Lotta has long and curious history. She
Francisco. 1t was while in California that a
certain crank claimed that the virgin Lotta
was his wife and went SO far as to institute
proceedings for divorce.
"Dick," said a compositor to him, ''weren't
you the man who brought suit for divorce
from Lotta"
"That is none Of your business" Hayward
returned. A similar question was put by other
persons and he made evasive replies. Though
nothing certain is known it is now believed
having claimed to be Lotta's husband.
The subject preyed upon his mind. Thurs
day night he was walking with Will Potshiusky
and Chas. Richter, two compositors en-
ployed in the LIGHT Office, when he suddenly
said, "Don't you see everybody's looking at
me? Its about that Lolita article"
His two companions tried to soothe him,
"Nobody looks at you more often than any
body else." said Potshiusky.
eyes they d." contradicted IIaywardi
"they all stare at me-"
Just then a man passed. Noticing that
Hayward was staring al him he looked stead
lily at Hayward. "See there" said Hayward,
81 told you so; everybody knows who am;
won't have any peace now since that Lolita
article was published"
To other persons he talked in the same
strain. He was nervous and excitable ill
Saturday, when he resigned his posi- ion as
compositor for Shepherd Bros and then
seemed to be more calm.
"Why did you quit your place?" Potshiusky
asked him.
because all the boys annoyed me by
speaking Of he Lolita article" he replied.